In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.
The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Unit. It ran for five short series between 1999 and 2003. It tells the story of the London Metropolitan police force's vice squad, where prostitution, underage sex, and other such organized crime are regular occurrences. Most episodes end in such a way where the main villain is caught but often not in a 'naturally' concluded way that you would expect with other TV dramas, and often ending an episode with more questions unanswered than answered.
The small dedicated team is led by Detective Inspector Pat Chappel who struggles to manage the balance between his home life and his work life - as do the other members of the team. Working in the seedy underworld leads to a continual dilemma for the team - the tension between the Vice Squad and the vice-related crimes that they investigate runs throughout the series and gives the show a rich viewing experience. The programme often blurs the line of the team staying on the right side of the law, as almost every member of the team at different points submits briefly or permanently to the temptations of either sex, drugs, money or honey traps. Sometimes with drastic consequences.
Shun is a third generation descendant of a Japanese orphan left behind in China during World War II. Takeru is a lonely and reckless young man whose family was murdered when he was a child. Shun, Takeru and Kasumi, who has an equally troubled past and background, become collaborators after being hired by Kuchinawa in a police undercover operation to take on a drug cartel in a Chinatown. The drama follows their ability to work together and grow individually.
Sold in America is an original series that dives into the nation's unseen sex trade, covering issues from human trafficking to prostitution. Although the subject is often discussed in an international context, thousands of people are trafficked for sex in the U.S. alone each year, and thousands more sell sex under varying levels of compulsion, constrained decisions and choice. This series shows viewers how our culture of paying for sex affects a broad range of people who end up in the sex trade, from children being trafficked by opioid addicts, to life in America's most elite brothel. And the series takes a look at the frontlines of combating exploitation and harm in the industry. With moving storytelling and videography as well as hard-hitting investigative journalism, Sold in America pulls back the curtain on our nation's sex trade.