Courtney B. Vance talks criminal justice, difficult conversations and his latest project

“61st Street” provides an inside look at Chicago police, prosecutors, the political system, and defense attorneys. The young man in the center is falsely accused, but the blue wall of silence stands firm to protect each other from further public scrutiny.

“This project needed to be done so we can begin a dialogue” said Courtney B. Vance, one of the stars of the show.

This rendition of police vs. community depicts how the court system treats poor African Americans as they navigate the system. On the surface, “61st street” may appear to be a familiar plot, but with Emmy winners Courtney B. Vance and Oscar nominee Aunjanue Ellis in the cast, this series sets itself apart.

Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole) is a promising track star, raised by a single mother Norma Johnson (Andrene Ward-Hammond). He’s removed from his father who is serving time due to his gang connection with The Nation. Moses was set to leave Chicago on an athletic scholarship when his dream was derailed by an unfortunate incident. The police conduct a drug raid that goes array causing a police officer to be killed. Young Moses becomes the prime suspect halting his dreams.

In comes Franklin Roberts (Vance), a Chicago public defender who recently was diagnosed with colon cancer. The news doesn’t derail him taking on Moses’ case. He feels that the case gives him an opportunity to set some things right.

Courtney B. Vance said the characters and the plot drew him to this project.

“The two scripts I read were phenomenal and the conversation I had with the creator Peter Moffat and his showrunner in Chicago, Mr. David Shanks, they were committed to the journey that this was going to be. It was going to be a difficult journey for all of us to bring off and if you’re not really trying to be serious about what we’re attempting to do you might as well not do it,” he said.

Vance added that he heard that Peter Moffat traveled to Chicago and was staying at a hotel. During his stay he went for a run and the concierge said this “go on down to the lake make sure you turn left don’t turn right. Why not turn to the right, that’s the south side you don’t want to be there. He said OK. But of course, he went to the lake and turned right so he can see what he was talking about.”

Vance continues “we got to talk about our differences so we can deal with them. A lot of times it’s easier to go to war than to have dialogue.”

“King Richard” star Aunjanue Ellis plays Martha Roberts, the wife to Vance’s character.

“She was the one that took the character and said there’s more there. I encouraged her with myself, Peter, and David to talk about where she saw the character going. She had a much more radical view of the character and what her politics would be. It worked as a counterpoint to Franklin that wanted to work within the system,” Vance shared.

“61st Street” airs on AMC Sunday nights at 10 p.m. ET/PT, with the first two episodes available on AMC+ and ALLBLK. New episodes will be released weekly on Sundays and will be available one week ahead of schedule on AMC and ALLBLK.