If you’re looking for a little vindication these days, and let’s face it, who’s not? On November 21, the first half of Season 2 of the hit crime drama Vindication, what many are calling the hottest show in Christendom, just wrapped.
Some believers in media production say this episodic faith-based series by director/writer Jarod O’Flaherty, which chronicles the life and work of small town Detective Travis, is even better than NCIS. Every episode includes some unexpected twist.
“Those stories keep the audience guessing,” lead actor Todd Terry, who plays Detective Travis, told the Christian News Journal. His character slowly discovers the God of the universe via his small town job and family travails.
“When I think of [the subject of] vindication,” director O’Flaherty told Christian News Journal, “it is where the evidence, or the obvious conclusion, indicates that someone is guilty, and vindication is the process in which they are found innocent, despite that evidence, or despite those obvious conclusions.”
The award-winning director, a computer programmer by trade, doesn’t hedge his bets in creating cutting-edge storylines with modern topics. “I think that Jarod is a great storyteller,” Terry said, and that “the unique voice of the writer/director comes through powerfully in how those stories are told.”
Terry, a veteran actor from shows like Walker, Texas Ranger, Fear the Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, and the movie Unplanned, was asked how important cast chemistry was to the series’ success. “That’s a hard question to answer,” Terry said, “because I think the audience will be the judge of that in the end, but I can say that I love working with all our cast mates. Everyone brings their own unique gifts to each episode.”
Foremost among those is lead actress Venus Monique (Genesis, The Raven Series), who plays opposite Terry as detective-in-training Kris Tanner, and slated for Brian Elder’s upcoming Texas produced dramedy, Lasting Moments. Terry, currently filming Unbreakable Boy in Oklahoma, plays a fatherly role to Detective Tanner in this series he calls “an actor’s dream.”
“I think you develop a strong sense of the heart of other characters the more time you spend with them,” Terry said. “Having the opportunity to explore those relationships through the course of a series is an actor’s dream.”
How does the subject of being vindicated connect faith with crime? “For Christians, and believers it’s a very understandable premise, as sinners we are found blameless before God, through Jesus,” O’Flaherty said. “In the crime world that’s where someone, the evidence, the situations, or circumstantial information, points to them being guilty, and the process of vindication means that further evidence, further circumstances, show that they are actually innocent.”
“As far as Vindication being the title of our series,” O’Flaherty said, “it was actually our composer [Connor S. Watkins], who came up with it. He was writing the music for Episode 1, many, many years ago, and after watching it he suggested, ‘What about Vindication for the title?’”
Next in our 3 Part Vindication series:
Director O’Flaherty and lead actress Venus Monique share what it was like shooting during the pandemic. Also, highly acclaimed actress Venus Monique talks about her “adulting” business, Personal Powerhouse, and her new project to help girls, The Sisterhood.
Watch Vindication Season 1 on Amazon Prime.
Follow Vindication updates on Facebook as well.
Kristen Collier has a BA in English Literature and is co-founder with her husband, and Roku developer, of Creative Motion Network, a cutting-edge, free indie Christian Roku channel. She is also co-founder and animator of Collier Animation Studio, producer of Benny the Barnacle (2021): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12253146/?ref_=adv_li_tt.