Secrets and Lies

Those tired of murder mysteries will find little here to pique their interest, but for fans of the genre (or Phillippe), there’s plenty to like, making for engaging, if not appointment, viewing.

Secrets & Lies pits Ryan Phillippe and Juliette Lewis in an intense if sometimes overboiled battle of wills over the murder of a 4-year-old boy.

It’s a crisply paced suburban potboiler with a murdered child at the center, and if you’ve been sucked in by other shows in this genre you may find yourself sucked in by this one. But also feel free to be vaguely annoyed that those clever TV makers are seducing you with formulas rather than freshness.

The show delivers the secrets and lies, but isn't compelling enough to justify yet another story about a child's murder.

The new season won’t hold much interest for those weary of ABC’s formulaic dramas that are more interested in plot twists and intrigue than character development. For others, the passable whodunnit may be compelling enough (outside of Cornell’s obsession with her Occams razor-based theories), especially thanks to Ealy’s charisma.

After a relatively strong premiere, ABC’s thriller quickly becomes overheated, overwritten, and generally convoluted garbage.

Secrets and Lies starts out stale and predictable, which really does save so much time, especially for viewers who should immediately find something else to watch.