Accused

The U.S. remake of the weighty British anthology series combines crime stories inspired by actual events and courtroom procedurals to create narratives that are more emotional than insightful. Whether it be a surrogate trying to protect a baby from the parents for whom she gave birth, or a young woman so caught up in anti-racist activities that she ends up committing an awful crime, it dramatically underscores how the path to becoming a criminal defendant is neither simple nor clear-cut. The American version of Accused feels generic, unfortunately, and fails to recreate the BBC TV series' thoughtful exploration of the moral dilemmas each of the accused faced, and the decisions they made, during their complex journey to the defendant's table. But the revolving cast of veteran actors like Rachel Bilson, Abigail Breslin, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Jill Hennessy, and Michael Chiklis (just to name a few) is able to carry the series in a way that keeps it entertaining.