Michael Chiklis & Accused Cast Introduce New Crime Show [EXCLUSIVE CLIP]

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Screen Rant is proud to present an exclusive first look at Fox's new crime anthology series Accused. Based on the BAFTA Award-winning BBC series of the same name, Accused takes a new approach to the classic crime series, with the story unfolding from the defendant's perspective each week. Accused begins in the courtroom and will explore the events that led to the defendant's trial, what the crime was, and who the victim is throughout the episode.

This is not the standard police procedural that follows investigators on a case as they search for clues to discover who the guilty party is. Accused flips the narrative on its head, showing what led seemingly normal people to commit these crimes. Each episode will take a very real topical issue and examine it from a different perspective. Accused, which will premiere on Fox on January 20, was developed by Howard Gordon (Homeland, 24) and executive-produced by Gordon, Alex Gansa (Homeland, 24), and David Shore (House, The Good Doctor).

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More About Accused

In Screen Rant's exclusive first look at Accused, the cast and executive producer share new insights into the series. Whitney Cummings explains that this is not a series meant to make the audience feel comfortable, while Michael Chiklis adds that this is not a series that can be watched passively. Margo Martindale introduces the concept of a mystery unfolding through flashbacks, and Jason Ritter adds that the past and present converge from two storylines into one.

By approaching these stories from the perspective of the defendant, Accused is able to take an entirely different approach to the criminal justice system on television. Questions of justice, be it police or vigilante, justification, and innocence can all come into play by sharing their stories. Accused is also able to bring the human element into the mystery because discovering the answer has real ramifications for the character that the audience experiences the narrative through instead of the level of detachment that an investigation in a series like CSI or Law & Order allows.

Accused has a new star-studded cast for each episode, with Michael Chiklis headlining the premiere and reportedly playing a surgeon and family man who is faced with an impossible decision when he begins to suspect his son may be planning an attack at school. Accused will also feature Rachel Bilson, Abigail Breslin, Whitney Cummings, Jack Davenport, Margo Martindale, Molly Parker, Rhea Perlman, Wendell Pierce, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner appearing in one of the fifteen intense topical cases each week. Michael Chiklis, Marlee Matlin, Billy Porter, and Tazbah Rose Chavez will each be directing as well.

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Accused premieres on Fox on January 20.