61st Street is an American legal drama television series created by Peter Moffat that premiered on AMC on April 10, 2022. A second and final season was produced; however, in January 2023, AMC decided against airing it. In May 2023, The CW acquired the series.
Premise
Moses Johnson, a promising, black high school athlete, is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, Johnson finds himself and his lawyer Franklin Roberts in the eye of the storm as police and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Cast and characters
Main
Courtney B. Vance as Franklin Roberts
Tosin Cole as Moses Johnson (Season 1) Bentley Green as Joshua Johnson Holt McCallany as Lt. Brannigan Aunjanue Ellis as Martha Roberts Andrene Ward-Hammond as Norma Johnson Mark O'Brien as Officer Logan
Recurring
Patrick Mulvey as Michael Rossi (Season 1) Rebecca Spence as Jessica Rossi Jarell Maximillian Sullivan as David Roberts Matthew Elam as TJ (Recurring Season 1, Guest Season 2) Jon Michael Hill as Pastor Richards Ben Barten as James Frater Kamal Angelo Bolden as Young Emily Althaus as Nicole Carter James Vincent Meredith as Dr. Algren (Recurring Season 1, Guest Season 2) Erik Hellman as Peter Julian Parker as Dante Blake David Parkes as Rick Leonard (Recurring Season 2, Guest Season 1) Jerod Haynes as Big Phil Malkia Stampley as Marisol Rashada Dawan as Janet Porter (Season 1) Madison Dirks as Marty Gallagher Morocco Omari as Speak (Season 1) Sammy A. Publes as Coach Angelo (Season 1) Michael Patrick Thornton as Michael Patrick Thornton (Season 1) Jayson Lee as Calvin Harris (Season 1) Al'Jaleel McGhee as Lotty Antonie Pierre as Deputy Moss (Season 1) Manuk Aret as Alex (Recurring Season 2, Guest Season 1) Karen Aldridge as Naimah Watts (Season 2) Paul Turner as Wayne Morris (Season 2) Brenda Strong as Kim Pearson (Season 2)
Episodes
Production
Development
In February 2019, AMC began development on 61st Street which was created by Peter Moffat who is executive producing alongside Michael B. Jordan and Alana Mayo. In October 2019, AMC greenlighted the series and gave it a two-season order, with each season consisting of eight episodes. Series star Courtney B. Vance serves as an executive producer.
Casting
In January 2020, Courtney B. Vance, Tosin Cole and Bentley Green were cast in the series. In May 2020, Eric Lange was cast in the series. In February 2021, Holt McCallany replaced Lange; and Aunjanue Ellis, Killian Scott, and Andrene Ward-Hammond were cast in the series. In March 2021, Jerod Haynes was cast in the series. In May 2021, Mark O'Brien replaced Killian Scott as Officer Logan in the series.
Release
The series was originally set to premiere in 2021. The premiere was delayed and it premiered on April 10, 2022. The second season of the series had already been filmed, but was dropped by AMC as part of cost-cutting measures announced in December 2022. In May 2023, The CW acquired the series. The second season premiered on July 4, 2023 on Australian streaming service Stan.
Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 69% approval rating with an average rating of 6.2/10, based on 16 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "61st Street is situated smack dab in a clichéd zip code of television drama, but terrific performances by Courtney B. Vance and a strong supporting cast provide some local attraction." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 66 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".