Plot Synopsis

Hayes Morrison, a lawyer and former first daughter, is a hero -- a controversial one. She finds herself in a tricky position, facing jail time for drug possession or accepting a job from her nemesis, New York District Attorney Conner Wallace. In an effort to avoid damaging her mother's Senate campaign, for better or worse, she accepts his offer. Hayes and Wallace's shared past and competitive nature leads to them clashing both professionally and personally. Hayes has a mistrust of most people, and Wallace's political aspirations only make her double down on her skepticism of her charismatic boss. Plus, Hayes is battling her own demons as she struggles to find her place in the world. Now commanding Wallace's team at the new Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), she uses her brilliant mind to investigate cases where there is credible suspicion of wrongful convictions. Simultaneously, this gives her the opportunity to turn things around with her high-powered political family. The world of privilege and power that Hayes is accustomed to makes her a perfect adversary to stand up to the system, but her team doesn't share that viewpoint. With only five days to come to a conclusion on each case, they question if the system failed, if jobs were done properly, if there was the possibility of a cover up, and ultimately if justice was served. This team is the best line of defense to get to the bottom of these complex cases. If anyone can find out the truth, they can. Her team includes: Sam Spencer, who struggles to deal with authority when Hayes is put in charge of the CIU -- a job that was promised to him; Maxine, a single mother, who comes from a law enforcement family, which is where her loyalty lies, but secrets from her past may interfere with her professional judgment; Tess, who is haunted by a personal mistake that may have imprisoned an innocent person; and Frankie, whose personal life challenges his beliefs and his work at the CIU. Away from the office, Hayes does have a true confidant: her brother Jackson. He sees the emotional, vulnerable Hayes that no one else does. In the mid-season finale, "a different kind of death," Wallace brings the case of a death-row inmate, Earl Slavitt, to the CIU. Earl was convicted of murdering federal prosecutor Tom Simon, one of Wallace's best friends. Simon did not believe in the death penalty, and Wallace, along with Simon's widow, want to ensure that Earl did in fact commit the crime. With only days left before the execution, the CIU team shifts into high gear, looking for possible errors in the case. Instead, they uncover cracks in Simon's reputation. Hayes and Wallace are challenged both professionally and personally, as the case draws to a stunning conclusion. On Sunday, January 1, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT, ABC debuted the winter premiere of CONVICTION. In the mid-season premiere, "Not Okay," after Hayes and Wallace share a passionate night together, Hayes returns to reality and cautiously considers sticking her toe into relationship waters with Wallace. Simultaneously, she also tries to make amends for her bitter loss in the death penalty case of Earl Slavitt. Hayes implores the CIU team to aggressively pursue the case of Sophie Hausen (guest star Jordan Hayes), a young woman serving a life sentence for murdering a popular college basketball player, whom she accused of raping her. Meanwhile, Tess finally attempts to make things right in her friendship with Matty.
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On Sunday, January 29, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT, ABC premiered the season finale of CONVICTION. In the season ender, "Past, Prologue & What's to Come," Hayes revisits the failed case of Gerald Harris from her days as a defense attorney -- the very case where she met Wallace nearly a decade earlier. Harris was found guilty of murdering his wife despite Hayes' belief in his innocence due to Wallace unearthing Gerald's darkest secret. Meanwhile, a member of the CIU team is forced to revisit their illicit actions in the controversial Rodney Landon case. In the end, Hayes and Wallace's future, as well as that of the CIU team, hang in the balance.