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American Crime Story

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This article is about the FX series. Not to be confused with American Crime (TV series).
American Crime Story
File:American Crime Story Season 1 Poster.jpg
Season 1 poster
GenreTrue crime
Based onThe Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin
Developed by
Starring
ComposerMac Quayle
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes5 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
ProducersChip Vucelich
John Travolta
Alexis Martin Woodall
Production locationLos Angeles, California
CinematographyNelson Cragg
EditorsAdam Penn
C. Chi-Yoon Chung
Stewart Schill
Running time41–58 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkFX
ReleaseFebruary 2, 2016 (2016-02-02) –
present

American Crime Story is an American true crime anthology television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are executive producers with Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Simpson. It premiered on the cable network FX in the United States on February 2, 2016.[1][2][3]

The first season, subtitled The People v. O. J. Simpson, presents the murder trial of O. J. Simpson, based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson.[4]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Episodes

Season 1: The People v. O. J. Simpson (2016)

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"From the Ashes of Tragedy"Ryan MurphyScott Alexander & Larry KaraszewskiFebruary 2, 2016 (2016-02-02)1WAX015.11[5]
On the night of June 12, 1994, the slaughtered bodies of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are found at the entrance of Brown's Brentwood condo, as Brown's ex-husband, NFL superstar and actor O. J. Simpson, departs Los Angeles for Chicago. District attorney Marcia Clark immediately takes the case and discovers that Simpson had beaten his ex-wife several times. Meanwhile, high-powered black attorney Johnnie Cochran challenges a fellow black attorney, Christopher Darden, for not standing up for his race in his work as a prosecutor. Simpson is questioned by police detectives and his responses are vague and do not establish a timeline for June 12, angering Clark. Robert Kardashian talks Simpson into hiring celebrity lawyer Robert Shapiro as his new attorney. Police officers then arrive to arrest Simpson for the double murder; however, he has disappeared. Kardashian, Shapiro and the police search the house before Kardashian realizes that Simpson had disappeared with Al Cowlings in the white Bronco.
2"The Run of His Life"Ryan MurphyScott Alexander & Larry KaraszewskiFebruary 9, 2016 (2016-02-09)1WAX023.89[6]
DA Gil Garcetti issues a statewide manhunt over the missing O. J. Simpson in a press conference. Robert Shapiro and Robert Kardashian fear the worst when they discover Simpson's suicide letter. Shapiro holds a press conference of his own to save face and Kardashian reads the suicide letter to the media. A driver on the LA freeway sees Simpson in the white Bronco and calls the police which leads in to the infamous, media headlining, low speed chase to Brentwood. A suicidal Simpson has Cowlings drive him to Brentwood and at first refuses to get out the car, almost killing himself then and there. Kardashian pleads with Simpson over the phone to peacefully surrender and he complies. Simpson is then charged with the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and is taken into custody.
3"The Dream Team"Anthony HemingwayD. V. DeVincentisFebruary 16, 2016 (2016-02-16)1WAX033.33[7]
With Simpson now in custody, Shapiro begins assembling his defense team, while Clark confirms to the media that he is to be prosecuted for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and that this means he is eligible for the death penalty. Clark also reveals the evidence, the glove, and the blood trail to the media, leading to most of the media (and Clark herself) to believe that the case will be an easy win. Shapiro signs F. Lee Bailey first onto the team, who recommends bringing aboard Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz mentions that they could argue that the DNA found at the crime scene could have been tampered with, and this is later made the main defense after it is revealed that the LAPD detective who found the glove that is key to the prosecution's case, Mark Fuhrman, has made racist comments frequently during his career. Deciding to go with the argument that the LAPD is systematically racist and has framed Simpson for racist reasons, Shapiro talks to a reporter from The New Yorker who publishes it as a front-page story. Simpson, after meeting with Shapiro, Bailey, and Kardashian, agrees to bring aboard Cochran as the final member of his defense team. Meanwhile, the prosecution is forced to move onto the attack for the trial after their evidence is leaked to the media and they panic over Shapiro's plan for the defense.
4"100% Not Guilty"Anthony HemingwayMaya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky and
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski		February 23, 2016 (2016-02-23)1WAX042.99[8]
Simpson's "dream team" bears down on the trial, with Robert Shapiro adopting a strategy of barricading and objecting to every motion the prosecution attempts. However, the defense suffers from dissent in the ranks, as Shapiro begins making desperate efforts to remain the lead defense attorney, despite Johnnie Cochran being clearly more qualified for the position as the defense increasingly begins to lean more on racial tension. Eventually Cochran and Kardashian stage a minor coup while Shapiro is on vacation, and convince Simpson to endorse Cochran as the lead attorney. Meanwhile, Lance Ito is called to preside over the trial, and the process of jury selection begins, with both sides seeking a racial composition favorable to their own agenda. While both Marcia Clark and Johnnie Cochran are correct that whites are biased against Simpson and black men are biased in his favor, they each have their own respective theories about why black women would be unsympathetic to him: Cochran believes they would resent Simpson for marrying a white woman, while Marcia believes they would be sympathetic to Nicole as a battered woman. However, this theorizing proves inaccurate when all potential black female jurors align with Simpson as much as their male counterparts. Clark is also forced to confront the fact that she herself is singularly uncharismatic to jurors of all demographics. Adding to the media circus surrounding the case is a book published by Faye Resnick, detailing Brown Simpson's lifestyle and relationship to Simpson and detracting more potential evidence from the trial itself. With Clark and her team realizing the case is not the easy win they thought at first, she and Garcetti decide that the only possible buffer against the charismatic and beloved Cochran is to add a black lawyer to the prosecution. She calls on Christopher Darden and he joins the team, surprising the defense team.
5"The Race Card"John SingletonJoe Robert ColeMarch 1, 2016 (2016-03-01)1WAX052.72[9]
6"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"[10]Ryan MurphyD. V. DeVincentisMarch 8, 2016 (2016-03-08)1WAX06TBA
7"Conspiracy Theories"[11]Anthony HemingwayD. V. DeVincentisMarch 15, 2016 (2016-03-15)1WAX07TBA
8"A Jury in Jail"[12]Anthony HemingwayJoe Robert ColeMarch 22, 2016 (2016-03-22)1WAX08TBA
9"Manna From Heaven"[13]Anthony HemingwayScott Alexander & Larry KaraszewskiMarch 29, 2016 (2016-03-29)1WAX09TBA

Production

Development

On October 7, 2014, it was announced that FX had ordered a ten-episode season of American Crime Story, developed/executive produced by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, while being executive produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, who co-created such series as Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story and Scream Queens. Murphy also directed the pilot episode. Other executive producers are Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.[14] Co-executive producers are Anthony Hemingway and D. V. DeVincentis. All 10 episodes are expected to be written by Alexander and Karaszewski.[4][15] The series was previously in development at Fox, but since moved to the company's sibling cable network FX.[16]

Casting

Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Sarah Paulson were the first to be cast as Simpson and Marcia Clark, respectively.[17] Subsquently, David Schwimmer was cast as Robert Kardashian.[18] In January 2015, it was reported that John Travolta had joined the cast as Robert Shapiro. He will also serve as producer.[19] In February 2015, Courtney B. Vance joined the series as Johnnie Cochran.[20] It was announced that Connie Britton would co-star as Faye Resnick, in March 2015.[21] April 2015, saw the casting of Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden;[22] and Jordana Brewster as Denise Brown.[23] and Kenneth Choi as Judge Lance Ito.[24] In May 2015, it was confirmed Selma Blair would be portraying the role of Kris Kardashian.[25] In July 2015, it was announced Nathan Lane had joined the cast as F. Lee Bailey.[26]

Filming

Principal photography for the series began on May 14, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.[23][27]

Promotion

In October 2015, FX released its first promotional trailer for The People v. O. J. Simpson, showing an Akita dog whining, walking from its residence onto a sidewalk to bark, then walking back to its residence, leaving behind bloody paw prints.[28] Later that month, another teaser was released, where the first actual footage of Travolta as Shapiro was shown. In the teaser, Shapiro is about to ask Simpson (whose face is unseen) if he is responsible for the murder of his ex-wife. Another short teaser came out, where Simpson (again unseen) is taking a lie detector test.

In November, two new teasers were released. The first shows Simpson writing his attempted suicide letter, while a voice-over by Gooding, Jr. narrates. The second has the police chasing Simpson's white Ford Bronco, while dozens of fans cheer for him.[29]

The first full trailer was released in December, along with a poster for the season. The trailer included a suicide attempt on the part of Simpson, in the childhood bedroom of Kim Kardashian, while Robert Kardashian tries to stop him.[30]

Reception

The first season of American Crime Story has received widespread acclaim from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an approval rating of 97%, based on 64 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "American Crime Story: The People v. O. J. Simpson brings top-shelf writing, directing, and acting to bear on a still-topical story while shedding further light on the facts – and provoking passionate responses along the way."[31] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[32]

Many critics have singled out many cast members for the performances, particularly Paulson and Vance.[33][34][35] Dan Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of Paulson and Vance, writing: "As Clark's discomfort grows, Paulson's collection of tics seem more and more human[...] Vance's Cochran is sometimes hilarious, but he has a dynamic range such that he's occasionally introspective and always intelligent as well."[34] Brian Lowry of Variety praised the casting of the smaller roles, particularly Connie Britton as Faye Resnick and Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey.[36]

Despite the praise for the rest of the cast, Travolta's portrayal of Shapiro has been met with negative reviews by critics. Brian Lowry of Variety called Travolta "awful in the role. Yes, Shapiro spoke in stiff, measured tones, but the actor's overly mannered line readings turn the attorney into a buffoon, in sharp contrast to the more nuanced portrayals around him."[36] Nicole Jones of Vanity Fair called his performance "campy and calculated."[37] Dan Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter also criticized his performance, calling it "a mesmerizingly bad performance from the eyebrows down." He also wrote that "His unnecessary accent varies by episode, and Travolta's laser intensity feels arch and almost kabuki at times, turning Shapiro into a terrifying character from the next American Horror Story installment, rather than a part of this ensemble."[34]

Marcia Clark praised the series and called Sarah Paulson's performance "phenomenal".[38]

Ratings

U.S. Nielsen ratings

No. Title Air date Rating/share
(18–49) 		Viewers
(millions) 		DVR
(18–49) 		DVR viewers
(millions) 		Total
(18–49) 		Live+7 Total
(millions) 		Ref
1 "From the Ashes of Tragedy" February 2, 2016 (2016-02-02) 2.0 5.11 1.6 3.86 3.6 8.97 [39] [40]
2 "The Run of His Life" February 9, 2016 (2016-02-09) 1.5 3.89 1.9 4.37 3.4 8.26 [41][42]
3 "The Dream Team" February 16, 2016 (2016-02-16) 1.3 3.33 [43]
4 "100% Not Guilty" February 23, 2016 (2016-02-23) 1.3 2.99 [44]
5 "The Race Card" March 1, 2016 (2016-03-01) 1.1 2.72 [45]

International broadcast

It premiered on BBC Two in the United Kingdom on February 15, 2016.[46]

Second season

The second season is in development.[47]

References

  1. ^ "American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson – Launch". Youtube. FX Networks.
  2. ^ Gelman, Vlada (January 18, 2015). "FX Boss Talks Ronald Reagan's Fargo Season 2 Role, The Americans' Future, Bridge Regrets and More". TVLine. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  3. ^ Daley, Megan (November 12, 2015). "FX announces premiere dates for American Crime Story and more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "FX Orders American Crime Story From American Horror Story Creator". IGN.com. October 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Welch, Alex (February 3, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' premiere soars". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  6. ^ Welch, Alex (February 10, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' leads again". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  7. ^ Welch, Alex (February 18, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' falls, 'Pretty Little Liars' rises". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  8. ^ Welch, Alex (February 24, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' stays steady". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  9. ^ Welch, Alex (March 2, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' falls". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  10. ^ "(#106) Marcia, Marcia, Marcia". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
  11. ^ "(#107) Conspiracy Theories". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
  12. ^ "(#108) A Jury in Jail". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  13. ^ "(#109) Manna From Heaven". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
  14. ^ Zuckerman, Esther (October 7, 2014). "Ryan Murphy to tackle O.J. Simpson case with 'American Crime Story'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 7, 2014). "'American Horror Story' Companion Series 'American Crime Story' From Ryan Murphy Set At FX – O.J. First Topic". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  16. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (March 20, 2013). "Fox Developing 'Shogun,' O.J. Simpson Longform Dramas". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  17. ^ "Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sarah Paulson to Star in FX's 'American Crime Story: People v. O.J. Simpson". Yahoo! News. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  18. ^ Ausiello, Michael (December 19, 2014). "David Schwimmer Joins FX's OJ-Themed American Crime Story as Robert Kardashian". TVLine. Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  19. ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (January 7, 2015). "John Travolta Lands Lead Role In FX's 'American Crime Story'". Variety. Retrieved January 8, 2015.
  20. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 5, 2015). "Courtney B. Vance Set as Johnnie Cochran in FX's 'American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2015.
  21. ^ Murphy, Ryan (March 23, 2015). "Excited to announce my friend Connie Britton will play Faye Resnick in the upcoming FX miniseries The People v. O.J. Simpson". Twitter. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 17, 2015). "Sterling K. Brown To Play Christopher Darden in "The People V. O.J. Simpson"". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
  23. ^ a b Stack, Tim (April 30, 2015). "Jordana Brewster to play Denise Brown in American Crime Story: The People V. OJ Simpson". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (April 30, 2015). "Kenneth Choi To Play Judge Ito In 'The People V. O.J. Simpson'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Selma Blair To Play Kris Jenner In 'The People V. O.J. Simpson'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  26. ^ Fleming Jr, Mike (July 13, 2015). "Nathan Lane Set As F. Lee Bailey In FX's O.J. Trial Series 'American Crime Story'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  27. ^ "John Travolta, Selma Blair, David Schwimmer And Cuba Gooding Jr. Were All Spotted On Their Way To Filming American Crime Story! They Look So Authentic!". perezhilton.com. Retrieved September 19, 2015.
  28. ^ Roy, Jessica (October 9, 2015). "American Crime Story Teaser: Meet the Most Unlikely Witnesses in the O.J. Simpson Trial". TV Guide. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
  29. ^ Stack, Tim (November 4, 2015). "American Crime Story teaser: O.J. Simpson's Bronco chase". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  30. ^ Jeremy Clymer. "American Crime Story Trailer Revisits the O.J. Simpson Trial". Screenrant.com. Retrieved 2016-02-03.
  31. ^ "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story: Season 1 (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  32. ^ "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story: Season 1 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  33. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (February 1, 2016). "Review: FX's compelling 'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story'". HitFix. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  34. ^ a b c Fienberg, Dan (January 19, 2016). "'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  35. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (February 3, 2016). "The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, review: 'expertly executed entertainment'". The Telegraph. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  36. ^ a b Lowry, Brian (January 27, 2016). "TV Review: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story'". Variety. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  37. ^ Jones, Nicole (February 2, 2016). "The People v. O.J. Simpson Recap: Episode 1 Fact Check". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  38. ^ Corinthos, Aurelie (February 3, 2016). "O.J. Simpson Prosecutor Marcia Clark Speaks Out About American Crime Story: 'For Me, It's Reliving a Nightmare'". People. Retrieved February 29, 2016.
  39. ^ Welch, Alex (February 3, 2016). "Tuesday cable ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' premiere soars". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  40. ^ Porter, Rick (February 22, 2016). "Cable Live +7 ratings: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson' premiere leads for Feb. 1-7". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  41. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/10/tuesday-cable-ratings-feb-9-2016/
  42. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/03/01/cable-live-7-ratings-feb-8-14-2016/
  43. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/18/tuesday-cable-ratings-feb-16-2016/
  44. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/02/24/tuesday-cable-ratings-feb-23-2016/
  45. ^ http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/03/02/tuesday-cable-ratings-march-1-2016/
  46. ^ Deeks, Sue (February 15, 2016). "BBC picks up American Crime Story". BBC. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  47. ^ "FX's 'American Crime Story': Season 2 Plan Revealed (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. January 6, 2016.
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