Is Fox’s ‘Accused’ Based on True Stories? The Inspiration for the Anthology Show’s Crimes
After just two episodes, Accused is already a hit for Fox. The anthology series tells 15 different stories of ordinary people on trial for various crimes, but how much of Accused is true? Here are the inspirations behind the first two episodes of Accused and what to expect from episode 3, “Danny’s Story.”
[Spoiler alert: The following story contains spoilers for Accused Episodes 1 and 2.]
What is the new series ‘Accused’ about?
With a new cast and characters in every episode, Accused follows 15 different people as they wait to receive their verdicts on their final days in court. Through a series of flashbacks, each episode reveals how the defendants ended up on trial. It’s up to viewers to decide if the facts make the defendants truly guilty or innocent, as the cases often fall into a morally gray area.
The first episode of Accused, “Scott’s Story,” stars Michael Chiklis as Scott Miller, a father who finds his son’s diary filled with violent and disturbing thoughts. Fearing that his son is planning an attack at school, Scott considers killing him to prevent it. However, he doesn’t go through with it, instead giving his son money for what Scott believes is a trip with a friend.
Scott’s son uses the money to buy guns and ammunition for a mass shooting at school. Scott is charged with accessory to murder for giving the money to his son and ignoring the diary. However, in the end, he is found not guilty.
Meanwhile, Accused Episode 2, “Ava’s Story,” stars Stephanie Nogueras as a deaf surrogate mother named Ava. When the baby is born deaf, her parents consider getting cochlear implants. Ava abducts the child to prevent this, as she considers it child abuse. The parents press charges against her for kidnapping and child endangerment. However, after hearing Ava’s side of things in court, they decide to drop the case.
Is Fox’s ‘Accused’ a true story?
While the stories in Accused are thrilling and thought-provoking, they are not direct adaptations of true events. However, some of the stories are loosely inspired by real-life incidents. For example, showrunner Howard Gordon revealed to Deadline that “Scott’s Story” was inspired by a real crime.
“So the reason I even came up with the story to begin with was that I’m a father. Then I came across this story in the newspaper about a Japanese diplomat, and he was in the Parliament, and he had been arrested for killing his adult child who was living at home and who he feared was going to commit a series of knife attacks,” Gordon said. “That raised a real question, my own recognition of how helpless I sometimes felt as a father and then projecting it onto that situation.”
“Ava’s Story” had similar origins, although it started out as a very different idea. According to the Los Angeles Times, it was initially inspired by the story of a surrogate mother and a baby with Down syndrome. It then evolved into a story about a deaf surrogate.
‘Accused’ Episode 3, ‘Danny’s Story,’ follows a suspicious hospice nurse
Accused Episode 3, “Danny’s Story,” premieres on Jan. 31. The episode follows a teen named Danny (Reid Miller) who suspects that his late mother’s hospice nurse committed foul play. However, it’s Danny who is on trial for an unspecified crime. Fans will have to tune in to find out how he took matters into his own hands.
Fans can watch a new episode of Accused every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Fox. Next-day streaming is also available on Hulu.
