LOS ANGELES –
Jimmi Simpson has joined the cast of the upcoming Hulu drama series Conviction.
The production represents a strategic alignment of talent and studio resources, leveraging multiple overall deals at 20th Television to adapt the novel by Jack Jordan. The project, which was greenlit by the streamer in February, continues the professional collaboration between Hulu, Elisabeth Moss, and Warren Littlefield following their work on The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments, both produced under the broader U.S. television system regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.
Production Structure and Governance
The series is being developed and produced by 20th Television, the Disney-owned studio that supplies scripted fare to Hulu under internal licensing and content-governance frameworks. David Shore serves as showrunner, executive producer, and is responsible for adapting the source material for television. Shore operates under his Shore Z Productions banner alongside executive producer Erin Gunn, giving the series a centralized creative authority atop a multi-banner structure.
The production involves a complex network of executive production banners and institutional contracts that reflect the modern studio-streamer ecosystem:
- The Littlefield Co.: Warren Littlefield, Ann Johnson, and Lisa Harrison serve as executive producers. Littlefield maintains an overall deal with 20th Television, aligning his slate with Disney’s internal commissioning priorities.
- Love & Squalor Pictures: Elisabeth Moss and Lindsey McManus serve as executive producers, continuing Moss’s dual role as both on-screen lead and key creative stakeholder.
- Co-Lab21: Bert Salke serves as executive producer, bringing additional studio-level packaging and development expertise.
- Development: Author Jack Jordan serves as an executive producer under a multi-year development deal with 20th Television, a structure that gives the original rights holder ongoing influence over adaptation decisions.
Collectively, these arrangements illustrate how streamers and legacy studios now use overall and first-look deals to secure premium IP and talent, while navigating content standards, labor agreements, and platform obligations in a tightly regulated U.S. media market.
Cast and Narrative Framework
Simpson joins a cast led by Elisabeth Moss, who also serves as an executive producer and de facto creative partner on the series. The ensemble further features Sebastian De Souza and Adam Godley, positioning the show within the prestige drama space that has become central to Hulu’s subscriber-retention strategy.
The narrative centers on Neve Harper (Moss), a criminal defense attorney managing a high-profile murder case involving a husband accused of killing his wife via arson. The plot focuses on the legal and ethical compromises Harper must navigate when a stranger begins blackmailing her with undisclosed secrets, placing the character at the intersection of courtroom procedure, prosecutorial discretion, and the broader public debate over how the justice system treats intimate-partner violence.
By anchoring the story in a defense attorney’s fraught decision-making, Conviction taps into ongoing public scrutiny of institutional accountability in criminal law-an arena shaped in the United States by due-process protections under the Constitution and codified in frameworks such as the federal criminal code, even as day-to-day practice is driven by state-level statutes and prosecutorial policy.
Specific details regarding Simpson’s role in the production have not been released, but his casting signals an intention to lean into psychologically complex, morally ambiguous characters consistent with the show’s legal-thriller premise.
Professional Profile
Simpson’s casting follows a career defined by high-profile television and film roles across genre and format. He earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding guest actor in a drama in 2018 for his work on the HBO series Westworld, cementing his reputation as a character actor capable of carrying dense, serialized storytelling.
His television portfolio includes appearances in Black Mirror-specifically the “USS Callister” episode and its subsequent follow-up, “USS Callister: Into Infinity”-as well as Pachinko, House of Cards, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, reflecting a range that spans prestige drama, political thriller, and long-running comedy. His film credits include Zodiac, Audrey’s Children, and Breaking News in Yuba County, further underscoring his experience in ensemble-driven projects.
Simpson is represented by CAA and Cognitive Artists, with legal representation by Bruce Gellman and public relations handled by Gingham PR-an institutional support structure typical for talent attached to major studio-streamer dramas.
The series is currently in development following its February greenlight, with production timelines, episode count, and release window still to be formally announced by Hulu and 20th Television.
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