‘American Crime’ Premiere Review: Racism Vs. Justice In New ABC Drama – Hollywood Life

‘American Crime’ Takes On Race & Murder — But Is It Worth Watching?

John Ridley, the writer of '12 Years a Slave' takes huge risks for his new drama, hitting ABC's like no other on March 5. 'American Crime' confronts race, justice, religion, and pretty much every other social issue possible -- but will the story grab you? ABC has added another show to its lineup that doesn't shy away from the issues of the real world. American Crime circles around the murder of a man and the suspects: a black drug addict, a Hispanic teenager, and a Mexican street gangster. Pull in Timothy Hutton and Felicity Huffman as the victim's parents, and you've got a full on, powerful new drama.

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American Crime Premiere
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC

‘American Crime’ Premiere Review: Racism Vs. Justice In New ABC Drama

Right away, we meet Russ (Hutton) who is called in the middle of the night to come identify his son, Matt, who was murdered. With that we see the impressive acting by Hutton, who in five minutes, embodies the pain that we we could imagine a real parent going through if they lost a child. Russ then informs his estranged wife Barb (Huffman) — and she wants answers.

Throughout the episode, there are slurs thrown around, conclusions jumped to and overall a lot of issues swept under the rug — showing the way the judicial system works? Well, that’s for you to judge.

‘American Crime’ Takes On ‘Real Themes’ But Too Much Story

The show, of course, is getting rave reviews for taking on such issues that are overlooked — but are they really? On ABC, the home of Blackish and Fresh Off The Boat, racism is no newcomer.

“It really deals with the themes of our country,” Paul Lee, the head of ABC Entertainment told CNN. “It talks about family, and faith, and race, and class, in a way that I think is extraordinary, and I can’t wait to see what people think of it.”

The show did take on a lot, but so did the story — in many ways, it was too much. The mixture of plot lines, stories and emotional turmoil came off a tad jumbled. While each story was moving, it was tough to piece together, which ultimately may make people tune out.

But of course, we want to know what you guys think, HollywoodLifers! The premiere airs on ABC on March 5 at 10PM ET.

— Emily Longeretta
Follow @EmilyLongeretta