New FX Series Goes Behind-The-Scenes of the O.J. Simpson Trial

It’s been two decades since virtually every household television was tuned in to the O.J. Simpson trial on a daily basis. I was a middle schooler around that time, and my parents always had a hard-and-fast “no TV” rule during family dinner – except when it came to the “trial of the century.” The case consumed the nation, not to mention it kept afloat sketch comedy programs like Saturday Night Live and Mad TV throughout the mid-90s.

For all intents and purpose, the O.J. trial was our first exposure to the 24-hour news cycle that is now commonplace. And given recent headlines regarding police and race, now would seem as good a time as ever to revisit the events leading up to the not guilty verdict that was handed down on Oct. 3, 1995.

More than 20 years later, FX Networks is tapping back into that widespread interest, and right back into America’s racial divide, when it launches the first season of its new true crime anthology, American Crime Story. Season One, The People v. O.J. Simpson, premieres Tuesday at 10 P.M. and takes viewers from the 1994 arrest, through the year-long trial and eventual acquittal of, for years, the nation’s most beloved sports hero-turned-TV personality.

Here’s the trailer, and the first look at the series:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2-vm-L_dk4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTXovOaVQqE

And here’s how FX describes the series:

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story is a limited series that takes you inside the O.J. Simpson trial with a riveting look at the legal teams battling to convict or acquit the football legend of double homicide. Based on the book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin, it explores the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, and how a combination of prosecution overconfidence, defense shrewdness, and the LAPD’s history with the city’s African-American community gave a jury what it needed: reasonable doubt.

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski are the creators/head writers and executive producers alongside director Ryan Murphy. Alexander and Karaszewski adapted the story from Toobin’s book, and even brought on Toobin as a consultant on the FX project. Of course, plenty of attention has focused on the all-star cast, led by Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson, John Travolta (producer) as Robert Shapiro, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian, and more.

“The show is about race in America,” said Alexander. “It’s about how problems between police and black Americans never really go away. The O.J. case has always remained of interest but it feels more ripped from the headlines now than ever.”

Let us know your thoughts on the upcoming series. Will you be watching?