One of the best legal thrillers in quite a while premiered recently. It’s on the internet… and stars a familiar face from sci-fi.

Summer Glau is one of the featured actors in Sequestered, which started on August 5th on Crackle with the first half of its 12-episode run. It’s about a jury trying to determine the guilt or innocence of Malcolm Miller, who is accused of killing the young son of the governor of California (Patrick Warburton). The jury is sequestered after one of the jurors was beaten up in a bar. Glau plays Anna, a juror who’s being threatened by someone to make sure the defendant is found guilty… or else. Whoever wants that verdict will even threaten her family.

Meanwhile, Danny Firmin (Jesse Bradford), an up-and-coming lawyer, is taking another look at how his boss, Ron Pritchard (Chris Ellis), defended Miller. With some digging, he wanders into a conspiracy that includes some unexpected people. It starts to affect his job, and his relationship with Nora (Katie Savoy), a fellow attorney.

The case has also affected the governor’s marriage, and his efforts to pass a gun control bill. However, the discovery of gun smuggling, and that the fact he knows who is responsible, shows his darker side. Oddly, he doesn’t seem concerned about whether or not Miller will be found guilty.

The show has plenty of twists and turns and does a good job of showing how tedious jury deliberations can be, especially when the jurors are stuck together in a hotel until a verdict is reached. All the while, Anna is afraid to admit she’s being coerced to vote for a guilty verdict. She’s also concerned that there’s a mole telling someone how the jury is voting, and even comes up with a plan to smoke the person out. She finds comfort in Ryan (Ryan McPartlin), a fellow juror, but can’t trust him enough to share her fears.

While Glau is best known for sci-fi/fantasy roles in series such as Firefly, Terminator:Sarah Connor Chronicles and Arrow, Glau does a fine job as a regular girl under pressure. You can see the strain of her situation on her face, as she has to choose between her beliefs or her sister. Bradford, meanwhile, is great as Danny. He has his demons, especially gambling, but is also determined to find out if Miller is really guilty of the crime. His efforts, though, will lead him to temptation.

Warburton is intriguing as Governor Bennett. He’s been wounded by the loss of a son that he admits he should have loved more. Still, he tries to move forward by dealing with someone who has smuggled guns into the state— someone the governor knows. Also featured in the case are Dina Meyer as Helen Bennett and Bruce Davison as Danny’s dad, an ex-cop who gets too close to the truth.

The show is created by Aaron Tracy from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Kevin Tancharoen, brother of Maurissa Tancharoen-Whedon, directed episode six and will direct the second half of the season.

Compared to hour-long shows like Murder in the First, The Divide or Tyrant, Sequestered packs a lot of plot and suspense into each 23-minute episode.

The first six episodes of Sequestered are available for streaming on Crackle.com. The next six episodes will premiere in October 2014.