FX premiered its new show “American Crime Story” on Wednesday to eager viewers. The show, created by “American Horror Story” creator and exective producer Ryan Murphy, covers the trial of football player O.J. Simpson for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
The premiere begins on the night of June 12, 1994, when the bodies of the victims were found. Simpson, Nicole’s ex-husband, is then arrested and questioned for the murders before hiring a strong team of lawyers, including Robert Shapiro and Robert Kardashian. The episode ends with a suicidal Simpson taking off in the infamous Bronco.
While the world already knows the outcome of the case, the television depiction makes viewers eager to know what will happen next. After all, Murphy promised an accurate look at what was happening outside of the courtroom.
The show features an all-star cast, with John Travolta as Shapiro in his return to television and Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark. David Schwimmer plays an eager-to-please Kardashian and Courtney B. Vance is the ruthless lawyer Johnnie Cochran.
The weakest link in the cast was Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson. His portrayal of the ex-football player was so over-the-top, to the point of near ridiculousness. While no one outside of friends, family and lawyers knows what he was like behind the scenes, it is a little hard to believe that this was his personality.
The episode was a wonderful lead-up to next week’s portrayal of the car chase in which fans and family begged Simpson to give himself up. The writing is some of Murphy’s finest, which is a common theme for first seasons of his shows.
According to “Variety,” the premiere brought in a record 5.11 million viewers on the first night alone. It is a wonder if viewership will stay this high, which is likely since this is one of the most talked-about shows in 2016.
“American Crime Story” airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. on FX.
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