Called “Outstanding” by The Guardian, the new series Code of Silence stars Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alison Woods. Deaf since birth, Ayling-Ellis is a fierce advocate for deaf-inclusion. In Code of Silence, her character Alison is the show’s sparkling center. She isn’t defined by her deafness—she’s a fully realized character whose dreary job at the police department canteen does not match her potential. By a fluke, the precinct where she works is short of lip-readers who can help with their surveillance of a ring of jewelry thieves, and Alison is recommended as a fill-in. She’s so good at getting information from video that, against their better judgment, the police detectives let her work first in the field, then undercover at a bar owned by a member of the crew. Watching her transformation from scullery maid to undercover adventuress is a little like a crime-show version of Cinderella—we can only hope there’s no pumpkin in her future. —Lisa Henricksson