BLU-RAY REVIEW: The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Courtesy of FX

I typically don’t review television shows because, at least initially, I don’t know if I’m making a one-season commitment or investing a decade of my life. That’s why I’m fascinated with TV’s recent return to the anthology series – largely self-contained stories that wrap up after a handful of episodes. For example, look at FX’s The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

Over 10 episodes, viewers experience one of the defining moments of the 1990s, ranging from the night Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman’s bodies were discovered until the aftermath of that infamous “not guilty” verdict. 20th Century Fox was kind enough to send me a review copy of the show on Blu-ray, and it’s easily one of the best television experiences I had all year. Judging by the series’ eye-popping 22 Emmy nominations, I’m clearly not the only one who feels this way.

Created by longtime Hollywood screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the drama sheds new light on an event most people thought had been covered from every angle. Not only did it miraculously get me invested in a story that I already knew the ending to (it forces you to anticipate the inevitable conclusion like you’re the only person who sees a car crash coming) but it also made me think of public figures in a way I never expected to.

The show paints Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson) and Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer) as flawed, tragic heroes and I totally bought it. The narrative also attempts to portray Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance) as a real person instead of the cartoon character pop culture eventually turned him into.

More interesting are the roles that don’t quite work but still contribute interesting elements to the story. Cuba Gooding Jr. is profoundly miscast as Simpson – he’s far shorter and less muscular, and there’s no bass in his voice whatsoever. But that actually ends up working in the show’s favor, because it reflects how the sports legend becomes smaller in the public eye as the trial progresses. Not to mention how repugnantly he’s viewed after the verdict.

John Travolta’s work as Robert Shapiro follows a similar path. His performance is far campier than everyone else in the cast (they play it mostly straight), but that starts to make sense later in the season as he alienates the rest of the legal team and becomes an outcast from the group he crafted.

Each episode charts an intriguing path, devoting its attention to a different player in the “Trial of the Century” – there’s even an hour devoted to the jury, which begins to buckle under the stress of being sequestered for several months. It might be the most fascinating and darkly hilarious episode of the season.

For those who remember the real trial, I understand why you might feel like you never want to experience that never-ending circus again. But The People v O.J. Simpson proves there’s still plenty of drama and intrigue left to explore in a trial where the paths of fame, race and the collapse of the media industry all intersected in a toxic and tragic manner.

The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story is rated TV-MA.

Grade: A