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We just completed a co-produced three part series of podcasts with FOX TV and our media partner Above The Law. Each of these episodes orbits around FOX TV’s new show titled ‘Proven Innocent’. Set in Chicago, the production follows main character Madeline Scott (played by Rachelle Lefevre), an exonerated-murderer turned innocence lawyer who helps others wrongfully incarcerated for crimes they didn’t commit, especially if they were convicted by the zealously tough-on-crime prosecutor and politically astute Gore Bellows (played by Kelsey Grammer).
Rather than simply promote ‘Proven Innocent’, FOX endeavored to create meaningful content that listeners would both enjoy and learn from. And that’s where our friends, from Above The Law and hosts of ‘Thinking Like Lawyer,’ Elie Mystal and Joe Patrice come into frame. Billed as “bonus podcasts”, these episodes delve into both the fictional and painfully real aspects of our criminal justice system and how the innocent get ensnared in its machinery. Interviewed in these episodes are Proven Innocent executive producer and creator Danny Strong, real-life exoneree and show consultant Jason Strong, ‘Proven Innocent’ creator and writer David Elliot, California Innocence Project managing attorney Michael Semanchik, ‘Making A Murderer‘ attorney Jerry Buting, and former Jefferson Parish prosecutor Jackie Maloney.
In episode one titled ‘Proven Innocent’, award-winning executive producer, writer, and actor Danny Strong (of Empire, Proven Innocent, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and much more) joins Joe and Elie for a conversation about wrongful convictions, why he co-created ‘Proven Innocent’, and the delicate balance they strike between fiction and reality to keep their show both interesting and grounded in believability.
Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer
Episode two titled ‘Exploring The Tragedy of Wrongful Convictions at the Heart of FOX’s Proven Innocent’ features real-life-exoneree now show consultant Jason Strong who spent 15 and a half years behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit, Proven Innocent creator and writer David Elliot, and California Innocence Project managing attorney Michael Semanchik. Together they discuss stats about wrongful convictions, why people get wrongfully accused, how exonerees often do most of their legal work, and the difficulties re-entering society.
Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer
On episode three titled ‘Prosecution v. Defense and the Realities of Proven Innocent’, ‘Making A Murderer’ defense attorney Jerry Buting and former Jefferson Parish prosecutor Jackie Maloney square off for a sometimes fiery debate about the merits of prosecution vs. defense, the portrayals of the same on ‘Proven Innocent’, the use of forensic evidence, and our criminal justice system as a whole.
Above the Law - Thinking Like a Lawyer
Bonus Podcast: Prosecution v. Defense and the Realities of ‘Proven Innocent’
We hope you enjoy our co-productions with FOX TV and Above The Law!
After receiving his J.D. and MBA, Laurence Colletti went into solo practice with emphasis in general business and commercial real estate. He has always carried a strong passion for web-based media with a particular interest in podcasting and video. Laurence leverages his legal background against that passion to help bring sophisticated, relevant content to Legal Talk Network podcasts. You can follow Laurence on Twitter at @LaurenceEsq.
