Millions of Americans appear to be mesmerized by the trial of Casey Anthony, the young Florida woman mom whose daughter vanished three summers ago, says Time. The magazine says mothers, in particular, have a “surreal interest” in the case, which is commanding hefty viewership numbers. Hundreds of people have jockeyed for front-row seats to the trial, and millions of others have tuned in to the television coverage. Whether they’re just catching snatches of testimony or blocking out their days to tune in to the proceedings, nothing else on TV, not sporting events, soap operas or Oprah re-runs, can compete.
“Short of O.J. Simpson, I have not come across a case with the level of mystery, intrigue and outrage that Ms. Anthony’s story offers,” Ashleigh Banfield, who is covering the trial for ABC News, told TVNewser. What fascinates is how the case has upended family allegiances. It’s Anthony’s own mother, Cindy, who first fingered Anthony as a possible suspect; Cindy was the one who alerted police that Caylee was missing and complained that Anthony’s car smelled like human remains. CNN’s crime diva, Nancy Grace, attributes the allure to the cast of characters. “This trial plays out like a classic Greek tragedy with the love and hate dynamics between grandmother, mother and daughter,” Grace said.