USA Crime Thriller ‘Eyewitness’ Taps ‘Ally McBeal,’ ‘Texas Rising’ Alums

Gil Bellows and James Paxton have joined the cast, while 'Rookie Blue' grad Matt Murray is set to recur. Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic/Getty Images; Barry King/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Gil Bellows and James Paxton have joined the cast, while 'Rookie Blue' grad Matt Murray is set to recur.

USA Network's forthcoming crime thriller Eyewitness is rounding out its cast.

Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal) and James Paxton (Texas Rising) have signed on as series regulars, while Matt Murray (Rookie Blue) and Tattiawna Jones (RoboCop) are set to recur, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Picked up straight to series in January, the drama is based on the Norwegian crime thriller Oyevitne and centers on two innocent teenage boys who secretly witness a shooting in the forest and barely escape with their lives. Desperate to keep their relationship a secret and fearful of being found by the shooter, they remain silent, but soon learn that what has been seen cannot be unseen and witnessing such a horrible event changes everything.

Paxton will portray one of the two boys at the center of the case, Lukas. A teenager who seems to have it all —popularity, motorcross stardom and the hottest girl in school — but underneath, he's deeply conflicted about his sexuality. Lukas begins to learn self-acceptance thanks to classmate Philip (Tyler Young) — that is, until the boys witness a quadruple homicide. His sanity begins to slip as he's hunted by the killer and haunted by the fear of being gay and losing everything.

The son of actor Bill Paxton, James' credits also include Term Life. He is repped by UTA and Authentic Talent and Literary Management.

Bellows will play Gabe, the husband of homicide detective Helen Torrance (Julianne Nicholson) and adoptive father to Philip. Gabe is described as a small-town veterinarian whose decency, integrity and compassion rescued Helen from her self-destructive cycle of living. However, the pressures of fostering Philip amidst Helen’s shocking homicide case threaten to tear their marriage apart. 

Bellows, whose credits include Hulu's 11.22.63 and The Shawshank Redemption, is repped by Don Buchwald & Associates, Luber Roklin Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman.

Murray returns to the police beat as Tony, Helen’s bright-eyed and bushy-tailed deputy with big dreams, whose life is forever changed by the grisly case. He most recently appeared on Kevin From Work and is repped by The Characters Talent Agency and Primary Wave Entertainment.

Jones is set as Kamilah, an unapologetic FBI agent who suddenly finds her loyalty to her job and troubled sister at odds. When Kamilah’s own case intersects with Helen’s, they forge a friendship that leads her to question everything she thought she wanted. The Flashpoint grad is repped by Agency for the Performing Arts and Carrier Talent Management.

Shades of Blue creator Adi Hasak adapted the series for USA and will serve as executive producer and showrunner. Jarl Emsell Larsen and Scott Peters also will exec produce. Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) will exec produce the pilot and direct the first two episodes of the series, which hails from Universal Cable Productions.

USA Network

Kate Stanhope