'Conviction' Premiere: What Works, What Needs Work
Even though she’s no longer an ongoing presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hayley Atwell is a genuine superhero. How can you tell? Because she almost single-handedly powers the bland new ABC procedural Conviction into the realm of must-see TV. Modeled after Shonda Rhimes’s still-mighty Scandal — right down to the one-word title and Oval Office connections — Conviction leans heavily on its stalwart leading lady from the opening sequence, which places the former 1940s crimefighter Peggy Carter in an atypical place: behind bars.
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No, this isn’t some dastardly Red Skull-orchestrated plot. For Atwell’s former First Daughter, Hayes Morrison, a night in jail basically means that it’s Tuesday. Growing up in the White House, Hayes witnessed firsthand the corruption that can grease the wheels of political power, and that cynicism encouraged her inner wild child to cut loose on a regular basis. In this instance, she’s been picked up on drug possession charges, which will be conveniently forgotten about if she agrees to a deal arranged by her mother, FLOTUS-turned-Senate candidate Harper Morrison (Bess Armstrong). The terms of the bargain require Hayes to put her law degree to use, heading up a high-profile Conviction Integrity Unit put together by New York City’s dashing, ambitious D.A., Conner Wallace (Eddie Cahill). The job of this five-person team is to pour over prior convictions and determine whether the convicted party deserved his or her guilty verdict.
Hayes’s inaugural case as CIU boss introduces her to one-time high school football superstar Odell Dwyer (Maurice Williams), currently entering his eighth year in prison for allegedly murdering his girlfriend. Gathering enough evidence to overturn that conviction would be a big victory out of the gate for the newly-formed unit, which is being viewed by the press and legal world alike with no small amount of skepticism. But Hayes is frankly more concerned with extricating herself from this bargain than in actually investigating the circumstances of Odell’s conviction, which frustrates her colleagues — particularly the guy that covets her job, Sam Spencer (Shawn Ashmore). The rest of the team, meanwhile, consists of former cop Maxine Bohen (Merrin Dungey), who has little love for the Morrison political dynasty, go-getter Frankie Cruz (Manny Montana), and brainy Tess Lawson (Emily Kinney).
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Eventually, it takes a visit from Odell’s mother to get Hayes to see the humanity in the CIU’s mission. At that point, the team races to find the evidence necessary to clear his name before their five-day time limit expires. Because failure isn’t an option for a procedural that actually wants viewers to come back for future episodes, the CIU makes their case stick and Hayes decides that she’ll stick around. Which is a good thing for everyone concerned, because again, without Atwell, Conviction would be convicted of being bland television.
What Works: Atwell’s clearly having a ball playing the anti-hero after a lengthy stint as that noted do-gooder Agent Carter. Fans of Peggy’s exploits were likely to tune in anyway, but Conviction will hopefully introduce the actress to a wider audience, and thus land her more interesting projects down the line. And even if the details of this particular case aren’t all that interesting, the narrative mechanics that will drive this procedural going forward are cleanly established by co-creators Liz Friedman and Liz Frielander. You can see why they thought this would be a great idea for a show, even if it isn’t a great show yet.
What Needs Work: The cases, for one thing. The Odell Dwyer storyline feels like a Serial Season 1 outtake without any of that podcast’s addictive twists and turns. It’s also hard to tell at this point how much Conviction will lean into Hayes’s background viz-a-viz her parents and their post-White House political ambitions. If that ends up being a major component of the show, the family dynamics need to have more layers than the snarky backbiting we get in the encounter between mother and daughter. Finally, Cahill and Atwell may be two ridiculously attractive people, but the supposed chemistry between Conner and Hayes is just barely there. Let’s pump the brakes on any inter-office romance, okay?
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Our Burning Questions: How long until the CIU loses a big case? Having the team’s attempts end in tragedy rather than triumph would be a good way to shake up the office politics. And what kind of White House shenanigans did Hayes’s parents engage in to prompt their daughter to embark on such a wild bender in the first place? Maybe they forgot to resurface the bowling alley?
Conviction airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC.
