Secrets and Lies

Juliette Lewis and Ryan Phillippe in “Secrets and Lies”; phooto courtesy of ABC

“Secrets and Lies” (Hallmark Hall of Fame)

A few weeks ago the powers that be on television unleashed a stream of new programming upon us. There were comedies, dramas and a mix of things in between. In this barrage of new shows – and also because I had to binge watch the new season of “House of Cards” – the ABC Sunday night series “Secrets and Lies” got overlooked.

Now I am sure there are some of you out there who did the same thing, just passed it by without a thought. But unlike some of you I had second thoughts about brushing it off and went back and watched the first few episodes and now I am hooked. This show is totally engrossing and fun. It keeps you off kilter from week to week and makes you wonder who is guilty and who is not. What more could you ask for?

The basic plot is that nice, everyday handyman Ben Crawford (Ryan Phillippe) is out for his morning run and discovers the body of his neighbor’s five year old son in the woods. He races home to call 911. Once the police arrive he is questioned by Detective Andrea Cornell (Juliette Lewis), who seems to have him tagged as the number one suspect for the killing. And from that point on everything gets more and more complicated.

Week after week your allegiances shift. Is Ben really guilty, or is it his best friend Dave Lindsey (Dan Folger), who lives with Ben and his family? Or maybe it is the boy’s father, who seems to have an easy to rouse temper? And why is Detective Cornell so intent on it being Ben? Does she know something we don’t know? I dare you to tune out and not find the answers to these questions. I know I can’t. I am on this show for the duration.

What also draws me in is the acting. Phillippe has never been this good. He gives the various shades to Ben’s personality which make you trust him one moment and doubt him the next. This role could take him to the next level of his career and he seems to know it. He is giving it his all.

Opposite him Juliette Lewis is drop dead awesome. She has stepped out of herself and let the persona of Andrea Cornell take over. She makes this character so intense, so forceful, so intimidating you don’t blame Ben for dreading every time she shows up. And she seems to pop up out of the ground.

Then there is KaDee Strickland as Ben’s loving, or maybe not, wife Christy. She appears to be loyal but she has those moments when she is not as supportive. Strickland lets all these emotions play across her face. Her role isn’t as large as those of Phillippe and Lewis but she is a major component of the story.