EMMY AWARD WINNER MICHAEL CHIKLIS TO STAR IN PREMIERE EPISODE OF FOX'S NEW CRIME ANTHOLOGY DRAMA, "ACCUSED"

FOX Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television to Co-Produce Series, From Executive Producers Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and David Shore

Emmy Award Winner Michael Cuesta ("Homeland") to Direct Premiere Episode

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Michael Chiklis ("The Shield") is set to star in the premiere episode of FOX's highly anticipated, straight-to-series crime anthology drama, ACCUSED, executive-produced by Howard Gordon ("24," "Homeland"), Alex Gansa ("24," "Homeland") and David Shore ("The Good Doctor," "House"). Emmy Award winner Michael Cuesta ("Homeland") will direct the program's premiere episode, reuniting with "Homeland" executive producers Gordon and Gansa. ACCUSED is co-produced by FOX Entertainment and Sony Pictures Television.

Chiklis will play Dr. Scott Corbett, a successful brain surgeon with a seemingly perfect family. He faces the limits of unconditional love when he discovers his teenage son may be planning a violent attack at school.

"Michael Chiklis and Michael Cuesta, teamed with Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa and David Shore, make a powerful combination for ACCUSED," said Michael Thorn, President of Entertainment, FOX Entertainment. "They each are synonymous with high-stakes television, engaging drama and compelling performances, striking the perfect tone required for a series of this caliber."

"We are thrilled to have Michael leading our first episode. He was the first actor we thought of when casting 'Accused.' He's been a valued member of our Sony family since 'The Shield' and we couldn't be happier to be working with him again," added Dawn Steinberg, EVP Worldwide Talent & Casting, Sony Pictures Television.

Based on the BBC's BAFTA-winning crime anthology, ACCUSED opens in a courtroom on the accused, with viewers knowing nothing about their crime or how they ended up on trial. Told from the defendant's point of view through flashbacks, ACCUSED holds a mirror up to the current times with evocative and emotional stories. In ACCUSED, viewers discover how an ordinary person gets caught up in an extraordinary situation, ultimately revealing how one wrong turn leads to another, until it's too late to turn back.

Chiklis is an Emmy and Golden Globe winner best known for his role in the acclaimed drama series "The Shield." He will next be seen in the cable drama "Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty"; and "The Senior," a football drama from Rod Lurie. Chiklis also has appeared in the films "Don't Look Up," from Adam McKay; the "Fantastic Four" franchise, in which he played "Ben Grimm/The Thing"; and in titles such as "Eagle Eye." Additional TV credits include "Coyote," FOX's "Gotham," "American Horror Story," "Vegas" and "The Commish."

Cuesta has emerged over the past decade as one of the premier directors, as he has helmed five pilots to series and has been nominated and won multiple Emmys, Golden Globes and DGA Awards. He directed some of the most iconic series in television history, including "Homeland," "Dexter," "Six Feet Under," "True Blood" and more. He recently directed episodes of "Dopesick," "City On A Hill," "The President Is Missing" and "Promised Land." Cuesta's feature films include "L.I.E.," "Kill The Messenger" and "American Assassin."

ACCUSED is co-produced by Sony Pictures Television and FOX Entertainment, and executive-produced by Howard Gordon, Alex Gansa, David Shore, Glenn Geller, Erin Gunn, All3Media America's Jacob Cohen-Holmes, and Jimmy McGovern, Sita Williams, Roxy Spencer and Louise Pedersen for All3Media International. Frank Siracusa and John Weber also serve as executive producers. Created by Jimmy McGovern, the original series debuted in 2010 on BBC One.

-FOX-