Television executives apologized to viewers of the ABC crime drama “Quantico” on Friday after coming under fire over a recent episode that portrayed Indian extremists…
Television executives apologized to viewers of the ABC crime drama “Quantico” on Friday after coming under fire over a recent episode that portrayed Indian extremists attempting to frame Pakistan for a terrorist plot.
“ABC Studios and the executive producers of ‘Quantico’ would like to extend an apology to our audience who were offended by the most recent episode, ‘The Blood of Romeo,’” an ABC spokesperson said in a statement.
“‘Quantico’ is a work of fiction. The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue. It was certainly not our intention to offend anyone,” the statement said.
Currently in its third and final season, “Quantico” faced a firestorm of criticism after the episode aired June 1, particularly from viewers outraged by the involvement of Priyanka Chopra, a former Bollywood actress who appeared in several acclaimed movies released in India prior to staring in the ABC series beginning in 2015.
“The myth of Hindu terror, by a fake story, enters American television with the help of Priyanka Chopra,” Hindu scholar David Frawley tweeted this week. “Would any Pakistani actress betray Pakistan or Islam the way she betrays India and Hinduism?” he asked his Twitter followers in a post subsequently retweeted over 3,000 times.
ABC defended the actress in a statement apologizing for the episode.
“The episode has stirred a lot of emotion, much of which is unfairly aimed at Priyanka Chopra, who didn’t create the show, nor does she write or direct it. She has no involvement in the casting of the show or the storylines depicted in the series,” the statement said.
Ms. Chopra, 35, has not yet commented publicly on the episode.
