Hayley Atwell is sassy enough to entertain, smart witted
enough to keep us on our toes and vulnerable enough for us to care. Give Haley
a multi-layer character like Haze Morrison and you are creating magic.
If you cannot tell, I really love ABC’s new show
Conviction and it is not just about Hayley. One very talented actress cannot
carry an entire show and keep it going. It takes thoughtful and intelligent
writing, creative casting, talented actors and a production staff who knows how
to tell as story.
So here is the scoop on Conviction, Haze Morrison is a
brilliant young attorney, who is also the daughter of a former U.S. president.
Haze, after being picked up for cocaine possession is blackmailed to head up
NYC's new Conviction Integrity Unit. She and her team investigate cases where
people may have been wrongly convicted.
Sounds like a pretty standard template for a drama, but
Conviction is a lot more. Let’s start with the cast, Hayley Atwell, best known
for her role as Agent Carter in Marvel’s Agent Carter and Captain America plays
Haze Morrison. Her team consists of Merrin Dungey
known for her roles on Alias and Once Upon a Time as Maxine Bohen, an ex-NYPD
Detective. Emily
Kinney best known for her roles on The Walking Dead and Arrow as Tess
Larson the Paralegal, Shawn Ashford best
known for his role on The Following as Sam Spencer DA appointed liason, and Manny Montana know
for his roles on South Beach and Graceland, as forensic investigator Franklin
'Frankie' Cruz.
The Conviction Integrity Unit chooses a case and has
five days to determine one of three resolutions. The first to let the
conviction stand, the case needs to go back to trial, and if proven, the
conviction reversed. They start from the beginning, interviewing witnesses,
reviewing and researching all of the evidence, circumstances and testimony. At
the end of the five days a verdict is rendered and the truth comes out.
The writing is leading and deceiving, mixing and
mirroring the struggles of the reviewing case with personal struggles of the
characters. Not just Haze Morrison but each member of the team allowing for
character depth and laying. Love it!
Also a terrific platform for social commentary as well
as the exploration of characterization, and interpersonal relationships. The
show has great promise and I am looking forward to the coming year.
Conviction
is on ABC, Monday’s at 10/9c, check your local listing for more information.
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