Levinson Helms New Series, 'The Jury'
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}You are hereby summoned to consider the verdict of "The Jury," (search) a new Fox drama premiering with back-to-back episodes at 8 p.m. EDT Tuesday.
The series, from director Barry Levinson (search) ("Rain Man," "The Natural") and writer Tom Fontana ("Oz," "Homicide: Life on the Street") takes viewers into the jury room, where a dozen disparate citizens argue the merits and shortcomings of a case that could mean life or death for the defendant.
The show is talky but fast-paced and complex, with the action cross-cutting among the jurors, courtroom testimony and past events that led to the trial.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One last flashback after the verdict is read reveals the crime as it actually occurred, enabling viewers to decide if the jury made the right decision.
Set in New York, the show's first episode finds a 15-year-old boy on trial for the shooting death of a schoolmate. The second case results when a girl was found dead, shot through the head, with her boyfriend standing over her body. Was it a double suicide gone wrong, as he claims, or did he murder her?
Series regulars include Shalom Harlow and Anna Friel (search) as defense attorneys, Billy Burke and Jeff Hephner as prosecutors, and Barry Levinson as the judge. Episodes of "The Jury" repeat Fridays at 9 p.m.