Entertainment

You Need To Know These 'American Crime' Characters

The holiday season may be over, but that doesn't mean the TV Gods are done gifting us with the return of some truly phenomenal shows, one of which includes ABC's captivating drama American Crime. But don't let some of the familiar faces from Season 1 fool you. Much like American Horror Story does each year, Season 2 of American Crime will consist of all new characters and a completely different — but extremely serious — storyline. Set in Indianapolis, Indiana, the plot will center around a private high school student who accuses members of a private school's championship basketball team of sexually assaulting him and posting the act on social media.

Of course, the accused students deny their involvement and try to hide behind the school's elite protection. But will privilege win out over justice? Who is telling the truth? That's a theme American Crime will look to tackle. However, before we dive headfirst into this drama-filled season, I've taken the liberty of creating a helpful roundup of all the important cast members (and their character counterparts) that we'll come across throughout this perilous journey. And considering the impressive cast of A-list actors we'll be dealing with, I have no doubt that they'll be able to handle this important subject matter with nuance and grace.

1. Timothy Hutton As Dan Sullivan

As the Head Coach of the private school's championship basketball team, Dan Sullivan will struggle to keep the team unified as his players' morals are called into question. (The two boys accused of rape are core members of the team.)

2. Felicity Huffman As Leslie Graham

As the acting Headmistress to the school, Leslie will be faced with the difficult choice of either protecting the school's elite reputation or letting justice be served to the attackers, regardless of their privileged lifestyle and financial backing.

3. Connor Jessup As Taylor Blaine

Taylor is a high school student who claims he was sexually assaulted by two of the star basketball players of a private school, which leads to a major divide in the community.

4. Lili Taylor As Anne Blaine

Taylor has been charged with the emotionally difficult task of playing Anne Blaine, single mother to the victim, who will face the wrath of the wealthy families her son names as his attackers.

5. Trevor Jackson As Kevin LaCroix

Kevin is a talented athlete and one of the accused basketball players who allegedly drugged and raped Taylor right before posting pictures of him from that night online for all to see.

6. Joey Pollari As Eric Tanner

Eric is Kevin's teammate and the other student who Taylor claims sexually assaulted him on the night of a high school party.

7. & 8. Regina King & André Benjamin As Terri & Michael LaCroix

Just in case the mutual last name isn't enough to make the connection, Terri and Michael are the parents of Kevin, one of the accused, and will do anything they can to clear their son's name.

9. Angelique Rivera As Evy Dominguez

Not only is Evy Taylor's girlfriend, but she's also supposedly the only witness to the crime and will face her own share of drama involving racial tension at her own school.

10. Elvis Nolasco As Chris Dixon

Nolasco's character is the principle of Evy's school and tries his best to fend off the growing feud between his African-American and Latino students. But don't let these two separate storylines fool you. They may turn out to be even more connected than you realize.

Images: Ryan Green/ABC (7); Bill Matlock/ABC (3)