ABC announces two premiere dates and one finale date

ABC has announced the premiere dates for Oscar winner John Ridley’s ground-breaking new drama ‘American Crime’, the gripping murder mystery ‘Secrets and Lies (US)’, starring Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis and the finale date of ‘How to Get Away With Murder’.

The explosive two-hour season finale of ‘How to Get Away With Murder’ will air on Thursday 26 February. The first season had 15 episodes. Then on Thursday 5 March the new series ‘American Crime’ with 11 episodes will take over from ‘How to Get Away With Murder’. And on Sunday 1 March the 10-episode drama series ‘Secrets & Lies (US)’ will start as a double future.

‘American Crime’ is about a young couple in Modesto, California who are brutally attacked in their home, leaving Matt Skokie, a war vet, murdered, and his wife, Gwen, unconscious, barely hanging on. The crime sends shock waves throughout the community stirring up tensions across socioeconomic and racial lines in this gritty new drama – from the points of view of all those involved. Cast members are: Felicity Huffman as Barb Hanlon, Timothy Hutton as Russ Skokie, W. Earl Brown as Tom Carlin, Richard Cabral as Hector Tontz, Caitlin Gerard as Aubry Taylor, Benito Martinez as Alonzo Gutiérrez, Penelope Ann Miller as Eve Carlin, Elvis Nolasco as Carter Nix and Johnny Ortiz as Tony Gutiérrez. ‘American Crime’ was written, directed and produced by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley (‘12 Years A Slave’). Executive producers are John Ridley and Michael J. McDonald.

'Secrets & Lies (US)’ tells the story of Ben Crawford from Good Samaritan to murder suspect after he discovers the body of his neighbour’s young son, Tom Murphy, in the woods. Even as Detective Andrea Cornell digs for the truth in her investigation and pegs Ben as a ‘person of interest,’ the case unfolds from Ben’s perspective — whether he is guilty or not. In trying to clear his name, it is Ben who peels back the layers of these suburbanites’ lives in their quiet cul-de-sac, revealing their dirty little deceptions and all-too-crowded closets overflowing with skeletons. No one is above suspicion. Ben’s family’s life, already privately in disarray, is turned upside down as he sets out on a complicated journey to prove his innocence. ‘Secrets and Lies (US)’ stars Ryan Phillippe (‘Damages,’) as Ben Crawford, Juliette Lewis (‘August Osage County’) as Detective Cornell, KaDee Strickland (‘Private Practice’) as Christy Crawford, Natalie Martinez (‘Under the Dome’) as Jess Murphy, Dan Fogler (‘Hannibal’) as Dave Lindsey, Indiana Evans (‘Blue Lagoon: The Awakening’) as Natalie Crawford and Belle Shouse as Abby Crawford. Barbie Kligman (‘Private Practice’) has developed the mystery thriller, which is based on the original Australian series ‘Secrets & Lies,’ created by Stephen Irwin.

Are you looking forward to ‘American Crime’ and ‘Secrets & Lies (US)’?

Cast members of How to Get Away With Murder: Matt McGorry, Karla Souza, Katie Findlay, Alfie Enoch, Viola Davis, Liza Weil, Aja Naomi King, Charlie Weber, Jack Falahee en Billy Brown