Richard Dreyfuss as Arlen Cox
Richard Dreyfuss teased his role as Arlen Cox on the new FOX series “Shots Fired” during his recent appearance on NBC’s “Today.” Fred Norris/FOX

Tonight’s Season 1, episode 2 of “Shots Fired” will introduce Richard Dreyfuss’ character named Arlen Cox.

During a recent appearance on NBC’s “Today,” Dreyfuss said that Arlen is a white real estate mogul who builds private prisons. “This guy that I play is privatizing something, and that’s a toxic plague in America right now,” the Oscar winner said of his role on the racially charged FOX series.

In a sneak peek from the episode, Arlen pitches a massive private prison to the city’s high rollers. “Here we have a state of the art hospital on site, and here we have a farm,” Arlen tells the city’s wealthiest residents as he presents the miniature version of the detention center he plans to put up. “This facility will hold one of the best high school, college and trade schools in this region. Our prisoners will not leave here recriminalized. They will leave here revitalized.”

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In the interview, Dreyfuss revealed what drew him to the series. “When I first met [showrunners] Reggie and Gina [Bythewood], Reggie said that he wanted to make a show that had no villains and had no heroes, but a show about cops shooting kids, both colors, and I thought that would be a good trick. And he has pulled it off because your sympathies really shift from person to person … and that really does allow for very different discussion.”

In addition to Dreyfuss’ debut appearance as Arlen, tonight’s episode — according to the installment’s synopsis — also sees Ashe (Sanaa Lathan) and Preston (Stephan James) facing a new challenge in the investigation of Jesse Carr’s (Jacob Leinbach) death after a controversial video featuring Jesse’s shooter, Officer Beck (Tristan Mack Wilds), leaks.

Meanwhile, in Joey Campbell’s (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) murder case, suspicions rise around Pastor Janae (Aisha Hinds) when it’s revealed that she had a run-in with the victim before he was killed. Also, Ashe and Preston find out that a witness to Joey’s murder goes missing.

“Shots Fired” Season 1, episode 2, titled “Hour Two: Betrayal of Trust,” airs tonight at 8 p.m. EST on FOX. Watch the trailer for the episode and Dreyfuss’ interview on “Today” below:

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