Fargo Year Two

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Fargo Year Two' on Blogcritics.

Last year, FX’s Fargo was a standout in a great year of television. With its Minnesota accents, oodles of charm, stellar cast and guest stars, and hilarious mayhem, it provided a unique, high-quality viewing experience. It was so good, I wondered if they could possibly recapture that same magic in the second go-round, since it’s an anthology series that isn’t reusing the same cast members. Thankfully, recapture it, they did, and the second season, which only recently concluded its ten-episode run, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

For season two, the action moves to 1979. It is still in the same part of the country, and has much of the same tone, but now has a period component added in. The music, the cars, the fashion, even Ronald Reagan (Bruce Campbell, Burn Notice), help sell that image. As such, it takes the specific spirit of season one and ups the weirdness even more, with great results.

In order to reach out to existing fans, Fargo Year Two does have two characters that connect it to the freshman run, and covers a case referenced in the premiere outing. Lou Solverson is the detective on the case. Played by Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) now, he is more than two decades younger than Keith Carradine’s version of the character. (There’s a bonus feature on the disc in which Wilson and Carradine discuss the shared role, and it’s a very welcome way to bring the stories together.) Lou’s daughter, Molly, the hero of last year, is five years old in this season. She doesn’t get involved much, but it’s still gratifying to see her.

Lou is going through a tough time when this season begins. His wife, Betsy (Cristin Milioti, How I Met Your Mother), is sick and, going by what we learned last year, doesn’t have a lot of time left. Thankfully, he has a good father-in-law, Hank (Ted Danson, Bored to Death, Damages), also in law enforcement, to help him out. This trio is by and large my favorite part of this run.

Once more, Fargo also has an average, quirky citizen mixed up in murder. This time, it’s Peggy Blumquist (Kirsten Dunst, Spider-Man), a hoarder, klepto housewife, and unlike last year’s Lester, her spouse, Ed (Jesse Plemons, Breaking Bad), is not the victim. Peggy doesn’t mean to do wrong, but she’s scared when events occur outside of her control. While she doesn’t handle them as well as we’d like to think most people would, it’s hard to hate her.

What’s interesting about what happens with Peggy in the first installment, which I don’t want to give away, is that it ties into a familiar urban legend. Fargo bills itself as a ‘true crime’ story, with words on the screen at the beginning of each episode proclaiming that what you’re viewing actually happened. It didn’t; that’s part of the conceit of the show, that it’s done in the style, but is not actually real, so those words are a lie. However, tying in something that lots of people think happened will only reinforce the believability of the premise.

For villains, there’s an entire mob family led by Otto Gerhardt (Michael Hogan, Battlestar Galactica). Otto has a wife, Floyd (Jean Smart, 24), three sons, Dodd (Jeffrey Donovan, Burn Notice), Bear (Angus Sampson, Insidious), and Rye (Kieran Culkin, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), and a granddaughter, Simone (Rachel Keller, Hollidaysburg), and they have no small share of foes to compete with, including ones played by Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond), Bokeem Woodbine (Saving Grace), and Zahn McClarnon (Longmire).

The Fargo Year Two release has no shortage of interesting extras, going above and beyond what most shows are doing these days, despite its quick turn-around. I mentioned the Lou featurette already. There’s also a bit on “The Films of Ronald Reagan,” a Skip Sprang TV commercial, a two-part making of, and an extra about true crimes in the Midwest. In all, this is a lot more than the normal deleted scenes and audio commentaries, and all complement the set nicely.

Visually, Fargo is stunning. With lingering shots over desolate landscapes and a design and color palette that enhance the experience, it is worth it to shell out for the high-definition edition.

Fargo Year Two is available now

Post-Valentine's LOVE

Article first published as LOVE Review on Seat42F.

Valentine’s Day may be over, but LOVE is just getting started, with a ten-episode freshman season premiering on Netflix this month (and a second one already ordered). LOVE is in the modern genre of quirky relationship dramedy, with two main characters who are a little more neurotic and flawed than the average person, but still manage to feel somewhat authentic in their negativities. Given the heft of those involved in the production and the familiar faces that pop up, at least familiar to those into this niche product, one knows LOVE is going to be good before one even starts it.

Created by Judd Apatow (The 40 Year-Old Virgin), Lesley Arfin (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and Paul Rust (Comedy Bang! Bang!), the show stars Rust and Gillian Jacobs (Community) as Gus and Mickey, respectively. Gus is a huge nerd who ‘fakes’ nice (meaning is nice even when he shouldn’t or doesn’t feel like being) with women because that’s how he thinks he’s supposed to be, which leads to his breakup at the start. Mickey does a few too many drugs and is a little too irresponsible, though she manages to hold a job and live in a house, so isn’t too screwed up, especially once she cuts loose her dead-end boyfriend. Can they find love with one another?

The premise is slightly off. If Mickey were as flighty as she comes across, there is no way she’d be as stable as she is. And if Gus were as timid as he appears to be, he wouldn’t be living as well as he is. But I suppose one should overlook the overabundance of income and free time the characters have because it’s a conceit most TV shows and movies use in order to get to the story they want to tell without those distractions.

Focus instead on the two characters themselves. While uncomfortably awkward, they are brilliantly played with complexity and layers. There is a humanity to both that makes the audience root for them, even when they aren’t worthy of our affection. They don’t always do exactly what we expect them to do, but they do act in ways authentic to the established personalities. They are always entertaining to watch, and often witty and charming. This is the makings of a show easy to get into.

Will Gus and Mickey get into each other? The pilot of LOVE finds them in completely different places, and they could not be more incompatible. It’s logical to see the attraction they have for one another when they eventually meet (which takes awhile, the show satisfyingly setting them up as individuals before putting them together). But just because someone is attracted to another person doesn’t mean that they should be together.

Their relationship most reminds me of the lead couple in FX’s You’re the Worst. Those characters make it work, though, because they have enough commonalities to go together. Gus and Mickey don’t have much of anything to start from. Sure, they might hang out and get along OK, but they have totally different frames of reference, and while their opposing views can help the other to grow, I don’t see them ever finding enough middle ground to build a stable union on.

That’s OK, though. In movies and television, love doesn’t have to be perfect, and we don’t need to see what the couple looks like after ten years of marriage. It’s enough to follow them on their current personal journeys and witness how they impact one another in them. Should the writers choose to put them together, that would probably feel good, too, though it certainly isn’t necessary. The title of the show may be LOVE, but that’s not the most important thing going on.

LOVE’s first season is available now exclusively on Netflix.

11.22.63

Article originally published as 11.22.63 Review on Seat42F.

Hulu takes a stab at high concept drama with 11.22.63, which premiered today. Based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King, the story finds Jake Epping (James Franco, The Interview) tasked with traveling back in time through a closet to stop the assassination of JFK. Can he do it, and should he even attempt it? Those are the questions at the heart of this show.

Having seen many adaptations of King’s work, I’ve come to expect a certain tone and manner in which the shows or movies play out. There are usually washed out colors, slow stares, and a general feeling of creepiness. That is present in 11.22.63. There are also usually many scenes that would obviously be better in the book, moments in which we really need to see inside of a character’s head and can’t. Most novel adaptations compensate for this by adding scenes showing us something that telegraphs or illustrates a character’s thoughts. For some reason, those who tackle King’s work often don’t, just letting scenes play out awkwardly to stay closer to the source material. This is also present in 11.22.63.

The concept is a cool one. Besides killing Hitler, what other historical event is more often dreamed of being changed that the killing of Kennedy? If someone has a chance to give this a shot, why not try?

Well, that brings us to the thought exercise of if history should be changed. Early in the pilot, Jake says out loud that things play out for a reason. This is something many people believe, but another character, Al Templeton (Chris Cooper, American Beauty), wonders if that is true. Do people just repeat that phrase because it makes them feel better, less helpless at being unable to change the past? Or is there a wisdom to it?

There’s also the contrast between big events and small ones. Maybe saving JFK would be wrong because of the global scale of it, but maybe protecting a boy’s family might be OK. This is something the series seems to be heading towards, but isn’t to yet.

A horror movie franchise called Final Destination has explored this concept, making Death an unseen character that seeks revenge on those who seek to thwart His will. 11.22.63 echoes that idea, with Time fighting any important changes Al or Jake seek to make (though fails to satisfactorily define important). This actually makes the audience root for change to happen, even those who might think things happen the way they are supposed to, by casting the other side as malevolent, but is that the smartest approach?

I can’t help but think that 11.22.63 would be better served by pondering the moral implications of messing with history and the unknown consequences of the butterfly effect, rather than making it a good (us) vs. evil (the way things are) tale. I have not read the book version of this, and King might find a way to better cast the scenario in his written work. But as I watch 11.22.63, I feel like the show touches on something really complex and interesting, then shies away from it to tell a much simple tale. Not to mention, the origin and purpose of the time traveling closet remain a mystery unlikely to be solved.

My frustration grows when I see the cast, who may not be A-list, but includes a number of performers I enjoy. Cooper and Franco do pretty well, and glimpses of Jonny Coyne (Nightcrawler) and Josh Duhamel (Transformers) promise more to come. Some of the main players, like Cherry Jones (24) and T.R. Knight (Grey’s Anatomy) don’t even show up in the pilot, but I am curious about what role they will play.

I like 11.22.63, but I don’t love it. I’m intrigued enough to check out another episode, but not ready to set a season pass yet.

11.22.63 will premiere new episodes weekly, Mondays on Hulu.

VINYL Not as Worn as First Appears

Article first published as VINYL Review on Seat42F.

HBO’s newest drama is VINYL, which premiered its two-hour pilot last night. Set in 1970s New York, the series is about the music industry and a particular era of rock ‘n’ roll music. While the main characters are fictional, the band names and music are mostly real. Created by Martin Scorsese, Terence Winter, Mick Jagger, and Rolling Stone contributing editor Rich Cohen, its bona fides are legit.

At the center of VINYL is Richie Finestra (Bobby Cannavale, Ant-Man, Nurse Jackie), an exec trying to sell his struggling company. Richie once had a real love of music, as viewers get to see in flashbacks peppered throughout the installment, but now he’s older and settled. Married to Devon (Olivia Wilde, Rush, House), Richie seems ready to get away from the chaos and cacophony. Were he able to get back to what he loved about the art form, he might stick around, but surrounded by business crap, he’s ready to be done. If he can just make one last deal to get himself out.

Surrounding Richie is a delightful cast. Among those performers joining Bobby at the office are Ray Romano (Parenthood), Max Casella (Inside Llewyn Davis), P.J. Byrne (The Wolf of Wall Street), and Juno Temple (Maleficent). With this ensemble, I would watch just about any series they choose to do.

Despite this, though, like Winter and Scorses’s last HBO show, Boardwalk Empire, VINYL starts slow. Really slow. After hour one, I started distractedly playing games on my phone. I feel bad that I wasn’t giving the show my full attention, but it doesn’t seem like anything very interesting is happening, and that is disappointing, considering everything the series has going for it. Richie is boring and the flashbacks don’t really add anything to the present-day storyline, other than to flesh Richie out a bit. It feels tired.

However, late in the second hour, things really take a turn. Part of it is Andrew Dice Clay’s (Entourage, Blue Jasmine) character and the events surrounding him. But part of it is that who Richie truly is comes to the surface.

Richie isn’t the bland, typical personality one thinks he is at first. We see him doing drugs and lying to his wife, and it’s easy to pigeonhole him as just another blowhard in a crazy world who puts himself first and gives into his passions. Except, he’s not, and once that is realized, VINYL comes to life. Once we’re able to see that Richie really does love Devon and is trying to do right by her; once we see the pressure he is under and how much he struggles to cope with it; that’s when the series becomes unique and fresh and makes its mark.

I find myself wondering if there is anything VINYL could have done to hook viewers in sooner. I mean, the music is great from the start, and that is what first interests me, before the story starts to drag. Some of the supporting characters are also intriguing, but aren’t in it as much as Richie, and so get forgotten between scenes. But could the audience have understood Richie and his world without getting all the set up first, even if the set up didn’t play out as entertaining as it should have?

In the end, I have a hard time judging VINYL harshly, and actually want to go back and re-watch it more closely. By the credits of the premiere, I am fully on board with VINYL. It just takes awhile to get there. Had the show done a traditional single-hour kick off, it could easily have gotten skipped by me. But with the two-hour format, the program does its job and proves itself. If you tuned out early, go back and give it another chance. It’s worth it.

VINYL airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.

Girls: The Complete Fourth Season

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Girls: The Complete Fourth Season' on Blogcritics.

HBO’s stylistically unique Girls will be back for a fifth season starting February 21. It’s apropos then that the Blu-ray of last year’s run hit stores days before on February 16. Girls: The Complete Fourth Season is available on Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming.

The Complete Fourth Season was a time of great transition for the group. Hannah (Lena Dunham) leaves the Big Apple and heads to grad school in Iowa, and a secret about her father comes out, rocking Hannah’s world. Marnie (Allison Williams) has an affair with a married man, Desi (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), as her music profile rises. Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has trouble locking down a career now that she’s out of school, finding the world less conquerable than she assumed it to be. Jessa (Jemima Kirke), well, she goes through a few things, mucking up others’ lives in the process, but that’s about par for the course for her.

What surprises me is how little Girls changes as all of these new things happen, especially with Hannah’s sojurn from New York. I guess a lot of Girls has always been segmented, with the four main characters often off on their own, only crossing paths at key points in the story or pairing up for small arcs. In that way, even with Hannah geographically isolated, the narrative can continue in much the same way it always has, with Hannah eventually making her way back to everyone else, as viewers always knew she would.

A lot of Girls is about staying the same. While Marnie, Jessa, and Hannah are trying to embark on new things, they are their own worst enemies and soon find themselves back to where they started, more or less. Adam (Adam Driver) is much the same, trying to break away from Hannah, but doomed to be in a vicious, unhealthy circle with her. Their personalities do not allow them to truly, fully commit to something new, choosing the familiar but inappropriate times, and not growing as much as they’d like to think they do.

The exception to this rule is Shoshanna. Shosh is the optimist, the cheery ray on sunshine. And she can get away with that for awhile because she’s in the isolated world of college, where anything seems possible. After graduation, though, she’s smacked in the face with reality. She tries to live in denial of it, as the other characters constantly do, but she finds it hard to do so. Will she become bitter or fall back into unworkable patterns? Or will she find a totally new self within her soul, and chart a path that none of her friends have managed to do? The possibility of her escaping is the most intriguing concept of all, when the others probably won’t.

Which is not a complaint about Girls at all. This show has a definitive style and tone that no other series does. It’s authentic and realistic in ways no one expected it to be at the start, and it shows some of the worst traps young people fall into these days. It’s the voice of its age, and no matter how much one despises Hannah sometimes, one should never forget Dunham has broken new ground to bring us this impressive program.

The best reason to buy this collection on Blu-ray instead of DVD is because the former comes with digital copies of the episodes, which seems to be more and more important for portability and flexibility in rewatching. There are also a couple of songs from the season, some deleted and extended scenes, a pair of gag reels, and a making of featurette. Toss in some recaps and audio commentaries, and I find it myself pretty satisfied with the variety of extras provided.

Girls: The Complete Fourth Season was released to home video on February 21, 2016.

Blu-ray Review: 'Togetherness: The Complete First Season'

Article first published as Blu-ray Review: 'Togetherness: The Complete First Season' on Blogcritics.

HBO is releasing the freshman run of its indie dramedy next week, Togetherness. Telling the story of four people who are adults but haven’t yet figured out how to be effective grownups yet, it’s a poignant, real look at today’s 30-somethings. It’s hard to follow dreams and still have a stable life and family, but these people are trying, sometimes with hilarious results.

Togetherness feels like an indie film stretched out into eight installments. That’s not surprising, since it comes from indie directors Jay and Mark Duplass (Cyrus). The characters are quirky and complex, as one would expect from the genre, and the situations they get into are grounded and depressing, also in keeping with the style. The humor is often at the expense of the characters, but occasionally there are bright spots for them to keep the whole thing from getting dreary. All together, it makes for an enjoyable show that will leave you pondering your own choices and existence.

The casting of Togetherness is excellent. Mark Duplass (The League, Safety Not Guaranteed) stars as Brett, a man approaching forty who is stressed out by his job, not finding it fulfilling, and having trouble connecting with his wife, Michelle (Melanie Lynskey, Two and a Half Men, Up in the Air). Michelle, for her part, is feeling stuck as a housewife, and seeking her own outlet. Both love one another, but aren’t always sure how to show it, nor have the energy to work on their union. It’s a realistic look at a marriage struggling through the pressures of young children and long working hours.

The second half of the group is made up of Alex (Steve Zissis, Her) and Tina (Amanda Peet, The Good Wife, The Way Way Back), who make Brett and Michelle look totally put together. Despite being roughly the same age as the couple above, neither Alex nor Tina have managed to make a relationship or a career work. Tina is Michelle’s sister and Alex is Brett’s best friend, and after some rough periods, both vie for couch spots in Brett and Michelle’s home. Yet, neither necessarily take their circumstances as the wake up call they need.

Of course, Togetherness being what it is, they can all learn from one another. Alex and Tina know how to take risks, even if they don’t always pay off. Brett and Michelle can teach the other two about stability, even if they aren’t quite sure how to make it work for them. Somewhere in between these varied personalities lies the ideal, but I am perfectly content to watch them struggle with finding it, constantly falling short, but growing in fits and spurts along the way.

Besides the eight half-hour installments, this release contains a handful of bonus features. There are deleted scenes, of course. The Duplass brothers talk about each of the characters and their individual paths, which is interesting, hearing from the creators behind the show. The included interviews and behind-the-scenes stuff with Peet and Zissis is funnier, though doesn’t teach us a whole lot. It’s a small number of extras, but given the size of the season and the content of what is included, seems appropriate.

Admittedly, you might not need to spend the money for the blu-ray version of this. Part of the charm of the series is its imperfections, so it might actually make for a better feel to view it in standard definition DVD. However, I am of the opinion that film should be watched in the highest quality available, and considering Togetherness was filmed and aired in HD, I would recommend the Blu-ray. Plus, the Blu-ray includes a digital copy of the series; the DVD does not.

Togetherness will be available beginning February 16th wherever Blu-rays and DVDs are sold.

HORACE AND PETE

Article first published as TV Review: 'Horace and Pete' on Blogcritics.

 

With little fanfare and no prior announcement, Louis C.K. dropped a new television series on the world two weeks ago called Horace and Pete. Set in a bar run for a century by various related Horaces and Petes, the current owners struggle to keep the doors open and fend off a left-out family member. Is this the end of the establishment, or simply the regular challenges that occur regularly over the course of a lifetime?

The story is simple enough. Horace VII passed away a year ago, so now the bar has fallen under the care of Horace VIII (Louis C.K.), an accountant, and his medicated brother, Pete (Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire). When their sister, Sylvia (Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie) brings a lawyer (Stephen Wallem, Nurse Jackie) in to assert ownership, the politically incorrect previous Pete, known as Uncle Pete (Alan Alda, M*A*S*H), tells the storied history of the place and defends the status quo.

One wants the status quo defended, as the titular drinking hole is a universe unto itself, removed from the city outside. Its regulars, including Horace VII’s last girlfriend, Marsha (Jessica Lange, American Horror Story), Leon (Steven Wright, Reservoir Dogs), and Kurt (Kurt Metzger, Ugly Americans), may enjoy debating current events, but it’s hard to imagine them discussing such things anywhere else. Those that come in less often, such as Horace’s daughter, Alice (Aidy Bryant, Saturday Night Live), and a few hipsters looking for an experience, don’t understand.

Horace and Pete can be humorous, but it’s not a comedy. It’s much darker than Louie and there is a sadness that permeates the proceedings. It’s thoroughly enjoyably, beautiful, and stylistic, but it’s not laugh-out-loud funny, and at times, it’s downright depressing. It’s the natural extension of what Louis C.K. has done before, deepening the pathos.

Calling Horace and Pete a television show stretches the definition of that term. True, I did watch it on my television (by buying the episode from C.K.’s website, downloading it to my laptop, then transferring it to my TiVo, where it still looks fantastic in 55 inches), but it does not broadcast on any station, nor is it available via streaming services like Netflix and Amazon. Instead, as he has done with recent stand-up specials, C.K. controls the experience, providing a single portal through which to get it, giving him total control over the presentation, and allowing him to release the first one while still filming the second.

Some may balk at the $5 price for episode one, when most buy-alone shows are $2.99 (for high definition) per episode. C.K. has pledged to sell the second installment for $2 and subsequent ones for $3, so it’s only the pilot, which clocks in at an extra-long 67 minutes, that costs a little more. But it’s totally worth it.

What the viewers get with Horace and Pete isn’t just a show, it’s an experience. The drama feels like a Broadway play. Filmed multi-camera with no background score, there’s a constant white noise one would expect when watching a recording from a theatre. The cast is top-notch and very New York, lending to the impression of a live performance. The script is by C.K., and while most of the dialogue could easily come from his FX comedy series, Louie, by giving his words out to a varied ensemble and delivering them in the right manner, they become the lyrics of a playwright, not sitcom fodder.

None of this avant-garde art is totally unexpected for C.K. Perhaps this specific format is not what one would have predicted, but it’s been a long time since he’s allowed himself to be defined by convention. C.K. is constantly pushing boundaries and doing something no one else has before, if only because of a clever bend. Horace and Pete is that from beginning to end.

THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY

Article originally published as THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY Review on Seat42F.

American Horror Story is FX’s most popular program, so it’s no surprise that the network has doubled down on the creative team, ordering a second series by them, AMERICAN CRIME STORY. The official title of the first season, premiering tomorrow, is THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY, which is a bit longer than it probably should be. That’s not the only thing that’s different from the Horror franchise, though, which typically only allows one or two words beside its core moniker.

The biggest change is the level of quality present. While American Horror Story is extremely artistic and surreal, with the style and tone of the piece being as much of a draw as the story, AMERICAN CRIME STORY is much more grounded in reality, to its detriment. Though, Murphy and company managed to maintain an excellent product when delivering The Normal Heart for HBO, so pulling the new series away from the fantasy realm can’t fully excuse the jolting adjustment.

AMERICAN CRIME STORY, rather than being in the Murphy vein, is very much a true crime story. This is in vogue right now, with Serial being a hugely successful podcast and Making a Murderer getting lots of attention over at Netflix. The network’s own Fargo qualifies as one of these, too, though is more hyper-realistic, so doesn’t have the same limitations as this series, which has the added challenge of telling a story practically everyone is at least a little familiar with.

The crux of this series will be in showing the human side of the tale, getting into the emotional state of those involved and making a compelling character study, which is where it is best. There are a number of intriguing personalities involved in this case. It takes about a full hour of THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY for the audience to get used to this new format, and for the story to get to that all-important element. This means, perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, that the series begins slow, then picks up quickly thereafter.

Hour two is what hooks me. Featuring remarkable performances by both Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire) as O.J. Simpson and David Schwimmer (Friends) as Robert Kadashian, this is where THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY figures out what it needs to be. Sure, there’s the spectacle of the case, and that does come through. But taking us behind the spectacle, to the parts at-home watchers weren’t privy to the first time around, it is where things really soar.

There is no shortage of performers poised to follow up those brilliant moments of the second installment, giving me hope that the rest of the season will be just as good. From Sarah Paulson (American Horror Story) as Marcia Clark, to Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek) as Gil Garcetti, to Christopher Darden (Army Wives) as Sterling K. Brown, to Christian Clemenson (Boston Legal) as Bill Hodgman, and, of course, Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order: Criminal Intent) as Johnnie Cochran, the casting is terrific. And I haven’t even seen the great Nathan Lane (The Producers), credited as a main player, yet! Plus, there are a host of terrific guest stars lining up, a few of which already appear early on.

The one possible weak link is John Travolta (Grease, Hairspray), who is playing Robert Shapiro. I say possible because, quickly reviewing some clips of the actual Shaprio, I’m not sure Travolta’s choices are all that far off from who he’s supposed to be. And yet, there’s something so plastic about his Shapiro that I’m not convinced he’s doing his best. Travolta has oodles of talent, but it’s been awhile since he’s really shone. It will be interesting to see if he rises to the level of his co-stars, or continues is professional descent.

The second thing, besides character, that AMERICAN CRIME STORY does well is to tell the story in context. No, I’m not talking about how this trial gave birth to the Kadashian infestation in the public spotlight, though that certainly is a regrettable consequence. Instead, I’m speaking of race relations in Los Angeles at the time, which plays a very big role in what motivates a number of character decisions. Some of the early mistakes made by the prosecution and law enforcement seem to be related to combating negative images brought about after the Rodney King riots, making context very relevant.

So, even if Travolta never really steps up, there verdict is likely to be positive on THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY. There is so much going right here that it can likely overcome a few minor missteps with ease. Just give it an hour to get its footing first.

THE PEOPLE V. O.J. SIMPSON: AMERICAN CRIME STORY premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. on FX.