American Crime and Black-ish - Ordered to Series at ABC

ABC also picks up AMERICAN CRIME from John Ridley/starring Felicitt Huffman; new Anthony Anderson comedy BLACK-ISH.

— TV Guide Magazine (@TVGuideMagazine) May 9, 2014

AMERICAN CRIME

The humble city of Modesto is far inland from San Francisco, surrounded by farmland. Parts are pastoral, while others are grittier with rising crime due to gangs, drug trafficking and addiction.

All over the news are reports about a young couple who were attacked in their home. Matt Skokie, a war vet, was killed and his wife, Lily, was raped and beaten unconscious. This tragedy sends shock waves into the community, stirring up tensions across racial lines, and connecting victims, suspects, and their families.

Matt’s father Chuck (Timothy Hutton) has flown in from Arizona for the grim job of identifying his son’s body. He and his ex-wife Barb (Felicity Huffman) haven’t seen each other in a long time and she is still angry with Chuck for his gambling addiction that destroyed their family. Barb became a struggling single mom and regrets having to raise Matt and his brother in public housing – as the only white kids there, they were badly treated. Chuck got the help he needed to overcome his addiction, but it took a lot of time to repair his relationship with his sons.

They are at the hospital with Lily’s parents, Tom and a tearful Eve, watching over their unconscious daughter. They still believe there is life in her, but doctors tell them that they are pessimistic that she will ever recover, even if she wakes up.

The two couples have to decide whether they talk to the press. Tom and Eve are not ready, but Barb wants to keep the story front page so the people who did this to their children are arrested. It’s been several days and no arrests. But that will soon change. The police are about to arrest four suspects.

There’s teenager Tony Gutiérrez raised by single father, Alonzo. He insisted that Tony and his daughter, Jenny, steer clear of gangs and trouble. But, Tony rented out a car from his father’s garage to a thug named Hector Tontz… mainly because he was too scared to refuse. Because that car was at the scene of the crime, Tony is arrested. Later, Hector is arrested with force after he was caught using victim Matt’s credit card.

Police get Hector, who proclaims his innocence, to give up petty crook Carter. He and his 20-year-old white girlfriend, Aubry, are methheads and always looking to buy. They are broke and desperate, and have a knack for finding trouble, like at a club when black girls beat up Aubrey for being with a ‘brother.’

Cops burst into their apartment and arrest the couple. Is it possible they knew the victims?

The investigation takes a turn when a search of the couple’s home reveals a disturbing secret. The case has just gotten bigger and the players will have their lives torn apart. A racially charged drama, from the point of view of the victims, the accused, and their families – written and produced by Oscar winner John Ridley (12 Years A Slave).

Cast Listing -

Timothy Hutton
Felicity Huffman
Benito Martinez
Johnny Ortiz
Elvis Nolasco
Caitlin Gerard
Richard Cabral
W. Earl Brown
Penelope Ann Miller

Source:

ABC

BLACK-ISH

Andre ‘Dre’ Johnson (Anthony Anderson) is about to be promoted to Vice President of Relevant Advertising. He and his physician wife, Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross), are living the American dream: great careers, four beautiful kids, and a Colonial home in an upper middle class neighborhood. However, Dre starts to see his perfect life differently when he discovers that he’s being promoted to “Urban” VP at his firm and in the same week, his son announces that he wants to have a Bar Mitzvah. All of a sudden it hits Dre: Has success brought too much assimilation? Is his family of out of touch with their own identity?

Dre’s opinionated, old school father, Pops (Laurence Fishburne), and his liberal wife have very different opinions about how Dre should handle the promotion and Dre Jr.’s birthday request. But Dre has it all under control. In order to prove that he hasn’t lost touch with his roots, he presents an extreme version of an “Urban” marketing campaign at work that raises more than a few eyebrows. He also decides to throw an African Rites of Passage ceremony for his mortified son.

Ultimately, Dre’s family helps him realize that the best way to live is by embracing the new while honoring the past. He decides to throw his son a hip hop Bro Mitzvah and the successful event inspires him to create a multicultural ad campaign that wows everyone at the office.

Living the American dream isn’t easy, but Dre is determined to find a way to hold onto his cultural identity while embracing a new future in this comedy that is written and loosely based on the life of Kenya Barris (The Game), and executive produced by Larry Wilmore (Bernie Mac).

Cast Listing -

Anthony Anderson
Tracee Ellis Ross
Yara Shahidi
Marcus Scribner
Miles Brown
Caila Martin
Laurence Fishburne (recurring character)

Source:

ABC