The new ABC drama Secrets and Lies premieres Sunday at 9/8c with a two-hour series premiere. The series is based on the Australian series of the same name and will consist of 10 episodes. The first two episodes, "The Trail" and "The Father" will air back-to-back this Sunday.
Detective Andrea Cornell (Juliette Lewis) is the lead detective investigating Tom's murder. She takes an immediate interest in Ben as she has questions about the story he told. For example, since it was dark when Ben was jogging, she wonders how he could see it was Tom. It also turns out Ben was drunk the night before, so he can't exactly remember what happened that night. Then there's the murder weapon, which could possibly match something from Ben. All of this leads to a lot of questioning from Detective Cornell. However, there is a lot of media frenzy surrounding the murder and they pick up on Ben going up and down the station. As a result, Ben quickly becomes the prime suspect in the case. From that moment on, Ben's life starts falling apart and the entire village is looking at him like he is a child killer.
The titular secrets and lies also very present. It becomes clear that Ben and his wife Christy (KaDee Strickland) are having marital problems, but because of Tom's death, they want to be there for their daughters Natalie and Abby (Belle Shouse). There is also Ben's friend Dave Carlyle (Dan Fogler), who was with Ben the night before he found the body. The pilot ends with a pretty big reveal that may or may not further incriminate Ben's case. Ben spends much of the second hour trying to hide this secret and as such, lies to various people around him. Whether or not the secret will be revealed, remains to be seen.
In my opinion, the pilot succeeded in portraying how the life of a murder suspect changes after becoming the suspect. We really get to see how Ben struggles with everybody looking at him like a child killer. We also see the impact it has on his family and his already unstable marriage. The suspect's side of the story is not something I tend to think about when I watch my regular procedural shows. So in that way, the pilot has a unique aspect. Sadly, some things also fall short. I believe the grief of the characters seemed a bit unreal. Sure, Tom's mother Jess sheds a few tears here and there, but that's about it. We get to see flashbacks of Ben's family with Tom, but besides some shocking looks and a few tears, the family doesn't seem to care too much about his death. They do, of course, but it is not until the funeral in episode 2 that we get to see the grieving town. Also, we don't really get to know the characters yet, so it's a bit hard to connect with them.
Be sure to catch the two-hour series premiere of Secrets and Lies this Sunday at 9/8c on ABC. Tell me in the comments if you'll be watching.
