'Guilt' Co-Creator Reveals Why Freeform's New Crime Drama Is Not About the Amanda Knox Case

Freeform’s new summer drama “Guilt” follows a young American girl who finds herself in hot water with European law enforcement when her roommate turns up dead. The case becomes an international sensation in the media and every one of her past actions comes under scrutiny.

Sound familiar? When the network announced the series last year, many were quick to compare it to the Amanda Knox case that dominated cable news for years. News outlets ran headlines calling it the “Amanda Knox series.” But co-creator Nichole Millard says there’s far more to “Guilt” than that.

Millard and her writing partner, Kathryn Price, were inspired not just by the infamous 2007 murder case following the death of British exchange student Meredith Kercher, but by all the criminal trials that are endlessly sensationalized in the media, including those surrounding JonBenet Ramsay and Casey Anthony.

Also Read: Evolution of Freeform: From '700 Club' to 'Shadowhunters' (Photos)

“The media takes such a role in public perception of whether this person is innocent or guilty,” Millard said. “That was our inspiration.”

“Guilt” stars Daisy Head (as Grace Atwood, who is accused of killing her roommate), Emily Tremaine (as Natalie, her prosecuting-attorney sister from Boston), Billy Zane, Cristian Solimeno, Naomi Ryan and Kevin Ryan.

Read more of TheWrap’s interview with Millard below:

TheWrap: Your show has drawn a lot of comparisons to the Amanda Knox case, and the premise has a lot of similarities. How do you respond to that reaction? Do you think that’s fair?
Millard: I get that. The show was inspired more by the idea that these sort of cases, like Amanda Knox or JonBenet Ramsay or Casey Anthony, they take on a life of their own. The media takes such a role in public perception of whether this person is innocent or guilty. That was our inspiration. And beyond that, setting it in London was just an opportunity for us to open up a number of worlds … We have a character that we’ll meet in Episode 2 who’s a young reporter. She’s very aggressive and she sees the Grace Atwood case as a way to make a name for herself. She’ll sort of be our entry into that world.

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Do you have a timeline for when the mystery will be resolved? Do you already know who killed Molly?
Absolutely. Kathryn and I wanted to give the audience resolution by the end of the first 10 episodes. That was a promise we made to ourselves and to our audience. By Episode 10, you will know who killed Molly Ryan — and why.

How did you come to cast Daisy? What was it about her that made her right for the role of Grace?
We saw hundreds of girls for this role. Of course we had in mind that we would cast an American, but here comes Daisy Head, who is of course British, but when we got her audition, she just immediately drew us in. She’s enigmatic, and she’s someone that you root for, but at the same time could be a sociopath. And that is, as it turns out, a really rare quality to find … she really blew us away and we’re thrilled to have her as our lead.

“Guilt” premieres Monday, June 13 at 9/8c on Freeform.

Evolution of Freeform: From '700 Club' to 'Shadowhunters' (Photos)

Since its inception in the '70s, the network now known as Freeform has been bought and sold several times, and been re-named even more. With the exception of "The 700 Club," the network today bears little resemblance to its earliest days.
Freeform
CBN Satellite Service (1977)
The network now known as Freeform got its start in 1977 as part of televangelist Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, airing a mix of religious programming, family-friendly syndicated TV shows and classic westerns.
CBN Family Channel
"The 700 Club" (1966)
CBN's flagship talk show, "The 700 Club," helped launch the network among Robertson's followers, and continues to air to this day. Even as the network has changed ownership, "The 700 Club" has remained a constant presence, a stipulation of the channel's sale.
Freeform
25 Days of Christmas (1996)
In 1996, The Family Channel, as the network was then named, launched its 25 Days of Christmas programming block. Famous for its holiday-themed original movies, the tradition continues to this day.
Fox Family
Fox Family Channel (1998)
The channel sold to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation in 1998, becoming Fox Family. Programming included reruns of family-friendly series and animated kids shows like "Bobby's World" and "Eek! The Cat."
Fox Family
"S Club 7 in Miami" (1999)
During the Fox Family era, the channel also made a name for itself airing syndicated programming from other English-speaking countries, including "S Club 7 in Miami," a starring vehicle for the British pop group S Club 7.
Fox Family
"State of Grace" (2001)
In the way of originally programming, one of Fox Family's most memorable successes was the period comedy "State of Grace," which would launch the careers of future "Arrested Development" co-stars Alia Shawkat and Mae Whitman.
Fox Family
ABC Family (2001)
In 2001, the struggling Fox Family network was sold to the Walt Disney Company for $5 billion. Disney CEO Michael Eisner was roundly criticized for the deal as the channel floundered in the ratings and Disney board members began to question its steep price tag.
ABC Family
"Kyle XY" (2006)
Eventually, ABC Family found its footing with strong original programming. In order to avoid competing with sister network the Disney Channel, ABC Family began shifting its focus to a teen audience. Early successes such as "Wildfire" and "Lincoln Heights" paved the way for sci-fi drama "Kyle XY," the network's most popular series to date.
ABC Family
"Greek" (2007)
ABC Family soon had another hit on its hands with the college dramedy "Greek." Several of the show's stars would go on to become regular faces on television, including Scott Michael Foster, Jake McDorman and Johanna Braddy.
ABC Family
"The Secret Life of the American Teenager" (2008)
As ABC Family continued to grow in the late '00s, it set viewership records with "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," starring future Golden Globe-nominee Shailene Woodley.
ABC Family
"Pretty Little Liars" (2010)
But the network finally hit it big in 2010 with the premiere of I. Marlene King's "Pretty Little Liars." The mystery series based on Sara Shepard's series of novels became the network's most popular series, averaging over 2 million viewers per episode.
ABC Family
"The Fosters" (2013)
"Pretty Little Liars" put ABC Family on the map commercially, but it was "The Fosters" and "Switched at Birth" that earned the attention of critics. Both series were hailed for their nuanced storytelling and progressive politics.
ABC Family
Freeform (2016)
In October 2015, ABC Family surprised viewers and the industry with plans to rebrand itself as "Freeform" at the height of its success. Network execs claimed the new name better represented its target audience of "becomers" and new focus on cross-platform viewership.
Freeform
"Shadowhunters" (2016)
The first series to premiere under the Freeform banner was "Shadowhunters," based on the wildly successful YA series "The Mortal Instruments" from author Cassandra Clare. The series premiered on Jan. 12, 2016 — the day of the official rebrand and the midseason premiere of "Pretty Little Liars" — to an audience of 1.8 million, the network's biggest premiere in 2 years.
Freeform

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Launched as Christian Broadcasting Network in 1977, the network has completely transformed itself several times throughout the years

Since its inception in the '70s, the network now known as Freeform has been bought and sold several times, and been re-named even more. With the exception of "The 700 Club," the network today bears little resemblance to its earliest days.

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Evolution of Freeform: From '700 Club' to 'Shadowhunters' (Photos)

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