BBC America to Premiere Copper in Summer 2012

Last July BBC America announced its first scripted series, the crime drama Copper. At the time, there wasn't much information about the series available, but now (via a press release yesterday) there's a more complete description of the series, including an estimated premiere date (Summer 2012).

Set in the 1860s, most of the action will take place in the teeming Irish immigrant neighborhood of Five Points, but the series will also frequent the Upper East Side/Fifth Avenue mansions of the aristocracy and the emerging neighborhood of Harlem founded by New York’s burgeoning black population. Storylines relating to the Civil War will permeate the series while also exploring themes of power, politics and race in a country and community wrestling with rapid social change.

Kevin Corcoran played by Tom Weston-Jones stars as Kevin Corcoran, a rugged and confident Irish cop who patrols the streets of Five Points and tries to follow his moral compass despite the blunt realities facing his turbulent community. The cast also includes Kyle Schmid as his friend and Civil War compatriot Morehouse, the son of a wealthy New York industrialist residing on Fifth Avenue; and Freeman, another veteran, a black physician/forensics expert who lives in Harlem and is not afraid to question white authority. The three men share a secret from their experience on the battlefield that will link their lives forever.