FOX ANNOUNCES NEW CAST AND RELEASES FIRST LOOK TRAILER FOR HIT CRIME ANTHOLOGY SERIES ACCUSED, FROM HOWARD GORDON (HOMELAND, 24)

ACCUSED ADDS COBIE SMULDERS, VELLA LOVELL, DINA SHIHABI AND ISABEL ARRAIZA TO SEASON TWO

THE NEW SEASON FEATURES MULTIPLE OSCAR, EMMY AND AWARD-WINNING ACTORS INCLUDING FELICITY HUFFMAN, WILLIAM H. MACY, TAYLOR SCHILLING, NICK CANNON, PATRICK J. ADAMS, MICHAEL CHIKLIS, DEBRA WINGER, MERCEDES RUEHL AND KEN JEONG

WATCH/SHARE A FIRST LOOK AT ACCUSED HERE

ACCUSED PREMIERES TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8 @ 8/7c, ON FOX

ABOUT ACCUSED:

Accused is a collection of intense, topical and human stories of crime and punishment. Each episode is a fast-paced provocative thriller, exploring a different crime, in a different city, with an entirely original cast. Based on the BBC's BAFTA-winning crime anthology, each episode opens in a courtroom on the defendant, with viewers knowing nothing about their crime or how they ended up on trial. Told from the defendant's point of view through flashbacks, the show holds a mirror up to current times with evocative and emotional stories. In the end, audiences will discover how an ordinary person gets caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and how one impulsive decision can impact the course of that life - and the lives of others -- forever. Season Two will feature cinematic auspices and production values anchored by acclaimed actors including Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, Michael Chiklis, Taylor Schilling, Justin Chambers, Nick Cannon, Patrick J. Adams, Ken Jeong, Debra Winger, Christine Ebersol, Mercedes Ruehl and Danny Pino.

NEW CAST BIOS:

COBIE SMULDERS: Cobie Smulders is a Canadian American actress and producer. Within her two decades of industry experience, Smulders has worked in film, television, stage and audio narration bringing emboldened and complex female characters to life. Smulders is most notably known for her starring roles as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother, as Anne Coulter in FX's critically acclaimed American Crime: Impeachment, as Simone in Clea Duvall's High School for Amazon Studios and most recently as Maria Hill in Marvel's limited series Secret Invasion.

VELLA LOVELL: Vella Lovell currently stars opposite Joel McHale in the Fox comedy series Animal Control. She previously starred alongside Ted Danson and Holly Hunter in the Tina Fey-produced comedy Mr. Mayor for NBC. Vella earned a 2021 HCA TV Award Nomination for her performance as 'Mikaela Shaw' the Chief of Staff on the show. Prior to this, Vella was known for her series regular role as the sarcastic voice of reason 'Heather Davis' on all four Seasons of CW's Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and in Hulu's Dollface as Kat Dennings' over-the-top co-worker 'Alison S.' On the film side, she recently starred in the MTV holiday parody movie A Clüsterfünke Christmas from Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer and appeared in smash hit THE BIG SICK opposite Kumail Nanjiani. In the animation world, she was the voice of 'Mermista' in the Netflix series She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power, which was a 2020 Critics' Choice Nominee. Originally a graduate from the Juilliard School, Vella appeared on stage in Pulitzer Prize Winner Lynn Nottages' By The Way, Meet Vera Stark, as 'Lady Macbeth' in an adaptation of Macbeth, and in The Bacchae at Shakespeare in the Park.

DINA SHIHABI: Shihabi can currently be seen starring in Peter Berg's Netflix miniseries Painkiller alongside Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, and West Duchovny. Painkiller is a highly anticipated drama that explores the origins of the US's opioid epidemic and the role played in it by pharmaceuticals giant Purdue Pharma. Most recently, Shihabi starred alongside Erin Moriarty, Jai Courtney, and Ryan Corr in Catching Dust, a Texas noir marking the feature debut of writer-director Stuart Gatt. Catching Dust had its world premiere in June at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival in New York. Shihabi also recently lead the four-part spy drama from Showtime entitled Ghosts Of Beirut. The limited series, directed by Emmy winner Greg Barker was released in May 2023. Shihabi also recently starred in Netflix's supernatural horror drama series Archive 81 alongside Mamoudou Athie. Previously, Shihabi appeared in the romantic comedy film Amira & Sam & the 2022 feature drama MVP as well as a variety of television projects, including Altered Carbon, Ramy, and Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, for which she received a Critics' Choice Award nomination. Shihabi also appeared in the music video for the Red Hot Chili Peppers song, These Are The Ways. At age 18, Shihabi moved to New York City in 2007 and began pursuing a career in acting, which became a full-time profession for her by 2010. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts for two years. In 2011, she was accepted at both Juilliard and the Graduate Acting Program at NYU Tisch School for the Arts, making her both the first Middle East-born woman as well as the first Saudi Arabian woman to be accepted to both these institutions. In 2014, Shihabi graduated with her MFA from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

ISABEL ARRAIZA: Isabel Arraiza is an award-winning actress hailing from Puerto Rico. She is set to star in Fox's highly anticipated anthology series Accused, opposite Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy. Arraiza has also made her mark on the big screen, starring in John Lee Hancock's film The Little Things opposite Rami Malek and Denzel Washington. Recently, she wrapped the lead opposite Michael Zegen in the indie film, Zoo, and can also be seen in the award-winning Spanish language short film, Renata, for which she has received the 2024 Puerto Rico European Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Upcoming, Arriaza will star in Notice to Quit, from NBA All-Star Gordon Hayward's film distribution company, releasing theatrically on September 27. Additional film credits include 2018 Toronto Film Festival official selection feature, Driven alongside Jason Sudeikis, Judy Greer and Lee Pace, and Derrick Borte's American Dreamer opposite Jim Gaffigan, which debuted at Los Angeles Film Festival. Additional television credits include Amazon's Outer Range, USA Network's Pearson, Crackle's The Oath, CBS's Elementary and FOX's Prodigal Son. Most recently on stage, Arraiza captivated critics such as The New Yorker as an "excellent Portia" in The Merchant of Venice produced by the Shakespeare Theatre Company and Theatre for a New Audience, at the Polonsky Shakespeare Center. In January 2025, she will be reprising her role in The Merchant of Venice as the production travels to Edinburgh, Scotland debuting at The Royal Lyceum Theater. Additional theater credits include Julius Caesar at the Public Theater, directed by Oskar Eustis, Minetti at the Barbican Centre in London, England and Royal Lyceum Theater in Edinburgh, Scotland, and Intersections at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Arraiza obtained her Master of Fine Arts from The Juilliard School, becoming the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the Drama Division since its founding in 1905. Her impressive work within the acting program has also earned her The Laura Pels Award for Best Actor of the Company, Juilliard 2017.

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