New To TV: For The People

For The People is ABC’s newest Shondaland drama set for us to devour and it follows six fresh new lawyers as the battle it out in the courtrooms.

Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, aka “The Mother Court,” this new Shondaland drama follows brand-new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country – all as their lives intersect in and out of the courtroom.

For The People ABC 2018 BRITT ROBERTSON, JASMIN SAVOY BROWN, WESAM KEESH — Britt Robertson, Jasmin Savoy Brown and Wesam Keesh (ABC/Nicole Wilder)

For The People ABC 2018 SUSANNAH FLOOD, BEN RAPPAPORT, REGE-JEAN PAGE, VONDIE CURTIS-HALL — Susannah Flood, Ben Rappaport, Rege-Jean Page and Vondie Curtis-Hall (ABC/Nicole Wilder)

Just like other Shondaland dramas (such as How To Get Away With Murder), For The People seems to remain formulaic in its set-up. A group of attractive individuals come together under the one profession and experienced mentors to then be faced with personal and professional dramas with one another. However, this doesn’t mean the series will be a dud as every other Shondaland drama has gone on to be a hit, but if it’s anything like its predecessors, it could end up falling short after about two seasons.

Filming of the series was halted after the recasting of two of the series’ ensemble, which was taken over by Britt Robertson from Britne Oldford (The Flash) and Jasmin Savoy Brown from Lyndon Smith (Parenthood). According to various sources, after the pilot was reshot and filming of the second episode, the series stopped for reworks of the upcoming episodes so it would be a ‘better fit’ for the new dynamic.

For The People ABC 2018 VONDIE CURTIS-HALL — Vondie Curtis-Hall (ABC/Nicole Wilder)

For The People ABC 2018 WESAM KEESH, JASMIN SAVOY BROWN, BRITT ROBERTSON, SUSANNAH FLOOD, BEN RAPPAPORT, REGE-JEAN PAGE, VONDIE CURTIS-HALL — For The People ABC 2018 (ABC/Nicole Wilder)

The series is created by Shondaland’s Paul William Davies and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.

The series stars Ben Rappaport (Mr Robot) as Seth Oliver, Susannah Flood (Chicago Fire) as Kate Littlejohn, Wesam Keesh (Awkward) as Jay Simmons, Britt Robertson (Girlboss) as Sandra Bell, Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers) as Allison Adams, Regé-Jean Page (Roots) as Leonard Knox, Ben Shenkman (Royal Pains) as Roger Gunn, Hope Davis (Wayward Pines) as Jill Carlan, Vondie Curtis-Hall (Daredevil) as Judge Nicholas Byrne and Anna Deavere Smith (Nurse Jackie) as Tina Krissman.