True-crime TV often exploits its subjects. This game-changing duo wants to end that

"Reasonable Doubt" is not your average true-crime docuseries.

In a genre where macabre murders are regularly exploited for entertainment's sake, the Investigation Discovery series has a higher purpose: Its shrewd, empathetic hosts, retired Birmingham, Alabama, homicide detective Chris Anderson and San Francisco criminal defense attorney Fatima Silva, work on behalf of families who feel their loved ones were wrongly convicted. Poring over the evidence, interviewing key witnesses and consulting experts, the duo ask whether judicial missteps led to an unjust decision — culminating, in each episode, with an emotional reckoning, where Anderson and Silva either provide the family with the hope for an appeal or deliver the hard news that their incarcerated father, son or mother's conviction appears sound.

Silva and Anderson get results too. "Reasonable Doubt," which airs Tuesdays and streams on Discovery+, has helped to secure the release of six men from prison — one who was exonerated and five others who were subsequently paroled or their conviction overturned. It's not only their investigative chops that make for such compelling television, though. Silva and Anderson's skill sets and personalities couldn't be more different: She's gregarious and high-energy; he's stoic and laid-back. Their distinct perspectives are an asset when scrutinizing the many facets of a crime — and engaging the viewer in a series that