Plot Synopsis

Based on the Australian series of the same name, SECRETS & LIES is a one-hour drama series that centers on Ben Crawford, a family man who goes from Good Samaritan to murder suspect when he finds the body of a young neighbor boy. As Detective Andrea Cornell digs for the truth, the secrets and lies of this once-quiet neighborhood in Charlotte, North Carolina, come to the surface -- and no one is above suspicion. But as a prime suspect, Ben has no choice but to try to find the real killer, because his marriage, his kids, his reputation, and his sanity are all at stake. Ben set out on his routine early morning run through the woods, but this day was different -- he was hung over after drinking the night before, trying to cope with his marital troubles. He was devastated because his wife, Christy, had asked for a divorce. On this particular run, he found his neighbor's young son lying on the trail. He tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late. Soon, Ben is caught in the middle as the police, the press, and the world invade his untouched suburbia. Detective Cornell searches his home, pokes holes in his story, and demands a DNA sample. Reporters hound him and surround the house putting more stress on his failing marriage, and his wife's feelings are now even more complicated, as she tries to protect their teenage daughter, Natalie, from being harassed online. The neighbors -- Kevin Williams, Joseph & Vanessa Richardson, and Jess Murphy, the dead boy's devastated mother -- begin to look at him like he is the killer, while only a few people have his back, like his youngest daughter Abby, and his best friend Dave, who freeloads in Ben's guest house. Ben's life is turned upside down as he embarks on a complicated journey to prove his innocence. SECRETS & LIES premiered Sunday, March 1, 2015 from 9-11pm ET/PT with a two-hour premiere, moving to its regular timeslot -- Sundays from 9-10pm ET/PT -- the following week. Certain that he is not responsible for Tom's death, Ben tries to finally relax and enjoy the Christmas that he missed with his family -- until a shocking discovery changes his plans. Meanwhile, with the evidence having been re-tested, Cornell puts all the pieces together and prepares to make an arrest. But in the stunning conclusion, Ben makes a decision that will change his family's life forever. The nightmare is only just starting.

Season 2 of SECRETS AND LIES premiered on Sunday, September 25, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT on ABC, with a season opener, "The Fall," directed by Adam Arkin. Eric Warner is at the top of his game. Smart, well-educated and hardworking, he is the heir apparent to his family private equity firm in Charlotte, North Carolina. Newly married to "the one" and walking on air, Eric is flush with success, but all of that is about to change. In the season premiere, Eric is attending a party to honor his dad passing over the reins of the company to him, when suddenly tragedy strikes. Eric's smart and beautiful wife, Kate Warner, is found dead, and life, as he knows it, is over. Overseeing the case is the unflappable and formidable Detective Andrea Cornell. She immediately puts the grieving husband in her crosshairs, but, as always, secrets seep out about this seemingly perfect family and turn their world upside down. As Eric battles to prove his innocence and save the family's company, he discovers that his beloved Kate and the rest of his family are not who they appeared to be. Detective Cornell also has cast a wide net over the whole Warner family. There's Eric's charming and lovable finance-magnate father, John Warner. The father of three children, he built his private equity firm on a model of honesty and morality, but Kate's death puts his succession plans on hold, and he may find that his stunning business achievement is really a house of cards. Amanda Warner Young, Eric's sister, married to a prominent Charlotte surgeon, is working as a criminal attorney for the Public Defender's office. She is well versed in what happens when Detective Cornell targets someone and is fiercely protective of Eric. Patrick Warner is the youngest child in the family, working side-by-side with his father and brother as an analyst in the company. He is a lovable loser -- and a functioning alcoholic -- who has had to live in Eric's shadow all of his life. Danny is not a part of the Warner family, but he is complicating Eric's already complex life. Burdened with his own secrets and lies, Danny, who is also a possible suspect in Kate's death, is on a mission, and he will stop at nothing until it is complete. The Warner family members aren't the only ones hiding secrets. Detective Cornell must deal with her own dark revelations.
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On Sunday, December 4, 2016 from 9-11pm ET/PT, ABC premiered the Season 2 finale of SECRETS AND LIES. As the blockbuster who-done-it draws to a close, Eric Warner is furiously trying to dig himself out of a hole that Kate, his family and Detective Cornell have put him in. The explosive power of everyone's secrets and lies is about to come to a volatile conclusion. In the first hour (9pm), "The Brother," everywhere Eric turns, people are lying to him. One long-held secret and years of deceit leads to an explosive revelation that will change the Warner family forever. As the situation reaches a fever pitch, Eric makes a tragic admission about his past. And even though he claims not to know who killed Kate, it is becoming increasing clear to Detective Cornell who the murderer is, as the evidence mounts toward an arres. Then, in the season ender (10pm), "The Truth," Patrick grapples with his new reality, as Detective Cornell closes in on Kate's killer, and the murderer is finally exposed. Meanwhile, Danny frantically continues his search for his daughter, hoping to get one more chance to be a real dad. However, in the end, it is Cornell that faces a devastating surprise.