The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
The first season of American Crime Story, titled The People v. O. J. Simpson, revolves around the O. J. Simpson murder case, as well as the combination of prosecution confidence, defense witnesses, and the Los Angeles Police Department's history with African-American people. It is based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson (1997).[1]
"The People v. O. J. Simpson" redirects here. For the criminal trial this series is based on, see O. J. Simpson murder case.The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
10
February 2 –
April 5, 2016
The ensemble cast includes Sterling K. Brown, Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Nathan Lane, Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, John Travolta, and Courtney B. Vance. O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, Bill Clinton, Barbara Walters, and Penny Daniels appear via archive footage.
Cable channel FX announced American Crime Story in October 2014 and filming began in May 2015. Broadcast between February 2 and April 5, 2016, the first season was developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. The two served as executive producer alongside Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson.
The People v. O. J. Simpson received critical acclaim for its directing, writing, and casting (particularly Paulson, Vance and Brown), though reactions to Travolta and Gooding's respective performances were more polarized. Among its awards, the season won nine Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three TCA Awards, and four Critics' Choice Television Awards. Paulson won six awards for her portrayal of Marcia Clark.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
On October 7, 2014, it was announced that FX had ordered a 10-episode season of American Crime Story, developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and executive produced by Alexander and Karaszewski, as well as Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Murphy also directed the pilot episode. Other executive producers are Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.[12] Co-executive producers are Anthony Hemingway and D. V. DeVincentis. All 10 episodes were expected to be written by Alexander and Karaszewski.[1][13] The series was previously in development at Fox but since moved to the company's sibling cable network FX. Murphy and others wanted to create an unbiased account of the trial by doing "certain takes guilty, certain takes innocent" according to Cuba Gooding Jr so that they would have a "plethora of emotions to play with".[14]
Casting[edit]
Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sarah Paulson were the first to be cast as Simpson and Marcia Clark, respectively.[15] Subsequently, David Schwimmer was cast as Robert Kardashian.[16] In January 2015, it was reported that John Travolta had joined the cast as Robert Shapiro; he would also serve as producer.[17] In February 2015, Courtney B. Vance joined the series as Johnnie Cochran.[18] In March 2015, it was announced that Connie Britton would co-star as Faye Resnick.[19] April 2015 saw the casting of Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden,[20] Jordana Brewster as Denise Brown,[21] and Kenneth Choi as Judge Lance Ito.[22] In May 2015, it was confirmed Selma Blair would be portraying Kris Kardashian Jenner.[23] In July 2015, it was announced Nathan Lane had joined the cast as F. Lee Bailey.[24]
Filming[edit]
Principal photography began on May 14, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.[21][25]
Promotion[edit]
In October 2015, FX released its first promotional trailer for The People v. O. J. Simpson, showing an Akita dog whining, walking from its residence onto a sidewalk to bark, then walking back to its residence, leaving behind bloody paw prints.[26] Later that month another teaser was released, wherein the first actual footage of Travolta as Shapiro was shown. In the teaser, Shapiro is about to ask Simpson (whose face is unseen) if he is responsible for the murder of Simpson's ex-wife. In the next short teaser that was released, Simpson (again unseen) is taking a lie detector test.
In November, two new teasers were released. The first shows Simpson writing his attempted suicide letter, while a voice-over by Gooding Jr. narrates. The second shows the police chasing Simpson's white Ford Bronco, while dozens of fans cheer for him.[27]
The first full trailer was released in December, along with a poster for the season. The trailer included Simpson sitting in the childhood bedroom of Kim Kardashian and contemplating suicide while Robert Kardashian tries to stop him.[28]
Reception[edit]
Reviews[edit]
The People v. O.J. Simpson received acclaim from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an approval rating of 97%, based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 8.74/10. The site's critical consensus read, "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story brings top-shelf writing, directing, and acting to bear on a still-topical story while shedding further light on the facts—and provoking passionate responses along the way."[29] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[30]
Many critics singled out many cast members for the performances, particularly Paulson and Vance.[31][32][33] Dan Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of Paulson and Vance, writing: "As Clark's discomfort grows, Paulson's collection of tics seem more and more human, [...] Vance's Cochran is sometimes hilarious, but he has a dynamic range such that he's occasionally introspective and always intelligent as well."[32] Brian Lowry of Variety praised the casting of the smaller roles, particularly Connie Britton as Faye Resnick and Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey.[34]
Travolta and Gooding's respective portrayals of Shapiro and Simpson were met with mixed reviews by critics. Brian Lowry of Variety called Travolta "awful" in the role, adding: "Yes, Shapiro spoke in stiff, measured tones, but the actor's overly mannered line readings turn the attorney into a buffoon, in sharp contrast to the more nuanced portrayals around him."[34] Nicole Jones of Vanity Fair called his performance "campy and calculated".[35] Dan Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter also criticized his performance, calling it "a mesmerizingly bad performance from the eyebrows down." He also wrote that "His unnecessary accent varies by episode, and Travolta's laser intensity feels arch and almost kabuki at times, turning Shapiro into a terrifying character from the next American Horror Story installment, rather than a part of this ensemble."[32]
Maureen Ryan of Vanity Fair, conversely, became more impressed with Travolta as the season progressed: "I started in the realm of puzzled disbelief, arrived at amusement, and ultimately traveled to a place of sincere appreciation. You simply can't take your eyes off Travolta, and that is a form of enchantment."[36] Elisabeth Garber-Paul of Rolling Stone also called it "arguably [Travolta's] best performance since" Pulp Fiction.[37] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote that Travolta's was the show's "broadest performance".[38]
Dave Schilling of The Guardian panned Gooding's performance, writing: "his whiny, gravely voice sounds absolutely nothing like the real O. J. Simpson's deep, commanding tones."[39] Michael Starr of New York Post also was highly critical of Gooding's performance, saying that he "portrays Simpson as a hollow, sad-sack cipher who speaks in a high-pitched whine and sleepwalks in a fog he never shakes after being arrested for the brutal double murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. He's a forgettable, annoying presence in what should be a showcase role for Gooding—who, to be fair, is reciting lines written for him, so he can only do so much with the material."[40]
On the other hand, Joe McGovern was more positive on Gooding's performance, writing that his casting "takes a risk and pulls it off."[41] Elisabeth Garber-Paul of Rolling Stone described his performance as "an unnervingly believable take on a potential psychopath with teetering sanity."[37] Nick Venable of Cinema Blend also opined that Gooding's turn as Simpson "could indeed get him on a shortlist of Emmy nominees."[42]
In spite of the mixed reviews for their performances, Gooding and Travolta received Emmy nominations. Travolta was also nominated as one of the producers of the show in the Outstanding Limited Series category, which he ultimately won. Gooding's nomination was criticized by some reviewers.[43]
Reaction from individuals involved[edit]
Mark Fuhrman, who is portrayed by Steven Pasquale, refused to watch the series and called his portrayal untruthful. In an interview with New York Post, he said, "The last 20 years, I have watched the facts dismissed by the media, journalists and the public simply because it does not fit within the politically correct narrative. At this late date, FX is attempting to establish a historical artifact with this series without reaching out to any prosecution sources. In a time when Americans read less and less and investigative journalism is on vacation, it is sad that this movie will be the historical word on this infamous trial. After all, it was 'based on a true story.'"[44]
Marcia Clark praised the series and called Sarah Paulson's portrayal of her "phenomenal".[45] During an interview on The Wendy Williams Show, Clark admitted that she watched the series with friends "to keep me from jumping off the balcony", and that she was emotionally unable to watch the series' recreation of Fuhrman's testimony. Clark also said her sons were only able to watch the first episode.[46] Clark went to the Emmys with Sarah Paulson, who won that night for her performance.[47]
The families of Brown and Goldman expressed anger at the show. Nicole Brown's sister, Tanya Brown, lashed out at the cast members for what she saw as a lack of consultation with the families.[48] Ron Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, expressed numerous criticisms of the series even though they were portrayed sympathetically. Among them was his statement that the series did not devote enough material to his son, who is only depicted on the show as a corpse. He expressed concern that the generations of people who were too young to understand the events at the time would assume the series' depiction of events was accurate. Goldman's family also criticized the series for not depicting the murders, as they believe that Goldman died trying to save Brown from her attacker and that he was the man who eyewitnesses heard shouting that night.[49] Goldman's sister, Kim, criticized the series for sympathetic portrayals of Simpson and Kardashian, despite the fact that in real life, Kardashian had admitted to having had actual doubts about Simpson's innocence and eventually severed his ties with him.[50]
Home media[edit]
The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 6, 2016, by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.