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.
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