After a long delay, All Rise is finally ready to relaunch on OWN.
Per a press release provided to The Root, Season 3 will premiere on the cable network Tuesday, June 7 at 8/7c. The courtroom drama previously aired on CBS, but was canceled after two seasons. OWN then picked up the show for a 20 episode third season, per Deadline.
Season 3 of All Rise returns six months later on “election night as Judge Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick) awaits the results of her campaign; Emily (Jessica Camacho) returns from Puerto Rico with renewed drive and purpose about her career and Luke (J. Alex Brinson) continues to shake things up through his work in the public defender’s office.”
Most of the cast will be back for the new episodes, so you can expect to get more of Lola and Mark’s stairway chats. However, TVLine reports that Lola’s husband Robin will now be played by Christian Keyes (The Boys). With the series trumpeting its “new beginnings” theme for the season, it released a rather vague trailer that gives nothing away.
Even though OWN wants to keep everything secret, I definitely have thoughts on what we need to see in Season 3. For starters, I’m gonna need a lot less of Luke and Emily’s on-again/off-again relationship. Either stay together or break up—pick a lane. And sorry, but Robin is not an interesting character at all. Maybe the recast will make him feel more like Lola’s equal and less like her sidekick. Also, it would be great to see the series focus on cases again and not get too bogged down in melodrama. But more than anything, the show needs to rediscover the fun, lighthearted vibe it had in Season 1.
Perhaps the story, or lack thereof, was affected by the series’ behind the scenes issues. At the end of Season 1, multiple writers—including three high-ranking writers of color—left the show after disagreements with creator/showrunner Greg Spottiswood about how All Rise handled race and gender. Warner Bros. TV investigated the situation and decided to keep him on staff, but paired him with a corporate coach who was a Black woman (deep emotional sigh for what this woman dealt with)—and you already know where this is going next. Spottiswood’s offensive behavior continued during Season 2’s virtual writers room, and another investigation took place with Spottiswood eventually fired from the show.
All this backstage drama absolutely manifested on-screen, as Season 2 felt disjointed and at times lacked joy. Hopefully, Season 3 is truly a new beginning.
All Rise premieres on Tuesday, June 7 at 8/7c On OWN.