AMC Networks' new television drama ‘61st Street’ aims to spark a discussion about the U.S. criminal justice system, telling the story of a promising Black high school athlete who is wrongly accused of murdering a police officer
LOS ANGELES, April 27 - In AMC Networks' new U.S. television drama "61st Street," Emmy and Tony award-winning actor Courtney B. Vance plays devoted lawyer Franklin Roberts who decides to go all in on a case that could shake the criminal justice system.
Roberts represents Moses Johnson , a promising Black high school track runner in Chicago destined for success in college. Johnson is wrongfully accused of murdering a police officer, setting the scene for plot twists that lead to a bigger discussion of systemic issues in a marginalized community, including its relationship with the police department, drug wars, prison conditions and access to resources.
"I think everyone can put themselves in that situation and go what if I got into a situation where there was no one to help me," said Vance. "It could be the prison system. It could be the judicial system. If you get in there, people assume you're guilty and they back away from you because it's overwhelming.
Shanks, a former cop and South Side Chicago native, said he hoped the show would encourage talk about "some really serious issues that I think we as a country have to address as far as policing and the criminal justice system and just the relationships between law enforcement and marginalized communities of color.""These things do happen in London," said Cole, who grew up in the city.
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