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Fox’s new courtroom drama, Accused, cut out for millions of viewers just as the verdict was about to be read during the series premiere.
The series premiere of Accused was cut off for millions of viewers just as the verdict was about to be read during the episode. Premiered on January 22, Accused is Fox’s new anthology crime drama that, with some interesting variations and twists on the genre, follows ordinary people accused of serious crimes and put on trial. Accused premiered in the highly-coveted post-NFL playoff game time slot this past Sunday night, and the premiere was going swimmingly before an unexpected issue resulted in millions of viewers being unable to see the episode’s resolution.
Just as the episode’s trial verdict was about to be read, a technical glitch resulted in the Accused series premiere cutting out for millions of viewers. According to Deadline, the final three minutes of the episode was preempted by local commercials in 13 markets, including Cleveland, Sacramento, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and San Diego, accounting for roughly eight percent of the country. After the commercials, viewers in those markets returned to the episode during its final few seconds, effectively spoiling its resolution. Nexstar, which owns the Fox affiliates in those markets, explained the technical snafu in a statement which can be read below:
We had a technical issue affecting a small number of our Fox stations. It has been addressed and we have taken steps to make sure the issue doesn’t occur again.
What Is The Accused About?
Each episode of Fox’s new anthology crime drama opens in a courtroom and introduces an ordinary person accused of a serious crime, with audiences not knowing the specific crime. Throughout an episode, a series of lengthy flashbacks reveal how the defendant ended up on trial through their point of view, including the mitigating factors involved. Accused is based on the British anthology series of the same name and was developed for American television by Howard Gordon of Homeland and 24 fame.
The first episode of Accused is centered on a well-respected surgeon named Dr. Harmon (played by Michael Chiklis) and his troubled teenage son. As millions of viewers could not see at the end of the episode, the judge rules that Dr. Harmon’s actions were “negligent but not criminal” and is ordered to remain in custody after the verdict was read. For those unable to see the episode’s resolution, Accused episode 1 can be watched on Hulu, as will subsequent episodes after airing on Fox.
After the Accused series premiere experienced technical difficulties in some areas, future episodes are not expected to have the same problem, as Nexstar ensures they won’t. Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin directs the show’s second episode. It focuses on a Deaf surrogate mother played by Stephanie Nogueras. In contrast, another upcoming episode is helmed by Billy Porter and follows a drag queen played by J. Harrison Ghee, who is standing trial. New episodes of the Accused air Tuesdays on Fox.
Source: Deadline
Read the full article here
