TV Review: 61ST STREET: Season 1, Episodes 1-2 [AMC, SXSW 2022]

61st Street Season 1 Episodes 1-2 Review

61st Street: Season 1, Episodes 1-2 TV Show Review. The first two episodes of AMC‘s forthcoming dramatic legal series were shown at the 29th Annual South by Southwest Film Festival and the show is a vehicle for the always intriguing Courtney B. Vance to strut his dramatic chops. Vance’s character, Franklin Roberts, is going to be one of the most memorable ones he’s played during his prestigious career if these first two episodes are any indication. Vance is more than properly supported by Oscar-nominated actress Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and young up-and-comer Tosin Cole in this suspenseful dramatic show.

These episodes featured a lot of setup. In fact, the first pilot episode is really mostly introductions with a lot of buildup for what is to come later on. As the show plays out, 61st Street reveals that is going to focus in on the corruption found in Chicago’s legal system. Tosin Cole plays Moses Johnson, a high school student/athlete who is an overall ambitious kid with big dreams in life. He wants to be a track star and is being raised by a single mom, Norma (Andrene Ward-Hammond). His father is incarcerated. Moses is college-bound and has a bright future yet gets unwillingly involved with a drug bust that leads to him being accused of murdering a cop. However, evidence has been planted that will make Moses have a hard time proving his innocence.

This is where Franklin Roberts (Vance), a public defender with an autistic son David (Jarell Maximillian Sullivan), comes into play in the show’s complex plot. Franklin has just been diagnosed with cancer and is married to a politician named Martha (Ellis). He has not yet revealed his diagnosis to Martha. These two characters believe in Moses’ innocence and, although Franklin is almost ready to retire, he decides this case is one that may help him exit his career having been able to make a major difference in the world.

While the plot of 61st Street may sound familiar, the way it plays out is not. Vance is absolutely electrifying in his realistic role and it is impossible to look away when he comes on the screen. With the dilemmas his character will be facing throughout the show, it’s not easy to predict where this series will be headed. This show features very complex themes which are multi-faceted and the one thing that is certain is that this series will not offer any easy answers in regards to the difficult questions it raises regarding corruption.

Ellis shines as Franklin’s wife Martha. It seems Martha has a political career of her own which means a lot to her and she is working to achieve justice the same way her husband is. Vance and Ellis play off each other with enough dramatic intensity to heighten the show’s development of its two central characters.

Tosin Cole is believable. His character doesn’t have any way out of the situation he finds himself immersed in. Or does he? Will justice prevail for Moses? With the deck stacked against him, it will take a lot of work for Franklin to turn things around. A Lieutenant played by Holt McCallany may be the show’s primary character to overcome in order to achieve justice.

While it’s going to be like walking a tightrope to overcome the story’s heavy-handed politics and it’s probably impossible for the story to not oversimplify some key ingredients of the premise, the acting is enough to warrant 61st Street a place on the list of shows that must not be taken lightly. Courtney B. Vance is at his most compelling here and his character is unpredictable. How far will he go in the name of justice and when will he reveal his cancer diagnosis to his wife? Franklin has the usual Vance charisma that makes him relatable but is a creation by the actor that could rank among his best performances if the show continues on the potentially volatile path it could be headed on. Vance could have you rooting in his corner all the way through.

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