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TV Media Weekly | October 15 - 21, 2016 By Kyla Brewer TV Media T here's nothing like a murder mystery to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Tele- vision writers spin tales of tangled webs all the time, but not all of them make it past the first season. One fall drama is enjoying a sec- ond kick at the can as determined detective Andrea Cornell (Juliette Lewis, "Cape Fear," 1991) tries to solve another case in a new epi- sode of "Secrets and Lies," airing Sunday, Oct. 16, on ABC. The first season of the ABC drama co- starred Ryan Phillippe ("Cruel In- tentions," 1999) as Ben Crawford, who was the prime suspect in the death of a young boy. Season 2 chronicles a complete- ly different case involving the mur- der of a beautiful young woman. Unlike a lot of TV dramas that fol- low the same storyline season af- ter season, "Secrets and Lies" is an anthology series with several new characters and a whole new plot. Introducing a new mystery could be risky, but the show is in good hands with Lewis, who's been known to take a few risks herself. Renowned for her range, actress and rocker Lewis has played every- thing from a mentally challenged young woman in "The Other Sis- ter" (1999) to a homicidal maniac in "Natural Born Killers" (1994). She's taken on yet another chal- lenge in "Secrets and Lies" as she portrays buttoned-up Det. Cornell. She talked about her part during a recent appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America." "This role is so different from anything I've ever done because she's unemotional and you have to be in that line of work," explained Lewis, who went on to rave about her co-stars: "I'm so proud of my cast!" That new cast includes Michael Ealy ("Barbershop," 2002) as Eric Warner, a well-educated man on the verge of taking control of his family's private equity firm in Char- lotte, North Carolina. Unfortunate- ly, his good fortune takes a turn for the worse when his new wife, Kate (Jordana Brewster, "The Fast and the Furious," 2001), turns up dead during a party celebrating his suc- cess. Ealy started out performing in off-Broadway productions before getting his big break on the big screen in "Barbershop." He's also appeared in such films as "2 Fast 2 Furious" (2003) and "Seven Pounds" (2008), as well as in the television series "Flashforward" and "The Good Wife." Cornell is immediately suspi- cious of Warner, but, of course, his family has plenty of secrets as well. Terry O'Quinn ("Lost") portrays Er- ic's charming father, John, who built his company on a strong foundation of honesty and morali- ty. Kate's death casts a shadow on his company and its future. O'Quinn is best known as John Locke in J.J. Abrams's "Lost," but he's been working steadily in the industry for decades, having ap- peared in such movies as "Young Guns" (1988), "Tombstone" (1993) and "The Rocketeer" (1991). His television credits in- clude "Alias," "JAG" and "Hawaii Five-0." Actress and dancer Mekia Cox ("90210") plays Eric's sister, Amanda. A criminal attorney for the public defender's office, Amanda is very familiar with Cor- nell, and is fiercely protective of Eric as a result. Cox appeared as a dancer in the Michael Jackson concert series "This Is It," and like O'Quinn, she has a connection to Abrams, having had a role in his canceled spy drama "Undercov- ers." The supporting cast also in- cludes Charlie Barnett as Patrick, Eric and Amanda's younger broth- er. Barnett is no stranger to televi- sion audiences, who may recog- nize him as firefighter/paramedic Peter Mills from NBC's "Chicago Fire" and "Chicago P.D." Kenny Johnson has joined the cast of "Secrets and Lies" as a character named Danny, another potential suspect in Kate's death. With roles in some of television's hottest dramas, Johnson has been a virtual fixture in prime time for several years, and has had memo- rable appearances in such series as "The Shield," "Cold Case," "Sav- ing Grace," "Sons of Anarchy," "Burn Notice" and "Dexter." The suspects aren't the only ones with secrets in "Secrets and Lies." Everyone seems to have something to hide, even Cornell. As the season wears on, Cornell will be forced to deal with her own dark revelations. Based on Stephen Irwin's Aus- tralian television series of the same name, ABC's "Secrets and Lies" was developed for North American audiences by Barbie Kligman ("Pri- vate Practice"). As a producer and writer, Kligman has also had a hand in such prime-time successes as "The Vampire Diaries," "CSI: NY" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." Aaron Kaplan ("The Mysteries of Laura"), Tracey Rob- ertson ("The Strange Calls") and Nathan Mayfield ("Texas Rising: The Lost Soldier") also serve as ex- ecutive producers. ABC offers fans even more con- tent through the online companion series "Cornell Confidential." Available each week immediately following the show's East Coast broadcast on ABC.com/Secretsan- dLies and the ABC app, the pro- gram features an in-depth look at the investigation, as well as addi- tional clues, scenes and sometimes cliffhangers. While critical reviews of the first season of "Secrets and Lies" were mixed, the show consistently drew more than five million viewers, no small feat in today's cutthroat prime-time landscape. Lewis and her new castmates have all sorts of new twists and turns to keep view- ers intrigued this season. Check out a new episode of "Secrets and Lies," airing Sunday, Oct. 16, on ABC. Juliette Lewis as seen in "Secrets and Lies" New case, same face Juliette Lewis returns as Andrea Cornell in 'Secrets and Lies' 2 | Cover story Harvey Hinklemeyers Martino's 3 x 5" A/Grindstone Charlie's B/Norris Insurance 1 x 4" 455-2700 3833 S. LaFountain • Kokomo, IN 46902 www.norrisinsurance.com • Home • Auto • Business • Life Call for a FREE Quote! Serving You For Over 50 Years Bill Neher

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