Season 1

Season 1 is the first season of the American police procedural ensemble A Story of Crime. Season 1 will premiere on September 21, 2023 and will conclude sometime in Spring or Summer 2024. It stars J. Vaughn and Courtney Jackson as Detectives Patrick Jones and Aubrey Williams. Episodes will premiere every Thursday at 8:30 p.m. CDT, 6:30 p.m. PST, and 9:30 p.m. EST. The premiere episode of the season is The Lives They Kill and the finale is Close to Sunrise. In light of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, ABC was forced to postpone filming for the rest of the season until as late as 2024, the show was only able to complete 15 episodes, as the 16th episode was in the middle of post-production when the season was postponed.

### Premiered

September 21, 2023 - present (set to conclude sometime in mid-2024)

## Plot

Join the homicide unit of the 20th precinct of the New York City Police Department on wild cases. The detectives embark on cases you could never imagine and get justice for all victims. Detective Jones (J. Vaughn) and Detective Williams (Courtney Jackson) are the star detectives of this unit and are joined by Sergeant Michael Turner (Brent McCognay), technology expert Vanessa Johnson (Lisa Jacobs), skilled M.E. Sacha Patel (Dhruv Patel), the tough but empathetic A.D.A Rodrigo Esteves (Oscar Felipe), and lone-wolf yet skilled crime-solving Detective James Heard (John Field).

## Production

The season began filming in February 2023. It was written and conceived in mid-to-late 2022. It is mainly written by J. Vaughn (who is also the series' creator and star) and George Adams. J. Vaughn serves as show runner. Casting was held during 2022-23 and was described as a "challenging-process." J. Vaughn had immediately clicked with Courtney Jackson and subsequently casted her as Aubrey Williams. The rest of the cast was casted on their abilities to be dramatic, humorous, and their ability to cry on cue. John Field (James Heard) was initially nervous to see if he was casted or not, due to him not crying in a believable way. He was elated to learn that he was casted and that casting agents were pleased with his attitude and dramatic acting skill.

Season 1 has been indefinitely postponed due to the current WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. ABC postponed filming to 2024. Because of this, only 15 episodes of the 23-episode order were filmed. "Reunited...and it feels so bad", the 16th episode of the season, was in the middle of post-production when ABC postponed the season. It is currently unknown whether ABC will scrap the rest of the first season altogether. J. Vaughn calls the whole ordeal "a sad and unexpected thing".

## Cast

### Main

* J. Vaughn as Detective Patrick Jones
* Courtney Jackson as Detective Aubrey Williams
* Brent McCognay as Sgt. Michael Turner
* Lisa Jacobs as Vanessa Johnson
* Dhruv Patel as M.E. Sacha Patel
* Oscar Felipe as Assistant District Attorney Rodrigo Esteves
* John Field as Detective James Heard

### Recurring

(for someone to be a recurring cast member, they need to appear in 3 or more episodes of the season)

* Brandon Daniels as Captain Henry Wallace of the 20th precinct. He is the Captain of the precinct who isn't often seen due to his office being at the 1PP.
* Patricia Smith as Bethany Jones. She is Jones' wife. She is a former police officer turned interior designer, which she is surprisingly good at. She often gets a little upset at Jones for coming home late.
* Lonnie Keith as Anthony Williams. He is the husband of Williams. He works as the manager of a US Postal Office in Staten Island. He is the father of he and Williams' twin children.
* Jacqueline Berry as Lieutenant Sara Gibson, she is a Lieutenant in One Police Plaza. She is the sister-in-law of Turner.
* Bianca Travis as Assistant District Attorney Lauren Hood. She is the rival of Esteves.
* Emmanuel McClain as Damon Xavier
* Luke Maxwell as Thomas Avery
* Par as Detective Alex Garner, he's a detective in the NYPD's 39th Precinct that frequently helps the 20th precinct with cases.

## Episode List

This is the episode list for Season 1. Episodes will have the length of 42-46 minutes.

1. 9/21/23 The Lives They Kill (44 minutes long)

Detective Jones begins his first case as a homicide detective with his new partner, Detective Aubrey Williams. They investigate the untimely murder of teenage boy, Thomas, and uncover a lot.

2. 9/28/23 Broken (42 minutes long)

The work continues on the Thomas Avery case. New people pop up and new questions arise.

3. 10/5/23 A Tragedy (45 minutes long)
When all seems right and they think they’ve found their guy, Jones and Williams realize how
wrong they really are.

4. 10/12/23 Brutal (60 minutes long)

After finding out the murderer is a lot closer to home than he had thought, Jones begins his preparation to arrest the real culprit in this epic conclusion to the Thomas Avery storyline.

5. 10/19/23 Fireworks (45 minutes long)

Following the Thomas Avery investigation conclusion, the precinct begins their work on the case of Susan Murphy, a 45-year old woman who was found dead in her car.

6. 10/26/23 Trauma (45 minutes long)

Williams discovers a deeper meaning to a murder case after discovering who the victim is – a relative of hers.

7. 11/2/23 On the way to Chinatown (43 minutes long)

Turner and Heard have to investigate a murder that happened way back in the 60s. Meanwhile, Jones and Williams begin to work with a private detective to solve the mysterious murder of a mailman.

8. 11/9/23 Mom's Basement (42 minutes long)

A gamer discovers the body of someone random in his basement, calling the police.

9. 11/16/23 Monkey In The Middle (46 minutes long)

The gang gets a call about a racist serial killer looking for victims of color.

10. 11/23/23 Bones (44 minutes long)

Jones and Williams investigate Lorraine, a little old lady with ties to a murderer.

11. 11/30/23 What Makes Someone Kill? (45 minutes long)

Jones and Williams request the help of M.E Patel, after they encounter a murderer with mental issues.

12. 12/7/23 How to Get Away With Murder (42 minutes long)

Heard and Jones team up to investigate a murder no one saw coming.

13. 12/14/23 New York's Finest (44 minutes long)

ADA Esteves discovers the harsh reality of putting a child murderer on trial. The gang does their best to work in the snow.

14. 1/11/24 For Want of a Nail (42 minutes long)

The IAB investigates Jones for crimes he committed in his past.

15. 1/18/24 What happens next? (43 minutes long)

With Jones’ future in the NYPD at stake, the precinct begins to convince the IAB to drop their investigation

16. 2/1/24 Reunited…and it feels so bad (44 minutes long)

Jones’ case is dropped and he is able to start work again. But it is awkward after he and Williams get into an argument regarding the missing person they’ve been working on.

17. ?/?/24 Everlasting Light (42 minutes long)

Vanessa tracks down the assassinator of the Senator Cox scandal.

18. ?/?/24 Williams’ Awakening Moment (43 minutes long)

Williams goes undercover as a hippy bum going to a support group.

19. ?/?/24 Terrorists (44 minutes long)

A former terrorist gets killed in a drive-by and it is clear it was meant for him.

20. ?/?/24 One More Night (46 minutes long)

Jones and his wife, Bethany, get into an argument, causing Jones to temporarily move in with Williams and her family. Turner is called to begin an investigation over a murdered high school girl.

21. ?/?/24 Who They Died For (43 minutes)

After a murder is committed at a Veteran Memorial Site, the squad begins investigating.

22. ?/?/24 Rotting Away (50 minutes)

Mob bosses, murders, abductions. The squad becomes busy after an infamous mob boss is tried for murder. (1 of 2 parts)

23. ?/?/24 Close to Sunrise (62 minutes)

With the mob boss on the loose, the squad looks for him in Buffalo, New York. Meanwhile, Williams finds out some heartening news. (2 of 2 parts)