Parents' Guide to Proven Innocent

TV Fox Drama 2019
Proven Innocent Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Melissa Camacho By Melissa Camacho , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Predictable procedural has violence, innuendo, and drinking.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 17+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 13+

Based on 1 kid review

What's the Story?

PROVEN INNOCENT is a dramatic series about a young Chicago lawyer committed to defend people who are unfairly convicted of crimes. Madeline Scott (Rachelle Lefevre) was 18 when she and her brother Levi (Riley Smith) were wrongfully convicted of the murder of Madeline's best friend Rosemary (Casey Tutton) by prosecutor Gore Bellows (Kelsey Grammer). Now she heads up the Injustice Defense Group, a law firm solely dedicated to the issue of wrongful convictions with her legal partner Easy Bodreau (Russell Hornsby), who is responsible for securing her freedom. Joining them is investigator Bodie Quick (Vincent Kartheiser) and communications director Violet Bell (Nikki M. James). As the forceful Madeline and her team unapologetically defend the innocent, they must contend with Bellows, who is driven to put her again behind bars. Throughout it all, Madeline is committed to finding out who Rosemary's killer really is.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say ( 1 ):

This conventional series offers all the criminal twists and legal turns one expects from legal procedurals. Madeline Scott and her team spend time investigating the investigations that led to their clients' wrongful arrests and convictions. Meanwhile, there's lots of quid-pro-quo drama, as both Smith and Gore look for ways to seek retribution against one another. Adding to the drama are the flashbacks of a younger Madeline and Levi's ordeal, which reminds viewers what's driving her. But the stories feel predictable, and as a result, Proven Innocent doesn't deliver anything particularly original.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about wrongful convictions. Did you know that an estimated 20,000 innocent people are behind bars in the United States? How do you think this has happened?

  • How realistic is Proven Innocent when it comes to the time and effort it takes to get someone wrongfully convicted out of prison?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Proven Innocent Poster Image

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate