ABC will be tackling plenty of social issues with its new anthology series, American Crime, this week.

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Developed by Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave writer John Ridley, the series will take a look at how the criminal justice system interacts with different social issues after the vicious murder of a war veteran.

Ridley hopes the series, which will be filling the slot of the hit crime drama How To Get Away With Murder, will open up a dialogue about social conflict. "When we confronted with these things, do we change or do we stay the same?" he asked during an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Monday. "Can we become more than what we are?"

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With a large cast from all walks of life, the series isn't interested in the typical "good guys" and "bad guys" set-up.

"When you sign up for something like this, you have to find the human side of the character and go for it," explained actress Felicity Huffman.

Huffman stars as the murdered veteran's mother with actor Timothy Hutton (Ordinary People) set to play her ex-husband and the deceased's father.

American Crime isn't just a show about violence and grief. It will also offer a close look at key social issues in today's society.

Regina King (Southland), who plays a Muslim woman named Aliyah Shadeed emphasized that the series also focuses on prejudice and how injustice exists within America's legal system. "I think we all have some sort of prejudice in us," explained the actress. "When you watch this piece, you go, 'Oh, that sounds a little bit like me."

American Crime will make its debut on ABC on Thursday, March 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

Tags: American Crime ABC television