In an instant, life is forever changed for Brenton Butler and his family. After a white cop accidentally hits and critically injures a black teenager, a northeastern city explodes with racial tensions, an attempted cover up and its aftermath, and the trial of the century.
Seven Seconds is a powerful anthological crime thriller from acclaimed creator and executive producer Veena Sud (The Killing), starring two-time Emmy winner Regina King (American Crime) alongside breakout British actress Clare-Hope Ashitey (Doctor Foster). Ashitey portrays KJ Harper, a black assistant prosecutor assigned to the incident, with troubles of her own. She grapples with the weight of the case and what it will mean to bring justice not only for Brenton, but for the Black community. KJ works closely with the teen’s mother Latrice Butler (Regina King) who realises there may be more to her son than she and her husband (Russell Hornsby) were aware of, and becomes consumed with finding out what happened.
Seven Seconds tackles the controversial issues of race relations between law enforcement, the people they serve, and the personal stories of those involved. At its core, the series goes beyond the headlines, examining the impact a tragic accident has on a community and a family’s need for answers and justice.
Executive producer Veena Sud was inspired to create the series after watching the news every night.
“I was inspired to write Seven Seconds after turning on the news every night, watching in horror all the seemingly endless stories of police violence,” says Sud. “There were so many questions, and I needed to understand the story behind the headlines. How does something as systematic as this happen, over and over and over? That was the real heart of Seven Seconds. What I saw on TV, in front of my eyes, made telling this story crucial and necessary.”
Prior to writing, Sud says she always does as much research as possible, and that was never more crucial than in creating Seven Seconds. Sud’s research, along with her writing staff, included speaking to the families of children killed in race-related incidents and police shootings.
“What struck me so deeply, among the many things that were so profound and moving and heartbreaking in the mother’s testimonies, was how long their children’s bodies lay in the street, for hours and hours. How they were on a kind of public display, the loneliness and horror and cruelty of that. These mothers lived through a parents’ worst nightmare, the death of a child, and then they weren’t even allowed to go to their child’s body or touch their child for hours and hours. Or they weren’t even told in the first place that their child was lying in the street. It’s unfathomable.”
The freshman series also stars Russell Hornsby (Fences) Beau Knapp (Sand Castle), Michael Mosley (Ozark), David Lyons (Safe Haven), Raul Castillo (Special Correspondents), Zackary Momoh (A United Kingdom), Patrick Murney (Public Morals), Michelle Veintimilla (Gotham), Nadia Alexander (Blame), and Coley Mustafa Speaks (Circle).
The 10-episode season premieres today on Netflix!
