ABC Premieres New Drama Series RED WIDOW Tonight

From the screenwriter of the "Twilight Saga" films and the hit series "Dexter," Melissa Rosenberg, comes the gripping and danger-filled, new family drama series, RED WIDOW, about a mother who will stop at nothing to protect her family following the brutal murder of her husband. "Red Widow" premieres TONIGHT, MARCH 3 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET), on The ABC Television Network.

In the first hour of the premiere, "Pilot" (9:00-10:00 p.m.), Marta Walraven, a stay-at-home mom in tony Marin County, near San Francisco, has spent most of her life staying out of her father's world of organized crime. But when her loving husband, Evan, who supports the family by exporting marijuana, is brutally murdered in their driveway, everything changes. Marta's primary concern is to protect her three children - and yet when an FBI agent promises justice in exchange for her cooperation, she hesitates to go against the "Bratva" (Russian mob) code. Evan's business partners - Marta's scheming brother, Irwin Petrov, and their best friend, the hapless Mike Tomlin - were involved in the theft of millions of dollars of cocaine from a formidable international crime boss, Nicholae Schiller. Evan paid with his life, but as far as Schiller is concerned, his debt is not clear. It is up to Marta, as Evan's widow, to navigate the criminal underworld in order to repay this debt - whatever way Schiller sees fit.

In the second hour, "The Contact" (10:00-11:00 p.m.), in exchange for his stolen drugs, crime boss Schiller tells a still grieving Marta he wants her to import a shipment for him. But she doesn't know when or how he will contact her. She believes if she is successful, she will be free from Schiller's control. While waiting, she enlists Mike and her father, Andrei, to teach her the criminal business. Their first step is to find a customs official to pay off - requiring an uncomfortable Marta to use her feminine wiles and rethink how far she is willing to go to protect her children. Meanwhile, her young son, Boris, is still reeling after having witnessed his dad's death; Andrei has his bodyguard, Luther, keep watch over Marta's family; Marta's sister, Kat, steps in to help out at the house, causing conflict with her new husband; Marta's brother, Irwin, fights for his life while in jail for gun possession; and a suspicious Natalie asks FBI Agent James Ramos if her father was involved in illegal activities.

"Red Widow" stars Radha Mitchell as Marta Walraven, Sterling Beaumon as Gabriel Walraven, Clifton Collins Jr. as FBI Agent James Ramos, Luke Goss as Luther, Suleka Mathew as Dina Tomlin, Erin Moriarty as Natalie Walraven, Jaime Ray Newman as Kat Castillo, Jakob Salvati as Boris Walraven, Lee Tergesen as Mike Tomlin, Wil Traval as Irwin Petrov, with Rade Serbedzija as Andrei Petrov and Goran Visnjic as Nicholae Schiller.

Guest starring in the "Pilot" is Anson Mount as Evan Walraven, Erin Cahill as Felicity, Edi Gathegi as Leon, Natalija Nogulich as Elena, Pedro Pascal as Jay Castillo, Camille Sullivan as Newton, Tanner Saunders as Trent and Tom Pickett as the principal. "Pilot" was written by Melissa Rosenberg and directed by Mark Pellington.

Guest starring in "The Contact" is Rod Rowland as Bob Lagrosse, Fernanda Andrade as Eva Ramos, Erin Cahill as Felicity, Edi Gathegi as Leon, Pedro Pascal as Jay Castillo, Camille Sullivan as Newton, Danny Wattley as Logan and Terry Mullett as scary inmate. "The Contact" was written by Melissa Rosenberg and directed by Dan Sackheim.

Based on the Dutch series "Penoza," "Red Widow" is executive-produced and written by Melissa Rosenberg ("Dexter," "Twilights Saga" films), and executive produced by Howard Klein ("The Office," "Parks & Recreation") and Alon Aranya. The series is produced by ABC Studios in association with Endemol Studios.