On the surface, you can look at the upcoming Netflix docuseries, “Trial 4,” and lump it together with the entire true-crime docuseries genre that was kickstarted with the streamer’s “Making a Murderer.” And though “Trial 4” is about a person convicted of murder attempting to prove their innocence in the court of law, there’s an added layer that makes the upcoming series entirely different than your typical whodunnit.
As seen in the trailer for “Trial 4,” the series follows the story of Sean K. Ellis, who spent more than two decades in prison trying to prove that he’s innocent of the crime of killing Boston police officer John Mulligan. From the age of 19, Ellis has been trying to prove that he didn’t commit the crime and that it was all part of a big cover-up in the Boston Police Department. However, when you take into account that Ellis is a Black man and Mulligan is a white police officer, there is a lot more at work in this case, as Boston isn’t known for being the most racially progressive city in the US. (To put it mildly.)
“Trial 4” is directed by Rémy Burkel, who is a veteran documentarian and is probably best known for his work on the series, “Sin City Law.”
Netflix will debut “Trial 4” on its service on November 11. You can see the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis for the series:
The eight-episode docuseries TRIAL 4 delves into the story of Sean Ellis, a man who served 22 years in prison after being found guilty of killing Boston Police Detective John Mulligan in 1993. Though law enforcement presented evidence linking Ellis to the murder, further investigation revealed corrupt police officers, questionable witnesses and enormous pressure within the department to solve the case. Ellis’s story, while devastating, sheds light on timely issues of systemic racism, police corruption and criminal justice reform while offering hope that, ultimately, people have the power to change the system.