Courtney Vance has played his fair share of lawyers. He appeared as assistant district attorney Ron Carver on the first five seasons of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent." He's earned an Emmy for his fiery portrayal of Johnnie Cochran in 2016's "American Crime Story: The People v O.J. Simpson."
But his latest venture into the TV courtroom couldn't be farther from those past roles.
In "61st Street," premiering at 10 p.m. ET Sunday on AMC, he's Franklin Roberts, a Chicago public defender who practically sweats through his off-the-rack suits. He's dealing with long-shot cases, prostate cancer and a wife (Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis) nagging him to retire. Then he lands the chance to represent a high school track star who becomes the victim of racial injustice and police corruption. In the initial episodes, you're not sure whether Roberts is going to rise to the occasion or crawl into a corner and bawl.
