'Octavia Spencer Is There Even When She's Not In A Scene': Nichelle Tramble Spellman On Apple TV+ Series 'Truth Be Told'

(CBS Local)-- There are a lot of good TV shows to watch these days, but the new series "Truth Be Told" from showrunner Nichelle Tramble Spellman with Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul is one of the most fascinating out there.

Tramble Spellman, who was a writer & producer on CBS's "The Good Wife," is making her debut as a showrunner with the Apple TV+ series about a true crime podcaster that is seeking answers about a murder and the conviction of a man named Warren Cave. Tramble Spellman had the good fortune of working with some of the best actors in Hollywood for this project.

"She's [Octavia] professional, prepared, generous and doesn't leave set," said Tramble Spellman in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "She's there even when she's not in a scene, so she can give to the other actors and encourage people that are coming up. She always made time and kept this bouncy spirit while we were dealing with dark material and dark subject matter. I didn't have to push these actors. He [Aaron] embraced the character and we talked a lot before we started filming and he dove in. There's no micromanaging... these are adults and they ran with it."

In addition to her television work, Tramble Spellman has written a couple of novels and is fascinated with the true crime genre. The series is based on Kathleen Barber's novel "Are You Sleeping" and the showrunner wanted to take the book to the next level for the TV audience.

"What was interesting to me was exploring the ripple effects of trauma and tragedy in a family," said Spellman. "When I started to the adaptation, I thought why don't we explore three families... the accused, the victim, and the podcaster who unravels a crime that is really personal to her. I wanted to challenge the audience to think about these as real people that are hurt. Sometimes when you're caught up in the story you forget that."

"Truth Be Told" is streaming now.