What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T10 WHATS UP! May 20 - 26, 2018 an acceptance letter to an Ivy League school," Rappaport ex- plained. "You feel like you're a part of a very special group and club. The whole company, top to bottom — I mean every- body — it's just a great culture of respect." Rappaport plays one half of the show's will-they-won't- they couple, Seth and Allison, who broke up after she used information gleaned from a private conversation to win a case against him. The tension between them is just one ex- ample of how the show delves into both the professional and personal lives of the charac- ters. It's a formula familiar to fans of Shonda Rhimes, who's an executive producer of "For the People," along with Davies, Betsy Beers ("Grey's Anato- my"), Donald Todd ("This Is Us") and Tom Verica ("How to Get Away With Murder"). "For the People" has contin- ued the Shondaland tradition of prime-time winners. It showed promise right out of the gate as the series debut pulled in ABC's highest rat- ings in its Tuesday night time- slot in the key 18-to-29-year- old demographic in five months, with more than 3.2 million viewers in the U.S. In fact, the show is now part of a Tuesday night lineup that's earned ABC its longest win- ning streak in 11 years, thanks to a lead-in from comedies "Roseanne," "The Middle," "Black-ish" and "Splitting Up Together." A cut above other legal dra- mas, "For the People" has plenty to offer viewers in addi- tion to the romantic tension between Oliver and Adams. There are stereotypical over- confident attorneys such as Adams and Knox, who need a healthy slice of humble pie, but there are also a couple of underdogs viewers can't help but root for in Bell and Sim- mons. Wise leaders Carlan and Gunn offer audiences a look at both sides of the court cases as they attempt to in- spire and motivate their charges in the wake of pres- sure from above. Meanwhile, brash clerk Krissman keeps everyone in line, and no-non- sense judge Byrne serves as the voice of reason. One of the reasons the series works so well is the chemistry between the performers. Even viewers who might not be in- clined to indulge in legal dra- mas may enjoy the richly de- veloped relationships between the characters. In fact, the chemistry between the actors is so critical to the cast and crew, production shut down when two of the roles were re- cast within the first two epi- sodes so writers could adjust dialogue and storylines to re- flect the new on-screen per- sonalities. Britne Oldford ("Skins") was originally cast as Sandra and Lyndon Smith ("Parenthood") played Allison, but both left the show early on. While there's no shortage of personal drama in "For the People," there's just as much excitement inside the court- room as the lawyers argue cas- es and defend clients in con- troversial trials. Each episode tracks the lawyers as they de- bate such topics as mandatory minimums, whistleblowers, the opioid crisis and white su- premacy. In the season finale, Bell de- fends a scientist who's been accused of spying for the Chi- nese government, but memo- ries of a similar case from her past haunts her. At the same time, Simmons and Littlejohn go head to head in the court- room in a case involving a drug-dealing PTA president whose clientele was com- prised of students. Elsewhere, Adams receives a tempting of- fer, and Knox asks Littlejohn for advice. Don't miss the season finale of "For the People," airing Tuesday, May 22, on ABC. Hope Davis as seen in "For the People" continued from page T2 Case closed: ABC's 'For the People' wraps rookie season TV FEATURE