Set in Boston’s glorious early 90s, this show gives us a wild ride. Picture this: a charmingly corrupt FBI agent, Jackie Rohr, played by Kevin Bacon. He teams up with an ambitious ADA, Decourcy Ward, played by Aldis Hodge. Together, they tackle crime and corruption. It’s all about race, politics and personal drama. Because who doesn’t love a little chaos with their coffee?

Meet the characters from City on a Hill

Jackie Rohr

Okay, Jackie Rohr is the kind of old-school power player who walks into a room and somehow rearranges the furniture just by looking at it — total charisma, half-charm, half-threat. He’s brilliant at reading people, loves a good moral gymnastics argument, and is wildly pragmatic about stepping over lines (and then pretending he never did). He’ll tell you he’s doing the hard, dirty work for the greater good and maybe he believes that? Maybe not. Also, random but true-feeling detail: he drinks his coffee black like it’s a ritual and hums show tunes when he’s plotting, which is both unsettling and oddly human.

DeCourcy Ward

DeCourcy is the idealistic lawyer with a chip on his shoulder and a jawline that screams he was cast for this exact kind of role — intense, principled, and annoyingly persistent. He wants the system to mean something and will go to hell and back proving it, which makes him stubborn in a very attractive way (or annoying, depending on your patience). He’s also quietly strategic, which people underestimate because he’s so righteous about it — like a saint who keeps a spreadsheet. Oh and he collects old coins? No, wait, that might be his dad. Either way, he’s complicated and you love him for it.

Siobhan Quays

Siobhan feels like a reporter-poet hybrid — sharp, relentless, and with this uncanny ability to know the one sentence that ruins someone’s evening. She chases truth like it’s a scent and has this tiny, wicked smile when she corners someone, which is equal parts thrilling and terrifying. She can be tender in weird, sudden ways (a very soft hug in public? yes, she’ll do that), and then coldly professional five minutes later. Also she has the habit of leaving half-drunk cups of tea everywhere like little trophies, which I don’t know what that means but it’s cute.

Cathy Ryan

Cathy is the emotional anchor of the Ryan clan — fierce, warm, and moral in a way that sometimes clashes with reality, which is the best kind of messy. She runs on practicality and prayer (literal prayer, or just muttering under her breath — both apply) and will absolutely bite your head off if you threaten her family. She’s been through too much to be naive but she’s still hopeful in a stubborn, almost annoying way. Fun detail: she can fold a fitted sheet perfectly but forgets names at dinner so she improvises and everyone pretends it’s charming.

Jenny Rohr

Jenny is the polished counterpart to Jackie’s chaos — socially graceful, quietly sharp, and she knows exactly when to smile and when to withdraw, which is a skill that keeps things together. She’s fiercely loyal but not blind; there’s complexity under the polite exterior, little ironies where she’s both enabler and conscience. She’ll throw the right parties and also hide the receipts that matter, and sometimes she writes unbelievably candid notes to herself that she burns later. Little quirk: she collects vintage postcards from cities she’s never visited and names them like friends.

Jimmy Ryan

Jimmy is punchy, hot-headed, and somehow the most protective guy in the room even when he’s making awful calls — he’s that brawler with a heart and a tragic backstory. He likes to think he’s simple: fight, protect, repeat, but then he surprises you by being tender with kids or inexplicably good at fixing engines. He’s impulsive to the point of facepalm, yet deeply loyal, which wins him both trouble and adoration. Also he can’t cook worth a damn but insists on making everyone breakfast on Sundays, resulting in charred bacon and sincere apologies.

Kick Ryan

Kick is a walking defiance manifesto, gruff and hilarious and somehow maternal in a way that scares the hell out of enemies. She’s got scars and stories and a laugh that starts fights and ends them, often at the same time, and she’ll say the thing you needed but didn’t want to hear. There’s a secret softness behind the bark — like she’ll feed you leftover pasta and then punch a wall for you if necessary. Quirky little note: she collects license plates? No, maybe shot glasses. Either way, she’s got memorabilia and zero patience for nonsense.

Marie Ryan

Marie is the quiet center who observes everything and then, when you least expect it, delivers the most brutal truth with a smile. She’s steady, clever, maybe a little manipulative in the nicest way — call it protective strategizing — and she holds the family together through sheer will and small kindnesses. She loves puzzles and crosswords which explains why she’s always three steps ahead, and yet she’ll get flustered ordering coffee like a human. Also she keeps single socks in a shoebox for reasons she claims are “sentimental” but probably not.

Tony Ryan

Tony is brash, fast-talking, and living like every scene is a cliffhanger, which is thrilling until it isn’t — he makes you laugh and worry in equal measure. He’s loyal to an extreme and has a tendency to overcompensate with bravado, but he’s surprisingly tender with kids and animals, which is an adorable contrast to the rest. He’s impulsive, sure, but also weirdly into classical music (yes really) when he’s trying to calm down, which makes zero sense but is 100% him. Little inconsistent thing: claims he hates reading but owns a stack of philosophy books he swears he’s “casually browsing.”

Chris Caysen

Chris is the earnest, by-the-book agent who starts out all white shirts and idealism and then slowly accrues moral bruises and sharp edges like badges. He’s intelligent, awkwardly charming, principled, and the kind of person who writes too many notes in his phone and forgets to eat. He wrestles with bureaucracy and conscience constantly, which makes him sympathetic and infuriating depending on the day. Oh and he plays a sad little song on guitar when things go sideways, which I swear makes him more human.

Rosa Congemi

Rosa is the no-nonsense cop/detective energy personified — street-smart, quick, and a little exhausted but never broken; she’ll stare down a room and win. She’s practical to a fault, and she has this dry humor that sneaks up and stuns people, plus a soft spot for bakery goods she claims are “research.” She’s tough but not cruel, and she knows how to hold a line without making a speech about it. Weird little detail: she hates needles but carries a med kit like a fortress, which is both ironic and oddly sweet.