I went into “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” with excitement, tempered with heavy skepticism and doubt.
Ryan Murphy’s shows have a track record of lacking a solid middle or end to a story arc, which is so sad because he’s such an incredible concept creator. Look at every single season of “American Horror Story.” Aesthetically and conceptually, they’re beautiful, visceral, ballsy and intricate. The tones and atmospheres that he sets on his shows are so specific, the hardest job for a showrunner to accomplish.
But none of that matters by the end of each season, because I’ve already stopped watching a few episodes ago. I couldn’t keep up with his convoluted and complicated mess of a story.
Regardless, when I saw Murphy was tackling the ballooning genre of true crime, I was thrilled. This had the chance to be something outstanding.
And last night, it was.
Surprisingly, last night’s pilot showed a new, more mature side to Murphy. He set aside his thick paintbrush for a moment and let the story shine through.
In the pilot, we see the opening scenes of the O.J. Simpson murder trial saga — police naming him a suspect in the murder of his ex-wife through his infamous escape with the white Ford Bronco.
The pacing of the episode is brilliant — quick, but not hurried, and rarely dropping the tension. More importantly, Murphy is shaping the pacing of the arc equally brilliantly. The choice to not end the episode with the Bronco chase, but rather to leave it to open next week’s episode, proves this.
Cuba Gooding, Jr., as O.J. is terrific. He’s subtle enough in his painting of the ego and vulnerability of “Juice.” Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, the cold, no-nonsense prosecutor in the Simpson case, also gives a commendable performance.
The real standouts here, though, are two actors dragged off the dusty shelf — John Travolta and David Schwimmer as defense lawyers Robert Shapiro and Robert Kardashian, respectively. Their nuanced performances round out a sure-footed ensemble.
As other critics have noted, this show is bringing up uncomfortable conversations that were blasted in the ’90s during this case. And these conversations are equally as important, if not more so, now. Conversations about race relations, influence of the media, fame, violence against women and the flaws of the justice system have been recent national topics.
“American Crime Story” opened last night on a clear, loud, pitch-perfect note. The writing, acting and direction was all top notch.
However, this is a Ryan Murphy show, so it’s a sad fact that there’s no telling how much longer that quality will last.
Ike Hajinazarian
@_IkeHaji
