ABC Studios and Mark Gordon Co. have grabbed a formal pilot order for Conviction, a legal drama that was written by Liz Friedman, known for her work on Elementary, and Netflix’s Jessica Jones, reports Variety.
The story follows a smart but rebellious woman named Carter Morrison, who just so happens to be the daughter of a former President. After being blackmailed into accepting a position as the lead of the newly-created Conviction Integrity Unit in Los Angeles, she must work with her team to investigate those who may have been wrongfully convicted, and presumably try to help exonerate them, catch the real guilty parties, or both.
Conviction is yet another title aiming to join ABC’s already drama-heavy lineup: the Kiefer Sutherland-led drama Designated Survivor has already been given a straight-to-series order. And ABC is, of course, the network that managed to create the “TGIT” acronym thanks to its Thursday lineup that includes award-winning Shonda Rhimes shows How to Get Away With Murder, Scandal, and Grey’s Anatomy. ABC also airs another popular new drama from Mark Gordon Co., Quantico.
If the show is picked up by the network, Conviction would be battling against yet another Shonda Rhimes creation, Still Star-Crossed, for a slot in ABC’s primetime hours, along with other potential series like The Jury, Presence, and Agents of SHIELD spinoff Marvel’s Most Wanted. That said, Friedman has enjoyed tremendous success with Jessica Jones, which Rolling Stone even named one of the best 25 TV shows of 2015.
Friedman, along with director Liz Friedlander (Stalker, The Following), Mark Gordon, and Nicholar Pepper will serve as executive producers for Conviction.
Given the storyline, and viewers’ penchant for shows that touch on politics, crime, and justice, it may have a good shot at making it. But does ABC (not to mention viewers) have room for another politically-charged procedural? We’ll have to wait and see.
