Starring: Sterling K Brown, Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson, Cuba Gooding Jr, Bruce Greenwood, Nathan Lane, Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, John Travolta, Courtney B Vance
Genre: Biography/Crime/Drama
Created by: Scott Alexander/ Larry Karaszewski
Based on: The Run of His Life: The People v OJ Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 10
Running time: 42 minutes
In 1995, America experienced one of the most publicised trials of all time, and 20 years later, the story is being unravelled in front of us on the silver screen: the OJ Simpson murder trial. This show follows the lives of those who were involved in the case.
In the series premiere, police begin an investigation on the double homicide of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman after their bodies are found brutally attacked. When the police visit Simpson’s home following the murders, they find probable evidence for Simpson being involved in the murders. District Attorney Marcia Clark decides to charge Simpson with the murders, and Simpson’s friend Robert Kardashian decides to bring in one of the best lawyers in America, Robert Shapiro. Shapiro assembles a powerful defence team to ensure Simpson’s acquittal, including himself, Robert Kardashian, F Lee Bailey and Johnnie Cochran. The show not only focuses on the trial but it tells of the story behind the trial. It shows how the trial personally affected those involved in it, including presiding judge Lance Ito.
It might have taken 20 years to tell the story on television, but they did it justice. The show is veracious in its writing and excels stupendously in its production. The acting on its own is on a whole other level. The show’s star-laden cast delivers beyond expectations. With the likes of Cuba Gooding Jnr and John Travolta taking a hiatus from the big screen to bring some of that magic to the small screen, the cast's performance was unanimously acclaimed. They managed to re-enact the historical moments, shed light on the facts, whilst raising some thought-provoking questions in the audience's mind. The People v OJ Simpson: American Crime Story is one of the best shows of the season, and it should definitely be watched by all.
The show is based on the book
The Run of His Life: The People v OJ Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin. A second season of this anthology is in the works. It will focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.