FAITH FORENSICS DELIVERS A WINNING VERDICT FOR 'VINDICATION' SERIES
Above, the "Vindication" family (minus a few) working on the final episode of the first season. Right, "Vindication" series promotional image.
▶ BY KEVIN SCOTT COLLIER
There’s a word for proof that someone or something is right, reasonable, or justified. It’s vindication. A new drama series bearing that word as its title is proof that faith-based entertainment is now not only welcome on leading on-demand platforms, but such inclusion of the genre is justified by an overwhelming and positive response.
Since its debut on Amazon Prime Video on August 9, Vindication has already racked up an unheard of solid five star rating from viewers. For series creator Jarod O’Flaherty, it is vindication, too. The path leading to August 9 this year began with one small step.
“In 2013, our church produced a volunteer-based feature film, titled My Son, which ran in the local theater for two weeks,” O’Flaherty told CM. “At the end of that run there were some proceeds from the ticket sales that sat untouched, until October 2015, when we decided to produce a short film: Vindication.”
According to O’Flaherty, after a festival run in 2016, a distribution deal transpired for the short film. Several licensing agreements followed, indicating a demand for more episodes. Thus, writing began for Vindication 2.
And it didn’t end there. Vindication developed into a series, with episodes 2 through 10 going before the camera from May 2017 to November 2018.
The original short film, Vindication, would eventually become the first episode in the series, titled Alibi.
“Nothing was changed,” O’Flaherty explained, “and in fact, we continue to use many of the storytelling characteristics from that original short film throughout the series.”
The Vindication series is a production of Retta Vision Motion Pictures, in association with Flyrock Media. The ten episodes produced currently represent the first season. Directed by Jarod O’Flaherty, the screenplays are penned by O’Flaherty, Alan Tregoning and Michael Willbanks.
The 28-minute episodes follow the criminal investigations of Detective Gary Travis. Keen to forensics, throughout the series the detective observes the spiritual fingerprint of God in the lives of various suspects.
Cast in principal roles are Todd Terry as Detective Gary Travis, Peggy Schott as Becky Travis, Emma Elle Roberts plays Katie Travis, Venus Monique is Kris Tanner and Steve Mokate is Sgt. Bill Tomlinson. Additional talent to grace Vindication includes Matt Holmes, Gary Ongley, Robbie Clark, Jeffery Gray, Brennan McCullars, Tom Costello Jr., Paul Caraway, Blue McElroy and others.
Producers (executive/associate/consulting) include William Curtis, Jarod O’Flaherty, Michael Dennis, Micheal Willbanks, Abby Wilkie, Kat Steffens and William Carroll.
Vindication lead actor, Todd Terry, who thought his role as Detective Gary Travis was a one-shot proposition for a short film, recalls Jarod O’Flaherty reaching out to him with a notion to continue the saga.
“Jarod told me about the concept to create a series and bring the whole Travis family into the big picture. I thought it was a great idea,” Terry told CM. “Once I met the series regular cast, I definitely felt we had good chemistry, and loved the dynamic of the personal family hardships alongside the day-to-day struggles of my character’s job as a detective.”
Actress Venus Monique, cast in the role of Kris Tanner, knew that she had signed onto something special, saying that working on the project “has been a dream.”
“My character, Kris, encompasses so many of the qualities I’ve wanted to play for a while now,” Monique told CM. “And the best part is that the entire purpose of this series is to glorify God.”
Terry appreciates that one aspect of the program is that it addresses hot topics straight on, and handles life issues “in a non-gratuitous fashion.”
“It’s a show that anyone can watch, and my hope is that the audience is entertained, but that the individual vindication of each character brings a sense of hope,” Terry explained. “There is so much television out there that focuses on the depravity of man, without showing the deliverance aspect. I love the message of hope in each episode.”
“I really like the spontaneity of the series,” O’Flaherty relayed. “When each episode begins, the audience does not know what they're about to see, or how it will end. I think this is an aspect that is largely missing in the faith-based genre, and even in many crime drama series that take on a formulaic approach to their episodes.”
For actors on the set of Vindication, professionalism is standard, but fellowship and faith plays an incredible role in achieving what makes the series unique.
“I used to agonize over preparing for an emotionally heavy scene,” Terry said, “but I’ve learned over the years to trust the words and the other person in the scene. Most of my preparation is done prior to filming. Although, there is always an element of faith you have to have, that the emotion will manifest in the scene.”
O’Flaherty agrees that faith is the key ingredient to the success of Vindication.
“I hear feedback from actors and crew members quite often, that they love the Vindication set,” he said. “I believe that is a result of many people in critical positions being people of faith, who truly live out their beliefs in how they treat others.”
Viewers of the series have overwhelmingly given the show an enormous thumbs-up.
“The audience response has been blowing me away,” Monique said. “The series is full of deep, relatable circumstances, and I think that’s what makes it so powerful.”
Lead actor Terry appreciates the positive viewer response, as well.
“We have received very positive feedback on the show, as a whole,” Terry conveyed. “I think you go into a project like this with the hope that the audience will be fully invested, not only in the plot of each episode, but also in the individual storylines of the main characters, as they struggle and grow throughout the series. I hope that is what we have accomplished.”
What Vindication has achieved in a very short time is awareness. It has not gone unnoticed by Christians seeking quality entertainment.
“The series has been available for less than a week, but up to this point the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” O’Flaherty said. “I have heard the series described as a ‘slow burn’ that heats up more and more the longer you stick with it. I do recognize that our audience in the first week is mostly the ‘home crowd,’ so it will be interesting to see the response once it reaches a broader market.”
“It takes a unified effort to create a project like this,” Terry said, “and we had an outstanding crew that helped bring each episode to life.”
“It’s crazy to think that if God hadn’t clearly told me to say yes to Vindication, I would have turned down this role and this amazing opportunity,” Monique said.
O’Flaherty indicated the production of a second season will be largely dependent upon the success of season one.
“At this time there has been no decision on a second season,” he said, “but we do have some great ideas in mind for how that season would go.”
And CM has an idea the second season of Vindication will “go” very soon. 8/14/19
There’s a word for proof that someone or something is right, reasonable, or justified. It’s vindication. A new drama series bearing that word as its title is proof that faith-based entertainment is now not only welcome on leading on-demand platforms, but such inclusion of the genre is justified by an overwhelming and positive response.
Since its debut on Amazon Prime Video on August 9, Vindication has already racked up an unheard of solid five star rating from viewers. For series creator Jarod O’Flaherty, it is vindication, too. The path leading to August 9 this year began with one small step.
“In 2013, our church produced a volunteer-based feature film, titled My Son, which ran in the local theater for two weeks,” O’Flaherty told CM. “At the end of that run there were some proceeds from the ticket sales that sat untouched, until October 2015, when we decided to produce a short film: Vindication.”
According to O’Flaherty, after a festival run in 2016, a distribution deal transpired for the short film. Several licensing agreements followed, indicating a demand for more episodes. Thus, writing began for Vindication 2.
And it didn’t end there. Vindication developed into a series, with episodes 2 through 10 going before the camera from May 2017 to November 2018.
The original short film, Vindication, would eventually become the first episode in the series, titled Alibi.
“Nothing was changed,” O’Flaherty explained, “and in fact, we continue to use many of the storytelling characteristics from that original short film throughout the series.”
The Vindication series is a production of Retta Vision Motion Pictures, in association with Flyrock Media. The ten episodes produced currently represent the first season. Directed by Jarod O’Flaherty, the screenplays are penned by O’Flaherty, Alan Tregoning and Michael Willbanks.
The 28-minute episodes follow the criminal investigations of Detective Gary Travis. Keen to forensics, throughout the series the detective observes the spiritual fingerprint of God in the lives of various suspects.
Cast in principal roles are Todd Terry as Detective Gary Travis, Peggy Schott as Becky Travis, Emma Elle Roberts plays Katie Travis, Venus Monique is Kris Tanner and Steve Mokate is Sgt. Bill Tomlinson. Additional talent to grace Vindication includes Matt Holmes, Gary Ongley, Robbie Clark, Jeffery Gray, Brennan McCullars, Tom Costello Jr., Paul Caraway, Blue McElroy and others.
Producers (executive/associate/consulting) include William Curtis, Jarod O’Flaherty, Michael Dennis, Micheal Willbanks, Abby Wilkie, Kat Steffens and William Carroll.
Vindication lead actor, Todd Terry, who thought his role as Detective Gary Travis was a one-shot proposition for a short film, recalls Jarod O’Flaherty reaching out to him with a notion to continue the saga.
“Jarod told me about the concept to create a series and bring the whole Travis family into the big picture. I thought it was a great idea,” Terry told CM. “Once I met the series regular cast, I definitely felt we had good chemistry, and loved the dynamic of the personal family hardships alongside the day-to-day struggles of my character’s job as a detective.”
Actress Venus Monique, cast in the role of Kris Tanner, knew that she had signed onto something special, saying that working on the project “has been a dream.”
“My character, Kris, encompasses so many of the qualities I’ve wanted to play for a while now,” Monique told CM. “And the best part is that the entire purpose of this series is to glorify God.”
Terry appreciates that one aspect of the program is that it addresses hot topics straight on, and handles life issues “in a non-gratuitous fashion.”
“It’s a show that anyone can watch, and my hope is that the audience is entertained, but that the individual vindication of each character brings a sense of hope,” Terry explained. “There is so much television out there that focuses on the depravity of man, without showing the deliverance aspect. I love the message of hope in each episode.”
“I really like the spontaneity of the series,” O’Flaherty relayed. “When each episode begins, the audience does not know what they're about to see, or how it will end. I think this is an aspect that is largely missing in the faith-based genre, and even in many crime drama series that take on a formulaic approach to their episodes.”
For actors on the set of Vindication, professionalism is standard, but fellowship and faith plays an incredible role in achieving what makes the series unique.
“I used to agonize over preparing for an emotionally heavy scene,” Terry said, “but I’ve learned over the years to trust the words and the other person in the scene. Most of my preparation is done prior to filming. Although, there is always an element of faith you have to have, that the emotion will manifest in the scene.”
O’Flaherty agrees that faith is the key ingredient to the success of Vindication.
“I hear feedback from actors and crew members quite often, that they love the Vindication set,” he said. “I believe that is a result of many people in critical positions being people of faith, who truly live out their beliefs in how they treat others.”
Viewers of the series have overwhelmingly given the show an enormous thumbs-up.
“The audience response has been blowing me away,” Monique said. “The series is full of deep, relatable circumstances, and I think that’s what makes it so powerful.”
Lead actor Terry appreciates the positive viewer response, as well.
“We have received very positive feedback on the show, as a whole,” Terry conveyed. “I think you go into a project like this with the hope that the audience will be fully invested, not only in the plot of each episode, but also in the individual storylines of the main characters, as they struggle and grow throughout the series. I hope that is what we have accomplished.”
What Vindication has achieved in a very short time is awareness. It has not gone unnoticed by Christians seeking quality entertainment.
“The series has been available for less than a week, but up to this point the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” O’Flaherty said. “I have heard the series described as a ‘slow burn’ that heats up more and more the longer you stick with it. I do recognize that our audience in the first week is mostly the ‘home crowd,’ so it will be interesting to see the response once it reaches a broader market.”
“It takes a unified effort to create a project like this,” Terry said, “and we had an outstanding crew that helped bring each episode to life.”
“It’s crazy to think that if God hadn’t clearly told me to say yes to Vindication, I would have turned down this role and this amazing opportunity,” Monique said.
O’Flaherty indicated the production of a second season will be largely dependent upon the success of season one.
“At this time there has been no decision on a second season,” he said, “but we do have some great ideas in mind for how that season would go.”
And CM has an idea the second season of Vindication will “go” very soon. 8/14/19
VINDICATION EPISODE GUIDE
Episode 1/Alibi: Caught in the crosshairs of a criminal investigation, Derek Taylor recalls the details of his involvement to a suspicious detective. Episode 2/A Game and Numbers: After a teenage boy is brutally assaulted, Detective Travis focuses his investigation on the ex-girlfriend of the victim. Episode 3/Without a Trace: Detective Travis investigates the disappearance of a software entrepreneur, while juggling the return of his own estranged daughter. Episode 4/The Gentleman: Residents of an affluent community accuse their lonely neighbor of inappropriate conduct. Detective Travis attempts the verify that his daughter, Katie’s, drug use has ended. Episode 5/Made Like New: The latenight activities of a former addict provoke the man’s wife to suspect a relapse. Becky Travis asks Detective Travis to investigate him as a personal favor. Episode 6/Reverse Traffick: Kris and Detective Travis arrest a suspected predator in a sting operation, but the man insists on his innocence. At home, the Travis family welcomes an unexpected guest. Episode 7/Convictions: Kris follows a narcotics lead to the home of a suffering military veteran. The Travis family struggles with Katie’s erratic behavior. Episode 8/Face to Face: A double-homicide case in the small town of East Bank leads Detective Travis and Kris on a desperate search for answers. Episode 9/Dark Web: Katie shares painful details of her past to Detective Travis. Kris uncovers a much larger scheme behind Katie’s story. Episode 10/Deliverance: A rescue operation brings Detective Travis to a crossroad of work, faith and family. Watch now on Amazon Prime Video.
