‘Almost Family’ Canceled at FOX Just After Timothy Hutton Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teenager

Fox canceled the low-rated series Almost Family, starring Timothy Hutton and Brittany Snow. The series was based on the Australian series Sisters, about a group of women who discover they all have the same father, a fertility doctor. On Monday, Hutton was publicly accused of raping a woman in 1983, when the woman was 14 years old.

A source told The Wrap the show was canceled. Fox and Universal Television, which produced the show, have not commented, so it is not clear if the show was canceled because of low ratings or due to the allegations against Hutton.

Almost Family finished its 13-episode first season on Saturday, Feb. 22. The show never earned strong ratings, earning just 820,000 live viewers for the series finale.

The series starred Hutton as Dr. Leon Bechley, who is put on trial after it is discovered he used his own sperm to help conceive 100 children during his career. Snow, Megalyn Echikunwoke and Emily Osment unite after learning they are really half-siblings. The show was developed by Annie Weisman.

On Monday, BuzzFeed News published an interview with Sera Johnston, who claimed she was sexually assaulted by Hutton and a friend of the actor in a Vancouver hotel room in 1983. At the time, Hutton and his friend were in their 20s and Johnston was 14.

Hutton denied the allegations through a statement from his lawyer. He “completely and unequivocally denies” the allegations, and “will not spend one more minute dignifying these allegations as they are patently false and designed only to extort money from him.” Hutton’s attorney claims Johnston “provided salacious, heinous, and graphic details of this made-up sexual encounter that supposedly occurred 36 years ago” and claimed there was no evidence to back the story up.

Hutton’s team told BuzzFeed Johnston did not bring up the allegations until 2017, and went to a lawyer about a financial settlement before going to police. They said the two sides agreed to a $135,000 settlement, but Johnston did not sign because the amount was far less than the $1.5 million her lawyer sought. Johnston said she did not sign because the agreement included Hutton denying the allegations.

Hutton began his career in the late 1970s and became the youngest Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner when he won for 1980’s Ordinary People. He recently starred in How to Get Away with Murder, The Haunting of Hill House and All The Money in the World.

Photo credit: FOX via Getty Images