Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Just when you think you couldn’t possibly handle another true crime series, a visceral firestorm like American Crime Story comes along. And trust us, this could be the biggest yet — not only for our collective obsession currently fueled by Serial, The Jinx, and Making a Murderer, but also for FX, as proven by the network’s star-studded panel at Saturday’s Television Critics Association press tour.
The series, which chronicles a narrative reimagining of the crime of the 20th century, is shaping up to be the cable network’s biggest installment yet. Yes, even over American Horror Story. Even over Fargo.
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story hails from creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski along with executive producer and FX golden child, Ryan Murphy, among others. With Cuba Gooding, Jr. leading the A-list cast as the notorious football hero turned acquitted criminal, the series analyzes America’s relations with race, media, and celebrity through the events leading up to, during, and after the 1994 murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
“I think people are interested in the ways in which the justice system is broken that they haven’t always been,” says co-executive producer Brad Simpson (no relation), referencing the rise of true crime. The writers and producers, however, want to make it perfectly clear that this will be very different from Making a Murderer. “We chose not to contact anybody involved in the case. We weren’t seeking to make a docu-drama,” says co-exectuive producer Nina Jacobson. The show’s backers focused solely on the research rather gather input from those who lived it. Gooding, Jr. himself also made a point to address his choices in taking on this role. “I had no desire to visit him in his current position. As a man incarcerated…” he says. The actor suggested, however, that if the series were to go into a second season, he would be intrigued to sit down with Simpson.
In addition to Gooding, Jr., the series features Ryan Murphy’s favorite muse, Sarah Paulson as DA prosecutor Marcia Clark, David Schwimmer as Simpson’s confidante and lawyer Robert Kardashian, Selma Blair as Kris Jenner, and Courtney B. Vance as controversial attorney, Johnnie Cochran. The series also marks John Travolta’s return to TV as Simpson’s defense leader, Robert Shapiro.
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story premieres on FX and FXNOW Tuesday, February 2.
Check out all of our TCA 2016 coverage, here.
