''American Crime'' is an American

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically cate ...

crime drama Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and comb ...

television series created by

John Ridley John Ridley IV (born 1965) is an American screenwriter, television director, novelist, and showrunner, known for '' 12 Years a Slave'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He is also the creator and showrunner of the a ...

that aired on ABC from March 5, 2015, to April 30, 2017. The first season centers on race, class, and gender politics as it follows the lives of the participants in a trial who are forever changed during the legal process. The series follows an anthology format with each season featuring a self-contained story with new characters, often played by the same group of actors. Actors featured prominently in all three seasons include

Felicity Huffman Felicity Kendall Huffman (born December 9, 1962) is an American actress. Huffman began her acting career in theatre, and in the 1990s also had many supporting roles in film and television. She starred as Dana Whitaker in the comedy-drama '' Spor ...

Timothy Hutton Timothy Tarquin Hutton (born August 16, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is the youngest recipient of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, which he won at age 20 for his performance as Conrad Jarrett in ''Ordinary People ...

Richard Cabral Richard Cabral (born August 28, 1984) is an American actor, occasional producer and writer. He is best known for his roles on ''Mayans M.C.'' on FX, the ABC television series '' American Crime'', which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nominatio ...

, Benito Martinez,

Lili Taylor Lili Anne Taylor (born February 20, 1967) is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films ''Mystic Pizza'' (1988) and '' Say Anything...'' (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s i ...

, and

Regina King Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress and director. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, '' Time'' magazine named her o ...

; while

Elvis Nolasco Elvis Nolasco is an American film, stage and television actor known for his work on the ABC anthology series ''American Crime''. Early life Nolasco was born and raised in New York City and is of Dominican descent. Career Nolasco has made ap ...

and

Connor Jessup Connor William Jessup (born June 23, 1994) is a Canadian actor, writer, and director. He is known for his roles as Ben Mason on the TNT science fiction television series ''Falling Skies'' (2011–2015), Taylor Blaine and Coy Henson in the A ...

have starring roles in two seasons. The series was renewed for a second season in May 2015. The second season, which premiered on-demand on December 17, 2015, and premiered on ABC on January 6, 2016, In May 2016, ABC renewed the series for a third season, which premiered on March 12, 2017. On May 11, 2017, ABC cancelled the series after three seasons. All three seasons of ''American Crime'' received critical acclaim. In 2015, the series received ten

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

nominations, including for Outstanding Limited Series, Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Ridley), Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (Huffman), Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Hutton), Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (Cabral), and a win for Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie (King). In 2016, it received four

nominations, including another for Outstanding Limited Series, with Huffman and Taylor being both nominated for Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie and King receiving a second win for Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie.

Overview

The first season takes place in

Modesto, California Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton- ...

, where a war veteran becomes the victim of a home invasion gone wrong and the lives of four people are forever changed after each one is connected to the crime. The second season takes place in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th ...

, where the co-captains of a private school's basketball team are accused of sexually assaulting a male classmate and posting photographs of the incident online. The third season takes place in

Alamance County, North Carolina Alamance County (), from the North Carolina Collection's website at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved September 18, 2012. is a county in North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 171,415. Its county seat ...

, where five people struggle to survive in a place where the American Dream comes with a price.

Cast and characters

Season 1

Main

as Barbara "Barb" Hanlon *

as Russ Skokie * W. Earl Brown as Thomas "Tom" Carlin *

as Hector Tontz *

Caitlin Gerard Caitlin Beverly Gerard (born July 26, 1988) is an American actress and filmmaker. Early life Caitlin Beverly Gerard was born in Los Angeles on July 26, 1988. She attended the International School of Los Angeles, a private French K-12 school, ...

as Aubry Taylor * Benito Martinez as Alonzo Gutiérrez *

Penelope Ann Miller Penelope Ann Miller (born Penelope Andrea Miller; January 13, 1964), sometimes credited as Penelope Miller, is an American actress. She began her career on Broadway in the 1985 original production of ''Biloxi Blues'' and received a Tony Award no ...

as Eve Carlin *

as Carter Nix * Johnny Ortiz as Anthony "Tony" Gutiérrez

Recurring

Season 2

Main

as Leslie Graham, the private school's manipulative principal *

as Dan Sullivan, the school's basketball coach *

as Anne Blaine, Taylor's mother *

as Chris Dixon, a public school's principal * Trevor Jackson as Kevin LaCroix, a private school student and captain of the basketball team *

as Taylor Blaine, the sexual assault accuser *

Joey Pollari Joey Pollari (born April 9, 1994) is an American actor who became well known for his role as Eric Tanner on ABC's second season of '' American Crime'', and in 2018, appeared in the film ''Love, Simon'', as Lyle, one of Simon's potential boyfriend ...

as Eric Tanner, the

closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender and other (LGBTQ+) people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and huma ...

gay basketball player accused of sexual assault by Taylor * Angelique Rivera as Evy Dominguez, Taylor's girlfriend *

as Terri LaCroix, Kevin's strict mother

Recurring

Season 3

Main

as Jeanette Hesby *

as Nicholas Coates *

as Clair Coates, Nicholas' wife *

as Coy Henson, a young American who is addicted to drugs *

as Isaac Castillo, a farm crew chief * Benito Martinez as Luis Salazar, a father from Mexico who wants to find his missing son *

as Kimara Walters, a social worker who wants to have a baby

Recurring

Sandra Oh Sandra Miju Oh (born July 20, 1971) is a Canadian–American actress. She is best known for her starring roles as Rita Wu on the HBO comedy '' Arliss'' (1996–2002), Dr. Cristina Yang on the ABC medical drama series ''Grey's Anatomy'' (2005 ...

as Abby Tanaka *

Cherry Jones Cherry Jones (born November 21, 1956) is an American actress known for her roles on screen and stage. She has received various accolades for her performances in television and theatre including three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, th ...

as Laurie Ann Hesby, the matriarch of Hesby Farms *

Tim DeKay Timothy Robert DeKay (born June 12, 1963) is an American actor. He starred in the USA Network series ''White Collar'' (2009–2014) Early life Tim DeKay was born June 12, 1963, to Jim DeKay and Jill Vaughn in Lansing, New York, where he and ...

as JD Hesby, Laurie Ann's brother. *

Janel Moloney Janel Moloney is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Moss on the television series ''The West Wing'', a role for which she received nominations for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series ...

as Raelyn, Jeanette's sister, a single mother recently abandoned by her husband. * Dallas Roberts as Carson Hesby, Jeanette's husband * Ana Mulvoy-Ten as Shae Reese, a 17-year-old sex worker * Mickaëlle X. Bizet as Gabrielle Durand, a Haitian woman, the nanny of the Coates' son * Clayton Cardenas as Diego Castillo, Isaac's brother

Cast table

The following cast table only includes actors who appear in multiple seasons.

* * * *

Production

Development and casting

In October 2013, ABC announced it was developing a drama pilot created by

. In January 2014, ABC greenlighted the pilot, and signed a deal with Ridley to direct.

and

were the first regular members to be cast, as announced on February 14, 2014. Later

, Johnny Ortiz, Benito Martinez and W. Earl Brown were cast for regular supporting roles in the pilot. In early March,

was cast in a lead role as Russ, and

signed on in a supporting role of the mother of the murdered man's wife. Soon thereafter, it was announced that

was cast in the lead role of Barb Skokie, Russ' stoic ex-wife and mother of the murdered young man.

Filming

The pilot episode, along with further episodes, was filmed in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, which substitutes for the California city of

Modesto Modesto () is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,464 at the 2020 census, it is the 19th largest city in the state of California and forms part of the Sacramento-Stockton ...

. On May 8, 2014, ABC picked up the pilot to the series for the 2014–15 television season. Filming for the series moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

, California with the third season, as the show's production was awarded a California tax credit.

Episodes

Reception

Critical response

All three seasons of ''American Crime'' received widespread critical acclaim, with praise going towards the writing, directing, and the performances of its cast (particularly

and

). On the review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

, the overall series holds a 96% rating. On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which uses a weighted average, the overall series received a score of 86 out of 100.

Season 1

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season received a rating of 94% based on 47 reviews with an average rating of 8.3 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Raw, emotional portrayals of diverse characters in dire pain, mashed up with chilling narratives and a gutsy attitude make ''American Crime'' a must-see." On Metacritic, it garnered a score of 85 out of 100, based on 35 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wi ...

'' critic Dominic Patten said in his review: "the 11-episode limited series marks a resounding flag planting by network television and tells cable that it doesn't own poignant drama on our small screens." Critic Ed Bark praised the performance of Felicity Huffman and wrote that she would be a favorite to win at next year's Primetime Emmy Awards.

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season has a 95% rating based on 38 reviews with an average score of 8.1 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''American Crime''s intense second season infuses a complicated, topical story with genuine emotion, and patiently allows its narrative arc to develop without sacrificing momentum." On

, it has a score of 85 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim."

Season 3

The third season received more acclaim than the first two seasons. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 100% rating, based on 31 reviews with an average score of 9 out of 10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''American Crime'' offers a unique anthology series filled with surprising revelations and compelling inter-connected narratives that opt for original, emotional human commentary instead of tired arguments over current events." On Metacritic, it has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Verne Gay of ''

Newsday ''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and fo ...

'' called it "Another brilliant, powerful, moving season of one of TV's best."

Ratings

Accolades

References

External links

* {{Satellite Award for Best Cast – Television Series 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American LGBT-related drama television series 2015 American television series debuts 2017 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming 2010s American anthology television series English-language television shows Primetime Emmy Award-winning television series Rape in television Television series by ABC Studios Television shows directed by Steph Green Television shows filmed in Texas Television shows set in Modesto, California Television shows set in Indianapolis Racism in television Works about rape Homophobia in fiction Television series about dysfunctional families Television series created by John Ridley