Much of The Tattler’s readership was not born before 1995. In that year, Michael Jordan made his comeback to the NBA, Javascript was introduced to the world, and Jumanji came out starring Robin Williams. Among all of these exciting things and new technologies, the United States was reaching a boiling point in race relations. The trial of Orenthal James Simpson, the famous NFL running back, was just beginning, bringing with it implications for years to come.
The FX original series, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, tells the story of “The Trial of the Century” in a way unlike any other. With a cast full of stars and newer faces, the tension of the trial is palpable in the body language and performance of each cast member. The series earned 22 Emmy nominations in 13 categories, taking home nine Emmy Awards, including for Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran and Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark as best leading actor and actress, respectively. Vance and Clark‘s characters are both quite emotional and clearly understand the impact of the case.
The trial itself was surrounded with implications of race and the relationship between the public and law enforcement officials, a feature that is highlighted throughout the 10-episode series. The murder of Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman was only an afterthought to the general public; what was really on their mind was the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and its history of racism. Could the LAPD and the questionable justice system convict a wealthy, famous, black man who lived in a well-off, white neighborhood? As the trial commences, the “dream team” of lawyers that OJ hired plays “the race card,” leaving the city of Los Angeles and the entire United States (as well as the viewer) entranced. Having just concluded race riots and legal trials highlighting police brutality and racism, Los Angeles is poised for another riot. It is difficult to capture an event as momentous and national as this one, but The People v. O.J. does just that. The series feels as if it took 10 months, the same length of the trial, to watch, all made possible by the slower start to the series. In other shows, pilot episodes often have an action sequence or a major plot twist right off the bat, but in The People v. O.J., the director does well to ease the viewer in and prepare them for the intensity of the show.
As I sat down to watch, I felt myself getting sucked into 1995 Los Angeles; the old-school cinematography and even the hairstyles made me feel like I was part of the story. The series cannot be described in one word. There is no word that includes enough detail, enough drama, or enough intensity. However, after upwards of five minutes of thinking and scrolling through Instagram, I decided on the phrase raw emotion. I say this because in the eyes of the extras, the minor characters, and the leads, you can see the raw emotion that accompanied the trial: the joy, the sorrow, and the anger. It moves you. You get angry when Vance gets angry. You get scared when David Schwimmer (playing Robert Kardashian) gets scared, and you feel the pure anguish and despair of Joseph Siravo (playing Fred Goldman) when he feels that anguish and despair. None of these actors were in the room during the real trial, yet they take on a persona and play their characters to such a high level that you would never have known.
The fluctuations in emotion and overall tone reflect the style of the show’s creation. A group of three directors—Ryan Murphy, Anthony Hemingway, and John Singleton—each directed at least one episode. Each episode has its own individual feel while still capturing the overarching motifs of racial tension and the “crooked” justice system. As many people know, O.J. was acquitted, but as you watch The People v. O.J., you question how that is. You see O.J. and his personality, you see the Honorable Lance Ito, you see the public of Los Angeles and the tension that they brought to the case, and all of it rolls over in your head as you watch and soak it all in.
FX has produced masterpieces like American Horror Story and You’re the Worst, but those pale in comparison to this enthralling depiction of a trial that captivated America: The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.