Dr. George Huang is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He is portrayed by B. D. Wong.

Character overview

Huang is introduced in the episode "Pique". He is both an FBI Agent and the resident psychiatrist for the Special Victims Unit team. He provides them with expert analysis of crime scenes and suspects. His vast knowledge of forensic psychology and psychopathology lends him a preternatural ability to understand, empathize with, and predict the actions of suspects as well as victims. He also has extensive knowledge in the fields of theology, ethnic studies, and forensics, and speaks fluent Chinese.

Despite a rocky start with the SVU detectives, they seem to have come to trust Huang implicitly. However, his opinion is not always appreciated; he sometimes agrees with the diagnoses of mental illness provided by defense attorneys and their psychiatrists, making it harder for the Assistant DAs who work with the precinct to prosecute criminals.

Like the detectives, however, Huang has empathy first and foremost with victims of sexual assault, particularly children. He is usually very calm, soft-spoken, and even-tempered, except in one notable occasion (see below). As a psychiatrist, he sometimes offers his expertise to the detectives themselves, by helping them with any emotional problems they may have. One notable example is the Season 6 episode "Charisma". After the detectives see that several children have been murdered in a cult leader's home, Huang sits down with each of the detectives individually.

Notable episodes

In the episode "Execution", Huang is beaten by a serial killer while he and detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) try to get him to confess to a murder.

In the 2003 episode "Coerced", he clashes with Stabler about the treatment of a suspect and says that he would testify on behalf of the defense.

Character background

Early in his career as a psychiatrist, Huang worked as a counselor for sex offenders, motivated by a genuine belief that he could rehabilitate them. He quit after a few years, however, frustrated by his patients' unwillingness to truly participate in the psychotherapy. He soon joined the 16th Precinct to help catch the same criminals he once treated.

According to the episode "Inheritance", he has a sister.

Behind the scenes

NBC was criticized by several Asian American media critics for not making Huang's role bigger in the SVU episode "Debt," especially since that episode's plot was centered heavily around Chinatown.

References