The series, produced by Dick Wolf, follows former Harris County, Texas prosecutor Kelly Siegler[1] and a team of investigators as they reopen unsolved murder cases with the consent and assistance of local law enforcement.

"[11] Brian Lowry of Variety stated, "While some of those made-for-TV encounters feel a little stilted, they do tend to pull you along, wanting to see how the drama plays out.

"[12] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times states, "The idea that the criminal justice arena also needs a TV show to serve as equalizer is somehow dismaying.

"[14] In August 2014, a Gallatin, Tennessee, man filed a defamation lawsuit against the show's producers for implicating and never fully exonerating him in their investigation into the 2010 death of a woman who was suffocated and stabbed inside her home.

In August 2015, another lawsuit arose from acquitted murder suspect Steven Noffsinger, who sued the series' producers, Siegler, McClary, and Brown for civil rights violations and defamation.

Former Harris County, Texas, prosecutors Casey Garrett and Alicia O'Neill travel around the United States to help local law enforcement officers close dormant cases.