Peter Kramer/USA Network Jessica Biel in The Sinner.
After over a decade away from the small screen, Jessica Biel returns with something very different from 7th Heaven. The actress stars in USA Network’s new miniseries The Sinner. The eight-episode murder mystery, based on the 1999 novel by Petra Hammesfahr, is about a mother who mysteriously murders a man on a beach. It debuts on Wednesday, August 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET. Read on to meet the cast and characters.
The Sinner is based on the best-selling novel of the same name. Beil plays Cora, a mother who stabs a complete stranger to death on a beach.
While police are convinced this is an open-and-shut case because there’s witnesses, the police commissioner isn’t so convinced. He continues to investigate the case, unraveling the dark mysteries in Cora’s past. So the audience knows right away that Cora is the murder, we just don’t know why.
Derek Simonds wrote the series, while Antonio Campos directed multiple episodes. Campos is also an executive producer.
The pilot episode of the series debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York, where Biel told Variety that people should “definitely” see the show before reading the book.
“When I read the book, every step of the way for me was a shock and I feel like nothing can shock me anymore,” Biel, an executive producer on the show, said in April. “I’ve seen it all. We all have seen it all in a sense, but every time there was a surprise (in the book) it was a genuine surprise for me. That felt incredibly rare. I wanted to play (Cora) and be little nuts.”
Here’s a look at the main cast of The Sinner.
Jessica Biel as Cora Tannetti
Brownie Harris/USA NetworkJessica Biel and Christopher Abbott in The Sinner.
The Sinner is Jessica Biel’s first regular TV series role since she left 7th Heaven in 2006. Since then, Biel has only appeared in a 2014 episode of New Girl and voiced a character in an episode of BoJack Horseman in 2016. As of late, the actress, who is married to singer Justin Timberlake, has focused on movies. In 2016, she was seen in The Book of Love and A Kind of Murder. She’s currently working on Rob Reiner’s Shock And Awe, a film about journalists investigating the Bush Administration’s claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.
Bill Pullman as Detective Harry Ambrose
Peter Kramer/USA NetworkBill Pullman as Detective Harry Ambrose.
Bill Pullman plays the police detective investigating Cora. The actor remains best known for playing the President in Independence Day. This year, Pullman has already appeared in the movies Trouble, The Ballad of Lefty Brown and Walking Out. In 2014, he appeared in The Equalizer with Denzel Washington.
Christopher Abbott as Mason Tannetti
Peter Kramer/USA NetworkJessica Biel and Christopher Abbott in The Sinner.
Christopher Abbott plays Mason, Cora’s husband. Abbott is best known for starring in HBO’s Girls as Charlie Dattolo. His films include It Comes At Night, Martha Marcy May Marlene and A Most Violent Year. In 2015, he starred in the acclaimed indie James White with Cynthia Nixon. He made his TV debut in a 2009 episode of Nurse Jackie.
Abby Miller as Caitlin Sullivan
GettyAbby Miller.
Abby Miller appears in The Sinner‘s pilot as Caitlin Sullivan. She’s best known for playing Ellen May on FX’s Justified and starred on NBC’s Aquarius as Mary Brunner. Other credits include The Magicians, The Fuzz, The Real O’Neals, The Catch and an episode of Law & Order: SVU.
Dohn Norwood as Detective Dan Leroy
GettyDohn Norwood.
Dohn Norwood also appears in the pilot as Detective Dan Leroy. He’s best known for his role as Psalms on ABC’s Hell on Wheels and as Reverend Fitzgerald on SundanceTV’s Hap and Leonard. He’s also appeared in episodes of Animal Kingdom, 12 Deadly Days, Grey’s Anatomy and NCIS: LA. He played Ralph Abernathy in HBO’s All The Way with Bryan Cranston.