American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson

For anyone who remembers it, news footage of a Bronco with football player O.J. Simpson was a turning point in Breaking News.

America watched on awe-struck from the comfort of their couches as helicopters tracked a police pursuit along LA freeways. When his trial for the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman began it impacted on media and pop culture once more, with a nation glued to its every salacious detail and televised court scenes.

Now producers Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck serve up their latest anthology series American Crime Story with the first season “The People vs O.J. Simpson” based on the book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson by Jeffrey Toobin.

As I watched the first episode of this (Edit: 10) part series set the (crime) scene, I couldn’t help but wonder what’s more fascinating: the crime committed, the media frenzy or America’s ghoulish fascination?

Perhaps it will be all three…

Cuba Gooding Jr. stars as the retired football player accused of murdering his ex-wife and her friend in luxurious Brentwood. Simpson’s initial reactions to being advised of her death by police are enough to ignite suspicion.

“He didn’t ask how she died,” says one detective.

When the media get wind that Simpson may be a suspect, all hell breaks loose.

Defence attorneys Robert Shapiro (John Travolta) and Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer) become part of Simpson’s legal team, pitted against prosecutor Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) and Los Angeles County District Attorney Gil Garcetti (Bruce Greenwood). With LA still reeling from the LA riots and Rodney King incidents, the Simpson case is a powderkeg waiting to be lit.

Chain-smoking Marcia Clark learns Simpson has a track record of domestic abuse, but as a star footballer has never been called to account.

“He got away with beating her. He is not going to get away with killing her,” she says.

The first episode also introduces Kris Kardashian (Selma Blair) in a scene that is almost high-camp, reminding us of where another pop-culture saga began. Other star performers across the series will include Nathan Lane, Connie Britton, Courtney B. Vance, Evan Handler, Cheryl Ladd, Jordana Brewster and Billy Magnussen.

I did find myself questioning the casting of Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson. Aside from both being African-American I see little resemblance. Simpson was a huge hulk of a man, with a booming bass voice. His physical presence is part of the story. Gooding is none of these things, aside from being a much better actor. He will need to draw on all of those skills to overcome such differences.

Sarah Paulson, who can act her way out of a paper bag and the bad wig she is wearing, will upstage bigger names here, as the tenacious prosecutor determined to see justice prevail. Her recent track record is exemplary.

American Crime Story is an anthology, so it’s about more than one case, one season. But what will be its raison d’être? Presumably that will become clearer in time. The OJ season will also need to serve more than simply re-enact a famous case with a star cast. It must bring new insight to a well-documented trial and make comment on how it changed American society for better or worse. I look forward to seeing this unfold.

The first episode was mostly about setting up all the various players and briskly moves the story along. I would expect it to hit its best notes in episodes yet to come.

American Crime Story: The People vs OJ Simpson airs 8:30pm Sundays on TEN.