In Contempt is a television show on BET created by Terri Kopp and starring Erica Ash. BET ordered 10 episodes straight-to-series. The series explores injustice in the American legal system.[4] The series premiered on April 10, 2018.[5] In September 2019, the series was canceled by BET after one season.[6]
| In Contempt | |
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| Also known as | Sullivan's Travels |
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| Created by |
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| Written by |
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| Directed by | |
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| Composer | |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Kim Derko[3] |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | BET |
| Release | April 10 – June 12, 2018 |
Plot
editThe procedurals is in the fast-paced world of a legal aid office in New York City and follows Gwen Sullivan (Erica Ash), an opinionated attorney whose passion for her job and clients make her arguably the most talented public defender in her district.
Cast and characters
edit- Erica Ash as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Sullivan, a public defender[2]
- Richard Lawson as Earl Sullivan, Gwen's father, a retired judge[7]
- Christian Keyes as Charles Theodore "Charlie" Riggs, an attorney with an ego who is Gwen's boss and friends with benefits[2]
- Megan Hutchings as Tracy Campbell, a public defender and Gwen's roommate[2]
- Mouna Traoré as Vanessa Winters, a rookie attorney learning what it means to be woke[2]
- Tobias Truvillion as Bennett Thompson, Gwen's longtime secret crush and former law professor[2]
- Daniel Kash as Tom Delgado, Gwen's boss [2]
- Ronnie Rowe. Jr. as E.J Dashay, an Assistant District Attorney and Gwen's professional nemesis[2]
Recurring
edit- Richard Lawson as Earl Sullivan, Gwen's father, a retired judge[7]
- Jonathan Langdon as Jim Johnson, a court officer
- Rob Stewart as Judge Dotson
- Joy Tanner as Audrey Dotson, Judge Dotson's wife
- Shawn Lawrence as Judge Adler
- Genelle Williams as Alison Bontemps, Bennett's fiancé
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Welcome to Hell" | Farhad Mann | Terri Kopp | April 10, 2018 | 0.540[8] | |
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A female defense attorney defends a client accused of attempted rape after the attorney was handcuffed in court for brawling. One of the group's male attorneys supervises a rookie female associate. A court judge, the married lover of a female defense attorney, denies bail to her client. This causes frustration to grow for her. | ||||||
| 2 | "Combat by Agreement" | Farhad Mann | Laurence Andries | April 17, 2018 | 0.468[9] | |
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After a fatal gang bus shooting, Gwen must defend a 14 year old, while also reconnecting with her former law professor and secret crush, Bennett. Vanessa, under Charlie's wing, goes through public defender boot camp. | ||||||
| 3 | "Confessions" | Sudz Sutherland | Terri Kopp & Evangeline Ordaz & Deb Swisher | April 24, 2018 | 0.466[10] | |
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Gwen and Tracy defend a client who confessed to murdering his mother. Bennett and Gwen have a romantic dinner until a surprise guest arrives. | ||||||
| 4 | "The Rules of Engagement" | Sudz Sutherland | David Feige | May 1, 2018 | 0.397[11] | |
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In the aftermath of finding out that Bennett is engaged, Gwen defends a Frotteurist. Charlie wins an unwinnable stash and cash drug case but gets arrested. | ||||||
| 5 | "Necessary Force" | Jill Carter | Maisha Closson | May 8, 2018 | 0.488[12] | |
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Gwen and Tracy struggle to deal with events from their past when they defend a mother accused of child abuse. Charlie deals with the aftermath of his unfair arrest. | ||||||
| 6 | "Banned" | Jill Carter | Evangeline Ordaz | May 15, 2018 | 0.360[13] | |
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Gwen uses an extra-judicial strategy to outwit an overzealous judge. Bennett invites Gwen to his wedding shower, where she discovers Bennett's true feelings about her. | ||||||
| 7 | "Stop and Frisk" | Farhad Mann | Deb Swisher | May 22, 2018 | 0.468[14] | |
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Still fiery from his own run-in with racial profiling, Charlie and Vanessa try a stop and frisk case. Bennett takes Gwen on a get away to determine the next steps in their relationship. | ||||||
| 8 | "Burned Out" | Farhad Mann | Terri Kopp & Aaron Carew | May 29, 2018 | 0.472[15] | |
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Gwen's commitment is put to the test when she defends a man accused of setting his girlfriend on fire. Meanwhile, Bennett learns to cope with Gwen's work-first mentality when she moves into his condo. | ||||||
| 9 | "BLM, Part One" | Sudz Sutherland | Laurence Andries | June 5, 2018 | 0.501[16] | |
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In a case that closely mirrors Eric Garner's, Gwen, Charlie and Tracy defend a young Black man who, in the course of being arrested, inadvertently kills a cop. | ||||||
| 10 | "BLM, Part Two" | Sudz Sutherland | Terri Kopp | June 12, 2018 | 0.539[17] | |
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Gwen's defense of a young Black man who killed a police officer in self-defense continues, and she is forced to come up with an unorthodox theory in order to win. | ||||||
Production
editIn Contempt is being written by Terri Kopp[18] and produced in Canada.[2] On September 25, 2019, BET officially canceled the series after one season.
References
edit- ^ Haddad, Jalal (8 February 2018). "Composer Kurt Farquhar on What Sets 'Black Lightning' Apart from Other Superhero Shows". Awards Daily. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Goldberg, Lesley (19 October 2017). "Erica Ash to Star in Straight-to-Series BET Legal Drama 'In Contempt' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ "Bio". Kim Derko. Archived from the original on April 13, 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Young, Danielle (April 10, 2018). "BET's In Contempt Confronts America's Unjust Legal System While Giving Us a Black Leading Lady". The Root. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018.
- ^ David, Joshua (April 10, 2018). "Erica Ash Talks 'In Contempt' & Educating Our Community about the Judicial System". Ebony.
- ^ Petski, Denise (September 25, 2019). "'In Contempt' Canceled by BET After One Season". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Wills, Cortney (April 10, 2018). "Erica Ash on her 'In Contempt' role and tackling the flawed legal system". The Grio. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 11, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.10.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 18, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.17.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 19, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 25, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.24.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 2, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.1.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 9, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.8.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 16, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.15.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 23, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.22.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 30, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.29.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 4, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 6, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.5.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (June 13, 2018). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 6.12.2018". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
- ^ Bentley, Rick (April 9, 2018). "Erica Ash makes solid argument for BET legal drama 'In Contempt'". The Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018.