Ryan Murphy dropped a timely press release this morning, announcing that his post “Freakshow” project will be a true crime serial that will air on FX.
From tvline.com:
The 10-episode first season will center on the O.J. Simpson murder trial and will be titled American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson. It will be based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Run of His Life: The People V. O.J. Simpson, which is told from the lawyers’ perspective and details the legal maneuvering involved in the famous case.
The show skipped the normal pilot prerequisite and will go straight to air. Filming is scheduled to begin in early 2015, and if the show renews it will follow AHS suit and tell a different story in each subsequent season.
The announcement leaves me a little grumbly and cynical. Murphy has always been – for better and worse – a little sensational, and my first instinct is to assume this show is a lowest common denominator grab at more “shocking” storytelling. However when Murphy is good, he’s amazing. He leaves our impression of wealth and glamour covered in grime (see early “Nip/Tuck”) or tells outsider stories with a glorious sense of self-aware absurdity (see seasons one and two of “Glee”). If those philosophies were applied to stories of celebrity blight or tales of the every-man pushed to break, Murphy could potentially revolutionize the true crime genre. Or, you know, Marcia Clark could burst into a Busby Berkeley style number. Which ever.
It’s been long known that Jessica Lange will end her run on “American Horror Story” this season, so mostly I’m left wondering if this news is really signaling the end of America’s fictional horror, making room for Murphy to concentrate on the real deal.
“American Horror Story: Freakshow” premieres Wednesday night at 10 (EST) on FX, and please make sure to join me afterwards for review and discussion!