10 Best TV Shows Of 2016 (So Far)
3. The People V. O.J. Simpson
Over two decades on from the Trial of the Century, serial anthologiser Ryan Murphy turns his eye to dramatising the case of The People v. O.J. Simpson. With such a gripping real-life case that captivated a nation, was there anything further Murphy could get from it that hadn't already been explored in reality?
As it turns out, yes.
The show is packed full of 'oh, it's that guy' actors, and big names who enjoyed their greatest successes around the same time the trial was happening: John Travolta (looking, well, I don't even know), David Schwimmer, and Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Coming from screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (The People vs. Larry Flint), the series crafts a superb legal drama, but it's also much more than that: there are moments of romance, there's satire on show-business and celebrity, dark comedy, and all the way back round.
From the trial itself, which people already know so well, it still manages to derive a lot of tension, drama, and fury at what's happening. At times it's funny, at others, heartbreaking. We see the lens of everyone involved, from O.J. himself to his defence team, which is split by Robert Shapiro (Travolta) and Johnny Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), to the prosecution, with Chris Darden (Sterling K. Brown) and Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson), Judge Lance ito (Kenneth Choi), and the jurors.
Of course, the tragedy of the show is just how relevant it feels in 2016. In the era of Black Lives Matter, the scenes of Rodney King being beaten and the investigation into institutional racism take on an added pertinence. It offered a fascinating insight into the legal system, and the divinsion of American people. Decades after being vilified in the press, Sarah Paulson - the MVP of the series - revives Marcia Clark into a well-rounded person who, while undoubtedly flawed, cared deeply about delivering justice, not the caricature she was made out as. Give her the Emmy now.