Everything You Need To Know About American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson

There was a time when O.J. Simpson was a beloved athlete turned part-time actor. There was a time when Johnnie Cochran wasn’t internationally famous. And there was even a time when no one had any idea what a Kardashian was.

Twenty-two years ago, that changed with the brutal murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. While police were fairly quick to suspect Nicole Brown Simpson’s ex-husband, O.J. Simpson; the general public wasn’t quite ready to accept that this sports hero and movie star could possibly have killed anyone, much less the mother of his children. The early aftermath of the Simpson/Goldman murders was so bizarre that people were actually cheering Simpson on during his infamous slow-speed white Bronco chase that ended with his arrest.

While several high profile criminal cases have been called “the trial of the century,” the O.J. Simpson trial may have actually lived up to its billing. Social media didn’t exist in the ‘90s, but the media’s fixation on this case was beyond intense. Soon enough, the trial took on a circus-like atmosphere as Simpson’s “Dream Team” of attorneys attempted (and succeeded) in creating reasonable doubt within the minds of the jury. Public opinion about Simpson’s guilt or innocence differed greatly, but Simpson’s reputation never recovered from the trial and he was treated like a pariah. Thirteen years later, Simpson was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery in Nevada. But his downfall always came back to his trial for murder.

FX’s new true crime anthology series, American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson is the most comprehensive Hollywood adaptation of the trial to date. As you may have guessed by the title, there is a connection to American Horror Story. AHS co-creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are executive producing American Crime Story, which will follow the American Horror Story model of switching casts and storylines every season.

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski co-created American Crime Story, and they’re expected to write all 10 episodes of the first season. The series has a very impressive cast that includes Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O. J. Simpson, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey, Jordana Brewster as Denise Brown, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian,Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, Connie Britton as Faye Resnick, and American Horror Story veteran Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor of the case.

Judging from tonight’s series premiere of American Crime Story, Alexander and Karaszewski are attempting to humanize the people in this story who were reduced to media caricatures during the course of the original trial. So far, it’s actually quite good. But given that the outcome of Simpson’s trial is widely known, the real mystery of American Crime Story is this: where will it end? With Simpson’s acquittal? Simpson’s subsequent loss in the wrongful death civil trial? Or perhaps even the Las Vegas robbery case that finally sent Simpson to prison? We’ll find out in about ten weeks.

The O.J. Simpson trial featured a truly unique set of circumstances and outrageous, larger-than-life personalities. And no one emerged from it unscathed or unchanged. Scroll down below to the slideshow if you want to know what happened to six of the trial’s major players during the subsequent two decades.

American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson airs Tuesday nights on FX.

Photo Credits: FX Networks

Whatever Happened To The Major Players From The O.J. Simpson Trial?

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