Elisabeth Moss is heading back to Hulu with another high-stakes drama that’s already generating serious buzz in Hollywood.
The streaming giant has officially ordered Conviction, a psychological legal thriller that reunites Moss with her Handmaid’s Tale producing partner Warren Littlefield.
But what’s particularly intriguing is how quickly this project went from script to series—and the unconventional move by showrunner David Shore that sealed the deal.
Here’s everything we know about Hulu’s latest must-watch series and why industry insiders are calling it one of Shore’s boldest creative gambles yet.
The Twisted Premise That Hooked Hulu Immediately
Conviction centers on Neve Harper, a criminal defense attorney played by Moss who finally lands her career-defining case: defending a husband accused of murdering his wife by setting their home ablaze.
But success comes with catastrophic strings attached. A mysterious blackmailer forces Neve to abandon every legal, moral, and ethical principle she’s built her career on—or watch her darkest secrets destroy everything she’s worked for.
The series is adapted from Jack Jordan’s 2023 novel of the same name, which was longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2024. Jordan has now secured a multiyear development deal with 20th Television, with adaptations of his novels Redemption and Deception already in various stages of development.
David Shore’s Surprise Move That Fast-Tracked Production
While Conviction had been in development for some time, its path to series order took an unexpected turn that caught Hulu executives off guard.
After Shore—creator of House and The Good Doctor—submitted his pilot script, Hulu requested additional materials to help visualize the series. Specifically, executives asked for an outline-style document detailing the second episode.
Shore had different plans. Instead of producing a standard outline, he delivered a complete second script that reportedly impressed executives so thoroughly that a series order followed almost immediately.
This bold move demonstrates Shore’s confidence in his vision and his ability to execute complex storytelling under pressure—skills he honed across decades creating acclaimed medical dramas.
Why David Shore’s Legal Background Makes Him Perfect for This Project
Shore’s return to legal drama isn’t just a creative pivot—it’s a homecoming of sorts.
Before becoming one of television’s most successful medical drama creators, Shore practiced law as a partner at a boutique Toronto firm. He cut his screenwriting teeth on legal series including The Practice, Law & Order, and Family Law.
Creating a legal drama with Shore had been on 20th Television executives’ wishlist since he signed his overall deal with the studio in 2024. Conviction marks his first series greenlight under that arrangement.
Shore’s unique blend of legal expertise and medical drama success positions him perfectly to explore the ethical gray zones where personal desperation collides with professional obligations—territory that Conviction promises to navigate extensively.
The Powerhouse Production Team Behind the Scenes
Conviction brings together an impressive roster of executive producers with proven track records in prestige television.
Moss and Littlefield are reuniting for their third Hulu collaboration following the Emmy-winning The Handmaid’s Tale and the upcoming sequel series The Testaments, premiering April 8. Littlefield himself won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for The Handmaid’s Tale and has another for Outstanding Miniseries for Fargo.
Also executive producing are Bert Salke from Co-Lab21 and author Jack Jordan himself. Littlefield and Salke were the ones who originally acquired and developed Jordan’s book, and they now oversee his broader development deal with 20th Television.
Additional executive producers include Erin Gunn for Shore Z Productions, Ann Johnson and Lisa Harrison for The Littlefield Company, and Lindsey McManus for Moss’s production company Love & Squalor Pictures.
Production Timeline and What Comes Next
The writers room for Conviction is scheduled to open within the next ten days, sources confirm. Production is slated to begin in June, with New York serving as the primary filming location.
This aggressive timeline suggests Hulu has significant confidence in the project and wants to capitalize on momentum quickly—particularly with Moss’s star power at an all-time high following her Emmy-winning performance in The Handmaid’s Tale.
For Shore, Conviction represents his second streaming series after Sneaky Pete for Prime Video. He’s also developing Under Pressure, a medical drama based on a Brazilian format, at ABC—demonstrating the versatility that attracted him to 20th Television in the first place.
Jack Jordan’s Expanding Television Universe
Jordan’s multiyear deal with 20th Television extends well beyond Conviction, encompassing both upcoming novels and original scripts.
Redemption, Jordan’s 2024 novel that was longlisted for Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year in 2025, has been developed by Disney Entertainment’s International Originals EMEA team. The project involves The Littlefield Company, Co-Lab 21, and Riff Raff Entertainment—the production company run by Jude Law and Ben Jackson, known for Black Rabbit.
Meanwhile, Deception—the next book in Jordan’s series, scheduled for publication in June—is already in development at 20th Television.
Jordan’s bibliography is extensive, including Do No Harm (2022), which became a Sunday Times bestseller and was shortlisted for Thriller of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards. His earlier works include Anything for Her, My Girl, A Woman Scorned, Before Her Eyes, and Night by Night.
What Elisabeth Moss Brings to Neve Harper
Moss’s casting as Neve Harper feels like perfect alignment of actor and character. Her ability to portray women under extraordinary psychological pressure—honed through five seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale—makes her ideal for a role that demands portraying both professional confidence and personal vulnerability.
Coming off her Emmy-winning performance as June Osborne, Moss recently starred in and produced the FX on Hulu limited series The Veil. She’s also set to star in and executive produce Apple TV’s Imperfect Women while executive producing The Testaments.
Her production company, Love & Squalor Pictures, continues expanding its footprint in prestige television, with Conviction representing another strategic partnership with proven creative collaborators.
Why This Series Could Define Legal Drama’s Next Evolution
Conviction arrives at a fascinating moment for legal dramas. While procedural law shows remain television staples, audiences increasingly crave morally complex narratives that challenge simplistic notions of justice and guilt.
Shore’s premise—forcing a defense attorney to systematically compromise her principles under blackmail—offers rich territory for exploring how professional ethics crumble under personal threat. It’s the kind of psychological pressure-cooker storytelling that streaming platforms excel at developing across serialized seasons.
The series also benefits from perfect timing. With The Handmaid’s Tale concluding and The Testaments launching, Hulu maintains continuity with one of its most successful creative partnerships while allowing Moss to explore dramatically different territory.
For Shore, Conviction represents an opportunity to redefine legal drama through the same innovative lens he applied to medical shows—focusing less on procedural case-of-the-week storytelling and more on the devastating personal costs of professional life.
As production approaches this June, Conviction stands poised to become Hulu’s next flagship drama—combining proven creative talent, compelling source material, and a premise designed to keep audiences questioning where justice ends and self-preservation begins.