In 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were found murdered outside of Brown’s home in Los Angeles, California. The investigation led to the arrest of Brown’s ex-husband and former football star, Orenthal James “OJ” Simpson. The infamous court case became “The Trial of the Century,” and after eight months, OJ was found not guilty. Over twenty years later, the controversial trial is back on your television screen.
FX premiered its new series based on the book "The Run of His Life: The People v OJ Simpson"by Jeffery Toobin, and is the first season of the "American Crime Story" series. The show, which stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as OJ, premiered on February 2nd and was watched by 8.3 million viewers, according to Variety.com. The cast of the already hit drama includes David Schwimmer, John Travolta, and Courtney Vance as OJ’s dream team and Sarah Paulson as Marsha Clark, the prosecutor.
So why, twenty-one years later, is America still obsessed with the OJ Simpson trial? Before June of 1994, OJ was an American icon. Even if you weren’t a football fan you knew “Juice” from his commercials and endorsements. The trial divided the country on racial lines, and to this day, people still feel strongly about whether or not OJ is actually innocent. But for millennials who were either too young to understand or were not yet born, this show brings the iconic trial to a new generation.
But be wary of how accurate the show is. It’s as much for our enjoyment than it is a retelling of actual events. While most of the show is true to what actually happened all those years ago, they’ve taken some liberties. This website recaps what each episode got right and wrong each week.
Catch up on the season here and watch new episodes Tuesdays at 10 on FX.