Betrayal Trailer Shows Off ABC's Soapy New Drama

Given the growing popularity of steamy soaps like Scandal and Revenge, it's no surprise that ABC might aim to add to that buzz worthy list with another soapy drama. Enter Betrayal, a story about a man and a woman, both married to other people, who find themselves drawn to one another. That in itself is hardly an original story, but factor in a murder trial, which involves both of them on separate sides and things get even more complicated.

Much of the trailer focuses on the steamy romance of Hannah Ware's Sara and Stuart Townsend's Jack, but the last 30-seconds or so shows us just how dramatic and complex this affair is about to get. ABC's official description breaks down the plot for us…

A chance meeting between photographer Sara Hadley (Hannah Ware) and Attorney Jack McAllister (Stuart Townsend) leads to an instant and undeniable attraction. Sarah's husband, Drew (Chris Johnson), is a successful prosecutor with political aspirations, while Jack is married to Elaine (Wendy Moniz), the daughter of his boss, Thacher Karsten (James Cromwell). When Karsten's brother-in-law Lou is murdered, all evidence points to Karsten's son, T.J. (Henry Thomas). Jack, the company's lead counsel, will have to defend him, but for Sara's prosecutor husband, Drew, this is the kind of high-profile murder case that can secure his political future. Just as Sara and Jack's affair is starting, the lovers find themselves in an impossible situation -- on opposite sides of a murder investigation."Betrayal" stars Hannah Ware ("Shame," "Boss") as Sara, Stuart Townsend ("The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen") as Jack, James Cromwell ("Babe," "American Horror Story") as Thacher Karsten, Henry Thomas ("E.T.," "Gangs of New York") as T.J. Karsten, Chris Johnson ("The Vampire Diaries") as Drew, Wendy Moniz ("Guiding Light," "The Guardian") as Elaine, Elizabeth McLaughlin ("The Clique") as Val and Braeden Lamasters ("Men of a Certain Age") as Vic."Betrayal" was written by David Zabel ("ER") and directed by Patty Jenkins ("The Killing," "Monster") and is executive-produced by David Zabel, Rob Golenberg ("Red Widow") and Alon Aranya. "Betrayal" is produced by ABC Studios.

The trailer sells a juicy Sunday-night drama with an emphasis on the secret love affair between these two characters. Those who have gotten caught up in Scandal are likely going to be enticed by this one, but the added layer involving the murder trial could make or break this series. Will it be suspenseful and alluring? Or melodramatic and confusing? Hopefully, the former, but we'll have to wait and see.

Betrayal

ABC has Betrayal scheduled to air Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET. Check out the full ABC Fall 2013 schedule here.

Photo Credit: ©ABC.

Kelly West
Assistant Managing Editor

Kelly joined CinemaBlend as a freelance TV news writer in 2006 and went on to serve as the site’s TV Editor before moving over to other roles on the site. At present, she’s an Assistant Managing Editor who spends much of her time brainstorming and editing feature content on the site. She an expert in all things Harry Potter, books from a variety of genres (sci-fi, mystery, horror, YA, drama, romance -- anything with a great story and interesting characters.), watching Big Brother, frequently rewatching The Office, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing The Sims.