'For Life': Inspiring story of wrongly convicted Aaron Wallace on a mission to reclaim his old life
Loosely based on the life of Isaac Wright Jr, 'For Life' is ABC's latest legal drama series that premiered on February 11. Starring Nicholas Pinnock in the lead, 'ForLife' follows the life of Aaron Wallace, who is serving a life sentence for a crime he never committed.
The pilot episode introduces us to Wallace who has already served at least nine years in prison and is seen working for the paralegal department representing the cases of the inmates.
It utilizes little time in showcasing what went down with Wallace in the past before he was sent to prison. A short montage that sees the cops arrest Wallace from his residence briefly explains that he was convicted of possessing drugs in the bar he owned.
For a broadcast network's show that premises on a social issue, especially when touching sensitive issues such as racial discrimination and focusing on the flaws in the legal justice system, lesser drama surrounding the characters could have served better.
During his time in prison, Wallace has educated himself enough to be acting as the voice for those who are suffering at the hands of the system, while trying to overturn his own case, which is driven by the desperate need to reunite with his family.
The series tries to establish some justice in injustice with Indira Varma as Safiya Masry, a progressive prison warden who is being helped by Wallace to curb all possible crimes within the prison limits.
However, Wallace's fight against the legal system is faced with obstacles as the outright evil members of the district attorney's office would not want to lose to the determination of the man of color, even though he is convicted.
The rest of the first episode deals with Jose's case. He has been wrongly convicted of supplying drugs to a minor, who was also his girlfriend at the time. It is Wallace's first time arguing before the bench as a jailhouse lawyer representing an inmate.
Apart from the usual legal procedural that slows the narrative every now and then, 'For Life' ensures you don't lapse into boredom by presenting an intriguing family drama. While Wallace is locked up for life, his wife Marie Wallace (Joy Bryant), whose sympathy couldn't stretch until his release, is dating his best friend.
Wallace also has another problem to deal with from within the prison as his teenage daughter Jasmine Wallace (Tyla Harris), who was separated from him at an early age, has gotten herself pregnant.
'For Life' airs on Tuesdays on ABC.