The People V. O.J Simpson
American Crime Story is a true crime anthology series. An anthology is a collection of stories and in this case, stories that have happened. The first season of the show focuses on the O.J Simpson trial that happened in 1995.
Here is the most important thing to know about the O.J trial that happened 21 years ago, it was arguably the first trial that happened in front of the cameras. At some point, this case ceased being about justice and instead became about entertainment as people across America tuned in to watch the realistic drama unfold live on TV. Who could blame them, here was an American football star, occasional movie star, and broadcaster accused of killing his ex-wife and her friend. How could America not tune in? Media analysts and critics say that it was this event that birthed 24-hour news cycles, celebrity gossip and reality television. This trial quite literally changed the media landscape. To this day, the O.J trial is still the most talked about trial in America. In fact, it has been said that anyone could learn a lot about American culture, race, and the legal system by studying the O.J Trial.
The TV show has done a remarkable job of making the events of this case realistic for the younger audiences who have no idea what happened before the trial. The opening scene of the show is the 1992 footage of the Rodney King riots which sets the tone for the season. It goes to show how polarised the nation is even before the trial. The show goes a step further in making the whole event realistic with a scene that involves a Bronco driving down a freeway as the celebrity in the back threatens to shoot himself. It is eerie to watch once it hits home that these events actually happened in real life. It is also important to note that even though the show focuses on the trial, it takes its time in the first two episodes to show us how the events leading up to the trial helped the American people form opinions about O.J before the trial even begun.
This part of the story is based on the book by Jeffrey Toobin called The Run of His Life: The People V. O.J Simpson. The show is incredible, and it leaves you wondering how surreal it must have been for the people who lived through these events. What is admirable however is that even when you know how this story ends, you are still thrilled by the events that are taking place on your TV screen. From the opening scene to the end of the episode you are completely engaged, and that is an almost impossible thing to achieve when everyone knows how the story ends.
The second season of American Crime Story is in production and will focus on Hurricane Katrina.
