Common Sense Media Review
Strong characters fuel familiar but compelling crime drama.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 17+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Seven Seconds
What's the Story?
In SEVEN SECONDS, rookie narcotics officer Pete Jablonski (Beau Knapp) accidentally hits black teen Brenton Butler (Daykwon Gaines) with his car, putting the boy in a coma. Pete's superior, Di'Angelo (David Lyons), comes to the scene of the crime and insists on covering it up to protect his man and to prevent the inevitable racial outcry that would come when the community discovered a white cop had injured a black teen. While Brenton's family stays at his bedside, Di'Angelo finds a derelict to pin the crime on. When KJ Harper (Clare-Hope Ashitey), an alcoholic city prosecutor discovers that the patsy couldn't have done the crime, she and detective "Fish" Rinaldi (Michael Mosley) have to untangle what really happened. As Jablonski's guilt starts eating away at him and new relationships between the Butlers and a local drug king come to light, the story expands to be about more than just the crime, but about justice, faith, and personal compromise.
Is It Any Good?
What starts out as a rather familiar story, almost like a blue-collar Bonfire of the Vanities, slowly develops into a rather compelling crime drama buoyed by some unique characterizations and good performances. Chief among these is Clare-Hope Ashitey as KJ, the barely-holding-it-together assistant district attorney; she's a real screw-up professionally and in her personal life. What's unique is that Seven Seconds refuses to immediately put her on the inevitable path to redemption. Ashitey finds real humanity in this character, balancing her flaws with humor and her bad decisions with unwavering tenacity. She also has great chemistry with Michael Mosley, who plays "Fish," the dog-loving detective who reluctantly teams up with KJ. Good-natured and unambitious, Fish jokingly calls KJ out on her drinking and is annoyed by her overly thorough tactics. They make an unlikely but believable pair. Watching their relationship move from ambivalence to mutual respect and maybe beyond makes Seven Seconds worth the time.
This series was created by Veena Sud, who created The Killing, a series that also featured a unique relationship between its two law enforcement leads. While that show went to preposterous lengths to ensure the audience couldn't predict the next plot twist, Seven Seconds appears more committed to exploring the interpersonal dynamics of its characters than to serving up new red herrings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the Black Lives Matter movement impacts this story. Do you think Seven Seconds depicts police fairly?
Is Pete a sympathetic character? What methods do the show's creators employ to make him more or less worthy of the audience's sympathy?
Two characters argue about whether if, in a moment of desperate need, it's OK to accept money from an old friend who's now a drug dealer. What side would you take in the argument?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 23, 2018
- Cast : Clare-Hope Ashitey , Regina King , Russell Hornsby , Michael Mosley , Beau Knapp , David Lyons
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Winner
- Last updated : January 7, 2026
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
Suggest an Update
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