Oh God, 'People v. O.J' What Have You Done?

by Julian Spivey
Of God, “People v. O.J. Simpson” what have you done?
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FX’s 10-week miniseries “People v. O.J. Simpson,” created and produced by Ryan Murphy as part of a new ‘American Crime Story’ yearly event series for the network in which the show will tackle real-life crime stories, was terrific. It’ll likely end up being one of the best programs on television of the entirety of 2016 and will clean up at the Emmy Awards in the fall.

The story perfectly captured the “Trial of the Century” that took place a little over 20 years ago and saw football legend O.J. Simpson acquitted of double murder. It also featured potentially career-best performances from the likes of Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance, as well as great turns from John Travolta, Nathan Lane and Cuba Gooding Jr.

The second season of FX’s ‘American Crime Story’ will feature the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005.

But, it seems despite all of its greatness and because of its popularity – both among critics and audiences alike – “People v. O.J. Simpson” has instantaneously led to a trend that I’m already rolling my eyes severely over. Now, every network seemingly wants to get on the “True Crime Story” bandwagon.

Within a few days of “People v. O.J. Simpson” wrapping up on FX, both NBC and CBS announced they have plans to go forward with similar series.

NBC is creating a “true crime” series from “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf under the “Law & Order” brand to be called “Law & Order: True Crime” (how original) that’s quite laughable in its title. The first installment of this series will feature the Menendez Brothers case/trail from the late ‘80s (when they murdered their wealthy parents) to the mid-‘90s (when they were sentenced to life without parole). The series doesn’t yet have a release date.

Just one day after NBC announced “Law & Order: True Crime,” CBS announced that it too was getting into the “true crime” series. CBS’ version of the genre is going to revolve around the JonBenet Ramsey case of the 6-year child beauty queen who was found murdered in her home in Colorado in 1996. There is one major difference between the CBS version and “People v. O.J. Simpson” and “Law & Order: True Crime” in that it will be an unscripted series in which original investigators and new experts try to re-examine the original case – which means it’ll be way more boring. This series also doesn’t yet have a release date.

The problem with all of these “true crime” series at once is that they are going to dilute the genre. FX and Ryan Murphy can’t be pleased by this either, as they were on to something good with “People v. O.J. Simpson,” only to see the popularity of it lead to a trend that will most likely negatively impact it. Not only that, but these other networks (which hope the event series catch on and become a yearly thing) are taking from the pool of available cases to approach. Sure, there are plenty of legal cases/crimes one could take on, but how many of those are really going to capture America’s attention?

“People v. O.J. Simpson” was a fascinating and well-done miniseries, but it’s clear it’s impact on television is already one that’s gone overboard. 

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