AMC has revealed the first trailer and images for 61st Street, a courtroom drama series set to premiere on both AMC and AMC+ in 2022. Executive produced by Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), the series was ordered as a special event consisting of two seasons of eight episodes each.
Also acting as executive producer and showrunner of 61st Street is Peter Moffat, who is no stranger to courtroom dramas. He was the creator and developer of TV series like BBC’s Criminal Justice and Showtime’s Your Honor, both shows that debate flaws in the criminal justice system. The BBC series inspired HBO’s adaptation The Night Of, a limited series starring Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal).
61st Street follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as cops and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
In the age of BLM, 61st street will be another instance of how the judicial system often fails Black people, and will echo projects like Netflix’s When They See Us. That’s what president of AMC Sarah Barnett confirmed in a statement back in October 2019, when the series was first announced:
"At AMC we believe in shows that have startling vision and fresh voice, with something to say. [...] '61st Street' combines the irresistible form of a courtroom drama with a bracingly provocative take on race in America today. The scripts are truly un-put-downable, and the ambition of this series is breathtaking."
Also starring on 61st Street is Emmy winner Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story), Holt McCallany (MINDHUNTER), Aunjanue Ellis (Lovecraft Country), Andrene Ward-Hammond (Manifest), Killian Scott (Dublin Murders), and Jerod Haynes (The Village).
You can check out the official trailer and more images below:
