Seven Seconds is an American crime drama web television series, based on the Russian film The Major written and directed by Yuri Bykov, that premiered on February 23, 2018, on Netflix. The series, created, executive produced, and showrun by Veena Sud, follows the people involved in investigating the death of a young black boy and the boy’s family as they reel after the loss. On April 18, 2018, Netflix confirmed there would not be a second season, deeming it a limited series.
Premise
Peter Jablonski, a white police officer, accidentally hits and critically injures Brenton Butler—a black teenager from Jersey City—with his car. Jablonski calls his friends on the force to the scene. They assume Brenton is dead and a cover up ensues. Racial tensions explode in the face of injustice and the absence of quick resolution of the case.
On October 18, 2016, it was announced that Netflix had given the production a one season series order consisting of 10 episodes. The series was created by Veena Sud with Gavin O'Connor attached to direct. Sud and O’Connor were expected to executive produce alongside Lawrence Bender, Kevin Brown, and Alex Reznik. Production companies involved with the show include Fox 21 TV Studios. On April 18, 2018, Netflix announced they were not renewing the series for a second season.
Casting
On October 25, 2016, it was announced that David Lyons and Beau Knapp had joined the show as series regulars. On November 17, 2016, Russell Hornsby, Raul Castillo, and Zackary Momoh joined the main cast. Later that month, Michael Mosley and Patrick Murney were cast as series regulars as well. On December 1, 2016, it was confirmed that Regina King had been cast in the series regular role of Latrice Butler. A few weeks later, Clare-Hope Ashitey was cast in the series' lead role of K.J. Harper.
Release
On January 24, 2018, Netflix released the official trailer for the series and a collection of first look images.
Reception
Critical response
The series has received a positive reception from critics upon its premiere. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the series is certified fresh holding a 77% approval rating with an average rating of 6.02 out of 10 based on 44 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Seven Seconds is undermined by unlikable characters with somewhat predictable arcs, but its grim reflections of societal and racial division are brought to life by able performers and a fearless overall narrative." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 68 out of 100 based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."
