''Deception'' is an American crime procedural

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

television series created for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

by Chris Fedak. The series was produced by

Berlanti Productions Berlanti Productions is an American film and television production company founded by screenwriter, producer and filmmaker Greg Berlanti and producer Mickey Liddell. History The company was founded in 2000 as Berlanti-Liddell Productions by ...

and VHPT Company in association with

Warner Bros. Television Warner Bros. Television Studios (operating under the name Warner Bros. Television; formerly known as Warner Bros. Television Division) is an American television production and distribution studio of the Warner Bros. Television Group division of ...

, with Fedak serving as

showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...

. The series premiered on March 11, 2018. The series starred

Jack Cutmore-Scott Jack Cutmore-Scott (born 16 April 1987) is an English actor. He is known for his roles in the American Broadcasting Company, ABC drama series ''Deception (2018 TV series), Deception''. Early life Born in London to two accountants, he spent a ga ...

as Cameron Black, a superstar magician who joins the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

as a consulting

illusionist Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of illusion, stage magic, and close up magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural means. It ...

to help them solve crimes after his career is ruined by a scandal.

Ilfenesh Hadera Ilfenesh Hadera (born December 1, 1985) is an American actress. Early life Hadera was born on December 1, 1985 in Harlem to Kim Nichols and Asfaha Hadera. She identifies as half Ethiopian and half white. Her father is a Tigrayan refugee and foun ...

Lenora Crichlow Lenora Isabella Crichlow (born 4 January 1985) is a British actress. She became known for her starring roles as Maria "Sugar" Sweet in the Channel 4 comedy-drama series '' Sugar Rush'', Annie Sawyer in the BBC Three supernatural drama series '' ...

Justin Chon Justin Jitae Chon (born May 29, 1981) is an American actor and filmmaker. He has directed three films, ''Gook'' (2017), '' Ms. Purple'' (2019), & ''Blue Bayou'' (2021). He is also known for portraying Eric Yorkie in '' The Twilight Saga'' film ...

Laila Robins Laila Robins is an American stage, film and television actress. She has appeared in films including ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''An Innocent Man'' (1989), ''Live Nude Girls'' (1995), ''True Crime'' (1999), ''She's Lost Control'' ( ...

Amaury Nolasco Amaury Nolasco Garrido (born December 24, 1970) is a Puerto Rican actor and producer, best known for the role of Fernando Sucre on the Fox television series '' Prison Break'', and for his role in ''Transformers''. Early life Nolasco was born ...

, and

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelse ...

also star in the show. In September 2016, the series received a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

production commitment at ABC, and received a pilot order in January 2017. The cast was filled out in early 2017, and filming on the pilot began in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in March 2017. The series was officially ordered by ABC in May 2017. On May 11, 2018, ABC cancelled the show after one season.

Premise

After his career as a magician is ruined by a scandal, Las Vegas

Cameron Black becomes the world's first "consulting illusionist" as he works with the

to solve odd crimes.

Cast and characters

Main

as Cameron Black, a Las Vegas illusionist who works with the FBI to solve crimes. Cutmore-Scott also portrays Cameron's twin brother, Jonathan Black. ** Danny Corbo as young Cameron Black ** Sonny Corbo as young Jonathan Black *

as Kay Daniels, a take-charge, hard-working FBI special agent who teams up with Black *

as Dina Clark, Black's producer/makeup artist *

as Jordan Kwon, a street magician who works on Black's team *

as Deakins, an FBI special agent and Daniels and Alvarez's unit's commander *

as Mike Alvarez, a classic FBI agent who is secretly a huge fan of magic, and of Cameron Black in particular *

as Gunter Gastafsen, hailed as the "world's greatest illusion builder"

Recurring

Stephanie Corneliussen Stephanie Corneliussen (; born April 28, 1987) is a Danish actress and model, best known for her role as Joanna Wellick in ''Mr. Robot''. Early life Corneliussen was born in Copenhagen. She attended Johannesskolen in Frederiksberg and studied ba ...

as "the mystery woman", a mysterious woman from Jonathan's past known as " The Sorceress with Magic Eyes" ** Alexandra Lenarchyk as young girl *

Naren Weiss Naren Weiss (born March 15, 1991) is an actor, playwright, and former model. He played Osama bin Laden in Kamal Haasan's film on terrorism ''Vishwaroopam'', Dekker in the ABC series ''Deception'', and is known for his work in theatre in India ...

as Dekker, the "weapons visionary" for the mysterious woman *

Evan Parke Evan Dexter O'Neal Parke (born January 2, 1968) is a Jamaican-born American actor perhaps best known for his role as Hayes in ''King Kong''. Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, he was raised in Brooklyn, New York, and then on Long Island. He atte ...

as Winslow, an inmate who coerces Jonathan to do odd jobs for him *

Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promi ...

as "Switch", an artist with ties to the mysterious woman *

Tanc Sade Tanc Sade (born 28 July 1980) is an Australian actor, writer and director. Sade worked in several theater productions in Australia before landing a recurring role on ''Gilmore Girls'' in 2005. Early life Sade was born in Sydney, New South Wal ...

as Lance Bauer

Guest

Brett Dalton Brett Patrick Dalton (born January 7, 1983) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Grant Ward and Hive in ABC's series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'', as well as Michael Munroe in the 2015 video game ''Until Dawn''. Early life Dalton gr ...

as Isaac Walker, a

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

agent who has a romantic past with Kay *

Jack Davenport Jack Arthur Davenport (born 1 March 1973) is an English actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''This Life'' and ''Coupling'', and as James Norrington in the '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' series. He has also appeared ...

as Sebastian Black *

Mario Van Peebles Mario Van Peebles (born January 15, 1957) is an American film director and actor best known for directing and starring in ''New Jack City'' in 1991 and '' USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage'' in 2016. He is the son of actor and filmmaker Melvin Va ...

as Bruce Conners

Episodes

Production

''Deception'' was given a

production commitment by ABC on September 14, 2016, with the project being developed by Chris Fedak and magician

David Kwong David Kwong (born 1980) is a magician, puzzle creator, writer, and producer. Kwong is known for creating illusions and puzzles for film and television and for functioning as a producer and consultant in the field. He produced ''Deception'', ...

. The pilot was ordered on January 19, 2017, followed by a series order a few months later on May 12. On February 10, 2017,

was cast in the lead role as Cameron Black, followed a few days later by the casting of

as Kay Daniels,

as Dina Clark, and

as Mike Alvarez. The following month,

joined the cast as Jordan Kwon, while

was cast as Gunter Gastafsen. In May 2017, it was revealed that

had been cast as special agent Deakins. Production on the pilot began in March 2017, with filming taking place in

. Filming for the rest of the season began in September 2017, and ended in February 2018. The series is composed by

Blake Neely Blake Neely (born April 28, 1969) is an Emmy Award-winning American composer, conductor, and orchestrator. He has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on ''Everwood'', '' The Pacific'', and ''Pan Am'', and won the Emmy (20 ...

and Nathaniel Blume.

Release

''Deception'' began airing on March 11, 2018, on ABC in the United States, and on CTV in Canada. The pilot was screened on July 19, 2017, at

San Diego Comic-Con International San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is co ...

. On October 8, 2017, members of the cast and the executive producers attended

New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. History The New York Comic Con is a f ...

to promote the series and screen the pilot.

Reception

Ratings

International success

In France, under the name "Cameron Black: l'illusionniste", it became a ratings hit, becoming the number one show in its timeslot. In Germany, after airing only 7 episodes, Deception had already broken viewing records.

Critical response

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

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 Wang ...

reported a 60% approval rating with an average rating of 6.01/10 based on 9 reviews. The website's consensus reads, "Deception isn't particularly original or thoughtful, but there's still some lighthearted fun to be found hidden up its sleeve." Audience reaction on the same website has a 93% approval rating.

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, 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 arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''Deception'' scores 3 out of 5, and that it is one of the latest shows that are trying to be ''

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

''.

Awards and online polls

In E!'s TVScoopAwards, Deception dominated categories, winning 3 awards including Worst Shocker, Breakout Actor (

), and Best new 2017/18 Show.

References

External links

* * {{IMDb title, id=6461812, title=Deception 2018 American television series debuts 2018 American television series endings 2010s American crime drama television series 2010s American police procedural television series 2010s American mystery television series American Broadcasting Company original programming English-language television shows Fictional stage magicians Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in New York City