From executive producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, creators of “American Horror Story” and “Scream Queens,” comes the all new FX limited television series “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
Similar to its sister show “American Horror Story,” “American Crime Story” is set to be an anthology series which will feature a different story every year. Its first season is based on the book “The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson” by Jeffery Toobin and focuses on the infamous arrest and trial of star athlete O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her boyfriend, Ronald Goldman.
“The People v. O.J. Simpson” stars an array of well-known actors and actresses to make up the famous faces of the televised trial. Cuba Gooding Jr. portrays alleged killer O.J. Simpson. Known for his work in films “Jerry Maguire,” “As Good as it Gets” and “Men of Honor,” Gooding nails the stony exterior of “The Juice,” making it unclear if he is a grieving ex-husband or a cold-blooded murderer.
John Travolta plays Robert Shapiro, a big-time lawyer who heads up Simpson’s defense dream team. Hardly recognizable by fans of “Grease,” “Saturday Night Fever” and “Hairspray,” Travolta leaves the singing and dancing out of this one and instead explores his serious, gritty side.
Next, David Schwimmer of “Friends” takes on the persona of attorney Robert Kardashian, a close friend of O.J.’s who also joins Simpson’s defense team.
Then never one to back down from a Ryan Murphy challenge, Sarah Paulson steps flawlessly into the role of prosecutor Marcia Clark. “American Horror Story” has proven time and time again that Paulson is capable of conquering any part producers throw her way, and she fits into this 90’s courtroom drama like the last piece of a picture-perfect puzzle.
“The People v. O.J. Simpson” also co-stars Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, Selma Blair as Kris Jenner, Connie Britton as Faye Resnick and Kelly Dowdle as Nicole Brown Simpson. The show’s pilot episode, “From the Ashes of Tragedy,” premiered on Feb. 2 to a viewership of over 5 million people across the country. On top of being an executive producer on the show, Ryan Murphy also directed the debut episode.
“Our position with the show was, we were interested in telling you things you didn’t know,” said Murphy in a recent interview with Variety magazine. “Because we all know that case has been such a part of the culture and has been for so long.”
The series premiere begins with the discovery of the victims’ bodies and the crime scene investigation and leads up to Simpson becoming the prime suspect on the case. As Marcia Clark narrows in with her accusations and pushes for an arrest warrant, Simpson and his dream team plan their defense strategy.
But when the police finally come for him, Simpson is nowhere to be found until the scene switches to the last shot of the hour long episode in which O.J. can be seen racing away in his white Ford Bronco. And all this excitement takes place before the trial even begins. New episodes of “The People v. O.J. Simpson” air on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.
