Accused has returned for a second season on Fox. The show, which was created by Howard Gordon, is based on the British anthology show of the same name that ran for two seasons from 2010 through 2012. Each episode features a new cast and is set in a different city, following a court case exploring an unusual crime. The cast of season 1 included Michael Chiklis, Abigail Breslin, Rachel Bilson, Whitney Cummings, and Jason Ritter, while season 2 features Felicity Huffman, William H. Macy, and Taylor Schilling, as well as Michael Chiklis in a new role.

In September 2024, Screen Rant was invited to visit the set of Accused season 2 in Ontario, Canada. The cast and crew were in the middle of a nine-day shoot for "Eugene's Story". The episode, which is set in Newton, Massachusetts and was directed by Michael Chiklis, follows Eugene Park (Ken Jeong), a kind-hearted jewelry store owner who is married to a younger woman, Grace (Jamie Chung), whose past comes back to haunt her in a story that examines the repercussions of taking the law into one's own hands.

The Characters And Tragedy Of "Eugene's Story"

One of the most unique elements of "Eugene's Story" is the fact that it has given comedy star Ken Jeong his first lead dramatic role of his 27-year onscreen career. He shared insight into how he has worked to shape his new character, revealing that it is not different at all from how he approaches a comedy role. In any genre, when crafting a character, he searches for "relatability," asking "what is a common ground I have with this character?" in order to "tap into something you can really relate to and dig in."

While Jeong says "it was an easy fit," he did reveal that he needed to decompress after shooting his more intense scenes. This is a process that includes "joking around" with the cast and crew after leaving the set. However, he reveals that he needs to decompress on comedy shoots too, particularly after "working long hours on Community." Ultimately, whether he is performing in a drama or a comedy, Jeong says that "I consider myself an actor first and foremost."

"Eugene's Story" also stars Vicki Kim, Keong Sim, and Zane Holtz, who were not present on the day of the set visit.

Jeong's co-star Jamie Chung is much more familiar with drama, having appeared in a variety of genres over the course of her career, which includes roles in Lovecraft Country, Gotham, and Dexter: New Blood. Chiklis described the story as "tragic," and much of that tragedy is driven by her character Grace's actions. Though she has found religion and turned her life around, Chung says that Grace's past involvement in a man's murder sees her grappling with "this cloud of sadness that doesn't ever seem to leave her" and protecting her family "by not telling them her whole truth."

The Crew Behind "Eugene's Story" And Accused Season 2

Season 2 Features The Return Of Accused Director And Star Michael Chiklis

Michael Chiklis in The Shield with sunglasses on

Michael Chiklis, the star of FX's The Shield who led the premiere episode of Accused in addition to directing a later episode, has returned for a pair of episodes in season 2, one in which he stars, and "Eugene's Story," which he directed. Although the episode was written with Ken Jeong in mind before Chiklis was brought on, Chiklis cast Jamie Chung thanks to their strong working relationship as co-stars on Gotham and the indie movie 1985, not realizing that Chung and Jeong were already friends after working together on two of the Hangover movies.

Although he still intends to continue his work as an actor, Chiklis says that the "fourth quarter" of his career will feature a lot more directing as well, beginning with his episodes from Accused seasons 1 and 2. After learning a lot about every department as an actor, he is excited that his job as a director is to "[let] talented people be talented" and shepherd every department in order to tell the story in the best possible way. Read his full quote on the topic below:

The fourth quarter is gonna have a lot of directing in it because I've spent my whole life telling stories and in front of the camera and I've learned a tremendous amount about all departments and I really have a love and appreciation of all departments... As a director you're the filter... The buck stops with you... It's about letting talented people be talented... You get to guide it, but oftentimes these people come to you and eclipse whatever you imagined.

Creator-showrunner Howard Gordon and co-showrunner Daniel Pearle (who was promoted to the position after being brought on as a writer on season 1) also offered an expanded look at the new season. The show, which was originally cancelled after season 1 before being picked up again after a day or so, is still dedicated to telling complicated crime stories featuring some of the most pertinent legal and ethical questions of the modern day. However, they also reflected on having decided to take big swings with season 2.

One such swing was Chiklis returning in an entirely new role as a wrestling coach. Gordon says that "we wanted to test what it would be like to repeat cast" and that "hopefully this happens for a couple more years and we can bring back [other stars]." However, what is perhaps their most daring choice this season is that the season finale will be an episode that explores "what happens if you fall in love with AI?," per Gordon, and is set a Black Mirror-style near future.

A Behind-The-Scenes Look At The Accused Set

The Accused Soundstage Is A Versatile Location

Part of the visit was a tour of the sets that were not currently in use, which were all located on a huge, interconnected series of soundstages where Apple TV+'s Pachinko was also filmed before Accused took over the space. Read Chiklis' description of the in-use sets, as well as his praise of the crew who put them together, below:

Let me speak to the crew for a second because five days ago in that studio, it was empty, and all of a sudden now there's a house and a motel. And inside of it... you feel like you're in a house that's been lived in... [The actors and directors] get a lot of attention [but] man, this group of people.

In addition to shooting "Eugene's Story," they were in the middle of doing pickups on episode 3 in one of the two courtroom sets. The soundstages house both a "traditional courtroom" and a "modern courtroom" that are redressed as needed to appear as if they are located in whatever city in which the story of episode takes place. Similarly, they have stages used to represent larger and smaller homes, depending on the lifestyles of the characters at the center of each story.

Also on site is a prop room with a massive collection of items in various bins with labels announcing everything from "Toy Dolls" to "Coke Bricks." At the time, they were prepping for the season finale, so the props that were laid out on various tables included faux sushi and what looked like bionic eyeballs. There were also designs for a pod from which it seemed a robot might emerge. As proved by this visit, the set of Accused is as versatile as the show itself, allowing its creators to bring as many disparate stories to life as possible.

"Eugene's Story" airs on Fox on December 3 at 9:00 p.m. ET as part of Accused season 2's two-episode finale.