'Pierre' Rounds Out Cast as First Images Released

British mysteries, no matter when they are set, consistently find an audience in the U.S. The same cannot be said about legal dramas, Rumpole's success in the early 1980s notwithstanding. Period piece legal dramas do ok, especially ones attached to Agatha Christie-style whodunits. But contemporary legal dramas don't do nearly as well. From Law & Order UK to Silks, shows about British solicitors just don't fly. Whether it's the difference in the two countries' legal systems, or the idea that in the Year of Our Lord 2025, a group of wealthy grown adults don wigs and robes before arguing over £50m, it just does not work for U.S. viewers.

However, Channel 4's latest commission, Pierre, has something going for it that may well solve the issue. The series cast David Harewood, a household name in America for his work on Showtime, as the show's titular character, who serves as a Duty Solicitor (the British term for a court-appointed lawyer). When the series was first announced as part of Channel 4's ambitious 2025 slate, writer John Donnelly spoke about the British legal system and the role of the Duty Solicitor. “Duty solicitors are the unsung heroes of the legal profession. Overworked, underpaid. They can be called out at any time, never knowing who or what lies in store for them. They are full of stories, it's a thrill to tell them.”

Filming has commenced on the series in West London, and Channel 4 has revealed the rest of the cast along with the first two images.