Scripted series · ABC
For Life
Father. Prisoner. Lawyer. Warrior.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Nicholas Pinnock
Aaron Wallace
23 eps
Indira Varma
Safiya Masry
23 eps
Joy Bryant
Marie Wallace
23 eps
Mary Stuart Masterson
Anya Harrison
13 eps
Dorian Missick
Jamal Bishop
23 eps
Tyla Harris
Jasmine Wallace
23 eps
Glenn Fleshler
Frank Foster
13 eps
Boris McGiver
DA Glen Maskins
13 eps
Timothy Busfield
Henry Roswell
23 eps
Brandon Morris
Lassiter
13 eps
Adam Feingold
Micelli
13 eps
Andrew Casanova
Jose Rodriguez
1 eps
Lizzy DeClement
Molly Davison
1 eps
Brandon J. Dirden
Darius Johnson
1 eps
Jade Wu
Judge Julie Tanaka
1 eps
Matthew James Ballinger
Freddy Jones
1 eps
Will Tomi
Phil Lee
1 eps
Ray Wiederhold
Cop
1 eps
Guy A. Fortt
Security Guard
2 eps
Erik Jensen
Dez O’Reilly
1 eps
Sean Ringgold
Huey Cornell
1 eps
Marcus LaVoi
Nathan Goodleaf
1 eps
Toney Goins
Ronnie Baxter
1 eps
Hassan Johnson
Bobby Latimer
1 eps
Chance Kelly
Cyrus Hunt
1 eps
Felonious Munk
Hassan Nawaz
2 eps
John Doman
Alan Burke
1 eps
50 Cent
Cassius Dawkins
5 eps
Charles W Harris III
Inmate (uncredited)
1 eps
Caleb Z Smith
Charlie Maskins
1 eps
Matthew Boston
Jordan Kent
1 eps
Todd Susman
Judge Ira Wexler
2 eps
Robert Vincent Smith
Burt
4 eps
Artie Brennan
Reporter #1
1 eps
Jaiden Kaine
Green
1 eps
Annie Pisapia
Alisha
1 eps
Robert McKay
Pastor Williams
1 eps
Chance K. Smith
Josh Martin
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How For Life actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
For Life reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
A prisoner becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.
The run
Seasons
2 seasons · 23 episodes.
Season 1 · Complete
Season 1
202013 episodes
8.1IMDbFacing a life sentence in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, a man becomes a lawyer to seek justice and defend others who have been wrongfully accused.
Best episode · S01E02 Promises
Season 2 · Complete
Season 2
202010 episodes
7.9IMDbEmbarking on a new chapter, prisoner-turned-lawyer Aaron Wallace discovers his fight for justice is far from over.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E01 · Signature episode
Pilot
Prisoner Aaron Wallace becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own wrongful conviction.
- Directed by George Tillman Jr.
- Written by Hank Steinberg
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S02E10
Andy Josiah
- Directed by Russell Lee Fine
- Written by Hank Steinberg, Sonay Hoffman
S02E09
The Blue Wall
- Directed by Laura Belsey
- Written by T. Zhang, Jake Gillman
S02E05
Collars for Dollars
- Directed by Jono Oliver
- Written by Terri Kopp
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Hank Steinberg
Showrunner
George Tillman Jr.
Executive producer
Isaac Wright Jr.
Executive producer
Doug Robinson
Executive producer
Alison Greenspan
Executive producer
50 Cent
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Lee Edward Colston
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Karen Struck
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Zach Calig
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Terri Kopp
Writer
T. Zhang
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Kirk A. Moore
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Sonay Hoffman
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Hope Mastras
Writer
David Feige
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Eric Haywood
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Garen Thomas
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Jake Gillman
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Hank SteinbergExecutive Producer
- George Tillman Jr.Executive Producer
- Rebecca MolineProducer
- Isaac Wright Jr.Executive Producer
- Doug RobinsonExecutive Producer
- Alison GreenspanExecutive Producer
Writing
- Lee Edward ColstonWriter
- Karen StruckWriter
- Hank SteinbergWriter
- Zach CaligWriter
- Terri KoppWriter
- T. ZhangWriter
Direction
- Jono OliverDirector
- Laura BelseyDirector
- Hank SteinbergDirector
- Charles MartinDirector
- George Tillman Jr.Director
- Erica A. WatsonDirector
Cinematography
- Mihai Malaimare Jr.Director of Photography
Music
- James S. LevineOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- HuluStreaming
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
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Where to go from here
Watch Next
Our editors' suggestion for the show you should start tonight — and why.
Law & Order
1990
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
GuAn
2026
For the nights you want momentum rather than melancholy.
Chicago P.D.
2014
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Breaking Bad
2008
Another morally complex epic for anyone who wanted more grey.
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Watch this next if you like protagonists you can't quite defend.
The Sopranos
1999
A crime story told with the patience of a novel.
Never stop watching
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