20 Best TV Shows Of 2016
2. The People V O.J. Simpson
Ryan Murphy's creative output comes at an incredible rate, giving us the likes of Glee, American Horror Story, and Scream Queens over the past few years. The merits of each can be debated, but he produced his best work to-date this year with The People V O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
The first of a new anthology series (the next season will tackle Hurricane Katrina), it was a dramatic retelling of one of the biggest celebrity scandals and criminal trials in modern history.
Much of the drama already existed, but Murphy, along with writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, crafted a meticulously plotted, incredibly compelling legal drama that served not only as a retelling of the story, but a darkly comedic satire on celebrity culture.
Despite showing events of 20 years ago it still felt timely and relevant, finding important messages about race, gender, wealth, and the judicial system. The acting talent across the board only elevated this, humanising the figures involved, from Sterling K. Brown to Courtney B. Vance and, best of all, Sarah Paulson's tour de force as Marcia Clark.
Best Episode: Marcia, Marcia, Marcia