Note to my fellow members of Generations X, Y, and Z: the anthology series is nothing new. In fact, it’s too old to get past bouncer Craig Robinson (way too old, in fact). Considering the increased serialization of shows over the last 20 years, it was a forgotten template.
But like much of the cast of the first season of the anthology-comeback-leading American Horror Story, the genre is back from the dead. HBO’s True Detective and FX’s second foray into anthologies, Fargo, mopped the floors with serialized series at the Emmys, and the UK’s Channel 4’s Black Mirror is wildly popular across the pond and gaining a cult following stateside, including Robert Downey Jr., who has optioned an episode to potentially be made into a film (Black Mirror is the more traditional anthology—each episode stands alone, whereas Fargo, AHS, and True Detective have one-season narratives).
FX, the kings of doubling down on what works, have begun work on a sister series to American Horror Story, American Crime Story, drawing from the ever-growing pool of misdeeds in the United States. Staff includes AHS creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, as well as producers Brad Simpson and Nina Jacobson.
The first season’s subject? Why, the most captivating American crime story of the past 50 years, the O.J. Simpson case. The 10-episode season will be based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Run of His Life: The People V. O.J. Simpson with a script written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Filming will begin early next year.
Considering the network’s track record with anthology series and riding hot hands, it’s not hard to see why FX CEO John Landgraf decided to move forward with the project. It’s almost a blend of AHS, True Detective, and E! True Hollywood Stories. The series just fits. Like a glove.
This glove definitely fits.
