The Canadian import family drama Family Law recently premiered on the CW.
The series follows Abigail Bianchi, a recovering alcoholic and lawyer, who goes to work with her estranged father and two half-siblings. She has never worked in family law before, and suddenly finds herself having to manage not just her clients’ family dysfunction, but her own.
One of the half-siblings is played by the talented Genelle Williams. Many of you will know her from her work on the hit Syfy series Warehouse 13 or her run as Rachel Sutton in Bitten. She’s also appeared in series such as The Expanse, Cardinal, Dark Matter and Private Eyes.
We had the chance to sit down with Genelle to talk about the series, her character and what separates this series from other family law dramas.
Pop Culture Principle – Can you first tell us what was it about the pilot script for Family Law that made you want to sign on to the project?
Genelle Williams – One of the first things that stood out to me in the pilot script was how real it was. From the very beginning, the show was tackling issues that happen to a lot of people more often than they may want to admit. We have either gone through some of them ourselves or have family or friends who have. I also love the blended family aspect of the show. Life happens you know?
Pop Culture Principle – You play Lucy Svensson in the series. Can you tell us a little bit about that character?
Genelle Williams – Lucy is the youngest of the three siblings. They tend to tease her a lot for being favoured by their dad. She’s a very intelligent young woman who studied at Stanford and is now a psychologist that has office space across the hall from her dads firm. She often helps out with their cases. Lucy is very caring and strong. Between her and her brother she is more of the eager one to want a relationship with her sister Abby, whether its reciprocated or not haha. She has a beautiful wife, Maggie and they have their own issues that play out over the course of the show. She’s not as perfect as some may think.
Pop Culture Principle – Can you think of one similarity and one difference you have with your character Lucy Svensson?
Genelle Williams – One similarity between Lucy and I would be how accepting we are of others, flaws and all. It’s a gift and a curse lol. I’d have to say the difference between the two of us, is that she luckily was able to study away for school at Stanford, something I always dreamed of but never had the chance to do.
Pop Culture Principle – Being that your character is a psychologies, what, if any preparation did you do for the role? Did you spend any time with a psychologist?
Genelle Williams – The series takes place in a law firm, however Lucy is a psychologist who has a practice down the hall. I did some prep for the role by reading and watching videos, I’ve never been to a psychologist before but definitely a therapist.
Pop Culture Principle – In the press promos for the show, Jewel Staite’s character Abby likes to joke that the family firm is one dysfunctional family helping other dysfunctional families. Would you agree with that?
Genelle Williams – Abby’s character in the show jokes about our families dysfunction while helping other dysfunctional families and she couldn’t be more correct. I mean, who’s family doesn’t have an element of “dysfunction”. I feel its what will help viewers relate more to the show. Often times people question those giving advice on their situation, whether its their own lawyer, psychologist, family or friends.
People wanna know what’s going on in their lives? They can’t possibly be perfect! With this show you get to see that they aren’t. These people are fighting for you and helping you while also dealing with a ton of their own issues as well. We can all definitely relate.
Pop Culture Principle – The series boasts an incredible cast including Jewel Staite, Victor Garber, Zach Smadu and Lauren Holly. Can you tell us what it was like working with this incredible cast?
Genelle Williams – Working with this cast was a dream. We all hit it off instantly which doesn’t always happen. We joke that being in lockdown during Covid while filming made us closer. We literally spent all our time together. We were our own bubble after all. We’d work all week together and then be with each other all weekend. Haha it was kind of ridiculous! We truly became a family 🙂 Unfortunately Lauren’s character was in and out in season one but we made up for that this year while shooting season two.
Pop Culture Principle – The father, played by Victor Garber, seems to have been or is a sort of a player, hence several children with different women. Do you think the children hold any resentment towards him?
Genelle Williams – Harry, played by the one and only Victor Garber, is known as what most would call a player. He had very different relationships with each of our mothers. I think some hold some form of resentment towards him more than others. She holds him at a much higher regard then her siblings because they had a very different relationship.
Pop Culture Principle – There have been several family law television series over the years, but what do you separates this one from the others?
Genelle Williams – There have been many family law shows over the years but I feel ours is different in numerous ways. We are basically a dramedy and have a beautiful way of adding comic relief without taking away from serious subject matter. There is also a great balance between our procedural work and our own family dynamics. You really get to see these individuals for who they are while also getting to know clients and their stories in each episode.
Pop Culture Principle – Without giving much away of course, what can fans look forward to with the first season of Family Law?
Genelle Williams – I honestly think viewers will really enjoy the show. There is a little something for everyone. Episodes that have you laughing out loud and others that have you unexpectedly sobbing. There is a real genuineness to the show that I fell we can all appreciate.
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A huge thank you to Genelle Williams for taking the time to talk with us! You can catch new episodes of Family Law every Sunday at 8/7c on the CW!
**All photos courtesy of the CW**