The Funniest Moment Of Law & Order: SVU Season 6

"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" isn't likely the first show most would think of to find some comedy. The team of detectives deals with some of the most disturbing crimes and criminals, but in the absurdity of it all, there is plenty to mine for humor. One could even argue that "Law & Order: SVU" is a pretty funny show when it wants to be. It's certainly been the temporary home to many comedy legends who came in as guest stars, and it counted comedian Richard Belzer as a cast member for years. 

Everyone from Robin Williams to Jerry Lewis has appeared in "Law & Order: SVU," and while they don't always have the funniest of roles, their involvement certainly suggests that it's a show willing to play with tone (via IMDb). Season 6 of the series finds plenty of comedic guest stars for Christopher Meloni and Mariska Hargitay (as Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson) to play off of. 

In "Law & Order: SVU" Season 6, Episode 3, titled "Obscene," it should be clear that comedy is going to be part of the game when viewers first see that comedian Lewis Black is guest-starring as a Howard Stern-like shock jock radio personality. Maggie Grace is also featured in an early role as the teenage star of a crime show who might've been attacked in her trailer. 

Shockingly, the funniest moment from the episode — and the season — doesn't come from Black, but rather from the unusual opening scene.

"Obscene" offers plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments thanks to its Hollyweird-type story, including one in which a producer notes that he already knows how the conversation with the detectives will go because he writes these back and forths for a living. 

But the funniest moment of "Law & Order: SVU" Season 6 actually comes in the opening of the episode. Openings to any "Law & Order" show are usually reliable. We follow a few characters in turmoil, things end in a violent crime, then the famous theme song comes in to let us know the detectives are on the case. In "Obscene," we open on detectives we don't recognize at a crime scene. They look much more done up than the usual scrappy NYPD detectives. Could this be the setup for a younger, hip spinoff? Things feel off, but viewers know they've been tricked when the camera pans over a body — a classic sight in any "Law & Order" opening – and the woman suddenly gets up despite a vicious injury to her throat, yelling about a dog distracting her while she's trying to play a corpse.

It's a complete fake-out, as viewers then make their way to the real crime with Maggie Grace's character Jessie. The episode and the rest of the season have plenty of funny moments, but the opening to "Obscene" deliberately plays with fan expectations and its own format, throwing out a hilarious curveball before the opening credits even roll.