Game Of Thrones Star's New Netflix Show Revives A Complaint From Their 2-Season Prime Video Thriller

Published Nov 7, 2026, 4:46 PM EST Mary Kassel is a Senior Writer & Critic who joined the Screen Rant team in 2023. After graduating from Emerson College with a degree in Media Arts Production, Kassel started at Screen Rant with a focus on the critical analysis side of movies and television while continuing to work on set in film production. At Screen Rant, Kassel primarily writes for the Classic TV section, mining their encyclopedic knowledge of television history for content. However, they also contribute to the Books team and review both film and television as a critic. It's never easy to break out of a franchise like Game of Thrones, and many of the fantasy series' most prominent stars have worked hard to take roles that separate them from the world of Westeros. Richard Madden had no trouble slipping into his character in Game of Thrones. However, Madden is excellent in his other TV shows like Netflix's Bodyguard, which helped him shed some of the associations audiences had with him and his most prominent role in Game of Thrones. As Robb Stark in Game of Thrones, Madden captured the attention of viewers everywhere, and in the years since, he's been committed to thrilling, action-oriented series like Citadel, Bodyguard​​​​​, and more. However, this doesn't mean that there haven't been concerns raised about his performances, particularly his accent work. After Prime Video's espionage series premiered, many viewers and critics were quick to point out Madden's less-than-perfect American accent. Unfortunately, it looks like these complaints aren't over, as the trailer for Madden's latest TV show reveals he might be facing the same backlash. Trinity is Madden's upcoming project that is shaping up to be his next great thriller. However, Netflix and Madden might need to prepare for reactions to Madden's character and his accent when the series premieres. Richard Madden's American Accent In Trinity Is A Little Distracting (Again) The trailer for Trinity dropped on November 4th, 2026, and early reactions to Netflix's new thriller include comments on Madden's American accent. It's somewhat surprising that Madden decided to take on a role that required an American accent again after the reaction to his work in Citadel. While it's not easy to do any accent perfectly, it can be a problem if the accent sticks out so much that native speakers have a difficult time watching the show without feeling like they've been taken out of the action. By no means is Madden's accent horrible, but like in Citadel​​​​​​, it's hard not to notice that something about him and his character isn't quite right. It's possible that his accent sticks out not because it's poorly done, but because we're so used to hearing him with a British or Scottish accent. When Madden speaks with an American accent, it's jarring because viewers are so familiar with him and associate him so deeply with roles like Robb, who used a British accent. There's a lot to be excited about with Trinity outside of Madden's accent and performance, and we're not going to let a slightly distracting way of speaking keep us from watching Netflix's upcoming show. Madden plays Secretary of Defense Webb Preston, with Gugu Mbatha-Raw co-starring as Commander Katherine Decker. Though the trailer doesn't reveal too much about the plot, it's safe to say it will have viewers on the edge of their seats. Madden and series creator Jed Mercurio worked together on Bodyguard, so their reunion is bound to feature some twists. Trinity Won't Be Able To Repeat Citadel's Accent Twist ©Amazon / Courtesy Everett Collection Though Citadel didn't have a very positive critical or audience reception, the way the TV show worked around Madden's American accent was clever. In Citadel season 1, it was revealed that Madden's character, Mason Kane​​​​​​​ / Kyle Conroy, wasn't actually American, and that his accent had been fake the whole time. Though many responses to Madden's American accent were a bit extreme, as the accent was far from the worst audiences have heard, Citadel successfully made this a story choice, not a mistake. However, Citadel made Madden's accent a plot point in a way that Trinity won't be able to pull off. Since Citadel already made Madden's accent "bad" on purpose, it would be too predictable, as well as a blatant recycling of another show's plot, to use this trope again. If the Trinity trailer alone is sparking discussion surrounding Madden's accent, it will be interesting to see how the coming show tackles what could be a major distraction for viewers. Trinity premieres on Netflix on December 1st, 2026. Release Date December 1, 2026 Network Netflix Directors Michael Cuesta Cast Richard Madden Secretary of Defense Webb Preston Commander Katherine Decker Marcia Gay Harden Margaret Vandenburg J. D. Pardo Lt. Cmdr. Tom Reyes