Conviction Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Pilot 

Hayes Morrison is no one\'s role model or puppet. Welcome Hayes, you\'re a breath of fall TV air.

Conviction Season 1 Episode 1, but the surprise is the excellent cast and how in-depth the show actually is.

Hayes is a brilliant, glamorous and lost woman in the spotlight. She\'s the kind of character you root for, but who will undoubtedly break your heart. The recklessness she craves in her personal life has met her match. Karma is a bitch. 

Going into the show I wondered how the plot line would turn into a whole season and whether this would be a Scandal 2.0., but Hayes is no Olivia Pope, and that\'s what makes her great.

Hayes\' team – Sam, Tess, Maxine, and Frankie – fill out the task force and each person brings their own energy to the show. I especially like how each member has their own distinct story about why they\'re on the team.

Stabbing me in the back makes sense, but do it for yourself, not Wallace.

Permalink: Stabbing me in the back makes sense, but do it for yourself, not Wallace.

Clearly, in coming episodes the show will dig deep into their backgrounds, which proves – just like Hayes – they each have a story; They just don\'t play out on the cover of gossip magazines.

Tess story interests me the most. How will her background (wrongly convicting someone) effect the cases? 

Frankie\'s romantic relationship with an inmate is something we need to learn more about, as well. Is this what he meant about prison changing a person?

On the premiere, we had our first glimpse into the what the cases might be like with a wrongly convicted black man who was charged with killing his girlfriend. What I liked about the case is the team did the work. They went through each scenario to show that overturning the conviction wasn\'t just "handled." It was actually believable to the audience.

One of the ways they showed this was with Frankie and Tess. The way they reenacted the crime scene while the victim was also being represented was a nice touch that I hope will be continued in future episodes.

Though it was obvious Hayes would learn to get emotionally attached to her cases, I liked that it didn\'t mean she was anyone\'s puppet. By uncovering the truths of these people who have been wrongly convicted, she will have to expose the D.A.\'s office. 

One of my favorite scenes was with Hayes and her mother, Harper. (Shout out to Bess Armstrong! Love that she\'s back on TV. Looks like she won\'t be Angela\'s mom in this series.) Harper is just as determined as her daughter but appears (now, anyway) to have the upper hand over Hayes. I\'m looking forward to seeing how this relationship was created.

I wonder if Hayes\' attack on the D.A. department will also lead to exposing something about her mother.

Another of my favorites was Daniel Franzese (Mean Girls, Looking) as Hayes\' brother, Jackson. I really hope we get to see more of him this upcoming season. He is the king of the one liners, and that\'s something we always need.

I need to call you back, someone broke into my apartment.

Permalink: I need to call you back, someone broke into my apartment.

The show, being a drama, interestingly enough brought out the comedy. That is thanks to Hayes, who can make a dramatic scene funny with her own one liners. The laughter combined with the drama is another added touch that makes this show so good.

This color makes me look like I have HPV.

Permalink: This color makes me look like I have HPV.

The pilot hit it out of the park. Atwell as Hayes is perfect, and the cast that surrounds her leads in their own way. The cases will be interesting to watch, but the task force members\' personal stories will keep us tuned in.

It will be interesting to see what happens when they lose a case. When they realize someone they really thought could be innocent is not, or they just can\'t prove someone is

Let\'s start the conversation on Conviction. How did you like the first episode? Will you be tuning in again? Which character are you most interested in learning about? 

Jennifer Harold-DeShields is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.