In adapting Accused for an American audience, showrunner and executive producer Howard Gordon saw an opportunity to explore the grey areas of the justice system.
“The world has gotten so polarized and weaponized, and the show really was designed to sort of explore the messy middle, that we’re all kind of struggling to find — the nuances that no one seems to be interested in anymore,” he said during Deadline’s Contenders TV panel on Sunday.
Accused, which is adapted from a British television series of the same name, is a crime anthology that follows a new defendant in each episode. The episode starts with a character accused of a crime before taking viewers back through what happened, asking the difficult questions about whether the circumstances warrant the consequence they’re facing.
RELATED: The Contenders TV – Deadline’s Full Coverage
Gordon was joined on stage by Michael Chiklis, who stars in an episode and directs another, as well as director Marlee Matlin and actor Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Each spoke about their decision to be involved in the show, which they agreed was an easy one.
“When [Howard] came to me with the pilot script, I was just knocked out by the script. I was blown away not just by the subject matter, but the level of nuance in the script. It was just very, very complex,” Chiklas said of the premiere episode, which follows Chiklis as a father who is on trial after his son plans a school shooting. “I was attracted to it because it’s not the kind of role that comes to me every day.”
While the subject matter was certainly difficult, Chiklis said it’s “so relevant to what’s happening in our world right now.”
“I love shades of gray. I love dealing in an incident of unity and human nature,” he continued.
RELATED: Contenders Television Continues Sunday: 20 Panels Showcasing Buzziest Shows Of Awards Season
Warner added that, as an actor, he was drawn to the script for his episode — in which he stars as a father who takes justice into his own hands after his daughter is assaulted — was something that he would want to watch, as a viewer.
“Just as a viewer, I’m just a fan of the show because it it hits me on so many different levels. And when I first read the script for my episode, it was a no brainer….I have a five-year-old daughter. So when I read the script, it really struck me on several different levels,” he said.
Matlin directs an episode about a deaf surrogate who becomes concerned when the baby’s parents find out that their daughter suffers from hearing loss. She takes matters into her own hands when it becomes clear that the family may not be willing to embrace their child’s differences.
“I think for deaf parents and hearing parents alike, it’s a concern that’s out there and it’s very controversial in the deaf world, in the deaf community, to the point where we examine whether or not to make a decision on the behalf of this child because it it affects their entire life,” she said. “But specifically in the script, it really was a very sensitive topic. And we wanted to tell it in the most authentic way possible.”
Check back Tuesday for the panel video.
Deadline Contenders Television is sponsored by Apple TV+, Coverfly, Eyepetizer, Final Draft, Los Siete Misterios, Michter’s, and Village Roadshow Entertainment. Partners include: Four Seasons Resort Maui, The American Pavilion, Julia Wong Designs and Pampring.
