I have to tell you a little secret: When I found out that Regina King would be in the upcoming Netflix series Seven Seconds AND that it would be drama, I was already sold. I have been a fan of Miss King since before she set Will Smith straight and ranted gloriously about the overreach of American government (in a near-prophetic monologue) in Enemy of the State. I just knew that I would like this series based on those two things. You could say that I am coming to this show a little biased.
Then, I got a sneak peek at the show and the premise behind it. I have to say, fellow blerds, this show is going to be the one to binge when it releases on February 23, 2018. Just check out the trailer and then come back. I’ll wait…
Isn’t it fantastic? I know you don’t get much, but there is enough to pique your interest, right? Well let me break a few things down for you, and maybe you can step onboard for the premiere. Already, it seems like a take on American Crime, the anthology drama on ABC that centered on different crimes and those connected to it. Just with a Blacker cast.) That show, produced by John Ridley, also starred King in all three seasons, leading to a two Emmy wins for King.
First, the woman standing in front of that massive blood spot is KJ Harper, played by Clare-Hope Ashitey, a British actress you might have caught in a little film called Children of Men. Yep, she played Kee, the black girl pregnant with the last baby on Earth. In Seven Seconds, Ashitey plays the Harper character, an assistant prosecuting attorney over the case that began at that scene above. See that tear on her face in the trailer? Something big must be happening to make such a prominent figure break down. According to Netflix, Harper has “troubles of her own. She grapples with the weight of the case and what it will mean to bring justice not only for Brenton [the victim] but for the Black community.” This case is a racial powder keg with so many layers of complexity for each character. Harper’s entanglement with the case is just one (or three) layers to contend with.
Then, there is the mother Latrice Butler — our queen Regina King — who is trying to find out what happened to her baby boy. Her husband is Russell Hornsby. He’s Hank from Grimm, y’all! Anyway, they are trying to fight for justice but are finding out some things that they never knew about their son, which makes more layers, in this case, to conquer before we get to the truth.
The truth? A black teen was run over by car. A white cop was driving that car. Those “seven seconds” that comprised the actual crime are the only truth that anyone seems to know on this show. Everything else in entangled so thoroughly, layered so tightly, that it’s going to take 10 episodes to figure out.
Sounds good, doesn’t it. The cast is great. Joining King, Ashitey, and Hornsby are Beau Knapp (Nice Guys and Southpaw), Michael Mosely (“Sirens”), David Lyons (The Cape), Raul Castillo (“Looking”), and Zackary Momoh (A United Kingdom). Some very good players in this series. Seven Seconds was created by Veena Cabreros-Sud, who also created The Killing.
So, who’s going to be watching with me on February 23?
Jonita Davis loves, reads, studies, and writes about comics, books, TV, culture, and more. You can usually find her in a corner somewhere, dragging a pen across paper in an effort to make sense of the world.
Thanks for the heads up.
I watched Undercover recently; a BBC drama on Netflix, which seems to have similar themes, and I was hooked in the first 5 mins, left breathless with the opening scenes.
So, if this is anything like that in the first episode, you’ll probably see me back here.