We just caught the first episode of For Life, on ABC-TV this past Tuesday. It's a powerful narrative, with real heart, and real relevance to these times, notably the corruption we see in the Attorney General of the United States almost every day - even though For Life is about justice in New York State, and, so far, not explicitly political.
What For Life is manifestly about is a man sentenced to life imprisonment for a crime he didn't commit. He becomes a lawyer - not just a jailhouse de facto lawyer, but a lawyer with a degree, and with a plan to win his freedom: start winning cases against the corrupt, power-hungry DA who convicted Wallace. The hope is that Wallace will slowly destroy the DA's reputation by winning overturns of the DA's convictions, which would open the gate on all his convictions, including Wallace's.
It might sound like a far-fetched premise, but it's based on a true story, and backed up by Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent, who executive produces. Wallace is perfectly played by Nicholas Pinnock, who played so well in Fortitude, Marcella, and Counterpart, to name just a few. Indira Varma, who also has a stellar career ranging from Rome to Luther, plays the warden who can be counted on to help Wallace, at least some of the time. Boris McGiver (who could play the Rudy Giuliani story, not because they look alike but McGiver's character and Giuliani have the same persona) plays the despicable DA to a tee. And Joy Bryant does a good job as Marie, Wallace's former wife (or maybe they're still married, but she's living with someone else, Wallace's best friend, so not completely clear).
I don't usually have much patience with network TV shows. But For Life will get you really angry at the bad guys, cheer for the good guys, and make you feel good about the hope for our world we so much need in these troubled times.
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