The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story

"The People v. O. J. Simpson" redirects here. For the criminal trial this series is based on, see O. J. Simpson murder case.

The first season of American Crime Story, titled The People v. O. J. Simpson, revolves around the O. J. Simpson murder case, as well as the combination of prosecution confidence, defense wiliness, and the Los Angeles Police Department's history with African-American people. It is based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson (1997).^[1]

The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Promotional poster
Starring	Sterling K. Brown Kenneth Choi Christian Clemenson Cuba Gooding Jr. Bruce Greenwood Nathan Lane Sarah Paulson David Schwimmer John Travolta Courtney B. Vance
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	10
Release
Original network	FX
Original release	February 2 (2016-02-02) – April 5, 2016 (2016-04-05)
Season chronology
Next → The Assassination of Gianni Versace
List of episodes

The ensemble cast includes Sterling K. Brown, Kenneth Choi, Christian Clemenson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bruce Greenwood, Nathan Lane, Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, John Travolta, and Courtney B. Vance. O.J. Simpson, Nicole Brown Simpson, Bill Clinton, Barbara Walters, Rodney King, and Penny Daniels appear via archive footage.

Cable channel FX announced American Crime Story in October 2014 and filming began in May 2015. Broadcast between February 2 and April 5, 2016, the first season was developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. The two served as executive producer alongside Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson.

The People v. O. J. Simpson received critical acclaim for its directing, writing, and casting (particularly Paulson, Vance, Brown and Travolta). Among its awards, the season won eight Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, three TCA Awards, and four Critics' Choice Television Awards. Paulson won six awards for her portrayal of Marcia Clark.

Cast

Main

Main article: List of American Crime Story cast members

• Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden
• Kenneth Choi as Judge Lance Ito
• Christian Clemenson as William Hodgman
• Cuba Gooding Jr. as O. J. Simpson
• Bruce Greenwood as Gil Garcetti
• Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey
• Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark
• David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian
• John Travolta as Robert Shapiro
• Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran

Recurring

• Keesha Sharp as Dale Cochran
• Chris Bauer as Det. Tom Lange
• Angel Parker as Shawn Chapman
• Selma Blair as Kris Jenner
• Jordana Brewster as Denise Brown
• Connie Britton as Faye Resnick
• Garrett M. Brown as Lou Brown
• Chris Conner as Jeffrey Toobin
• Kelly Dowdle as Nicole Brown Simpson
• Asia Monet Ray as Sydney Simpson
• Bonita Friedericy as Patti Goldman
• Dale Godboldo as Carl E. Douglas
• Jessica Blair Herman as Kim Goldman
• Evan Handler as Alan Dershowitz
• Larry King as himself
• Jake Koeppl as Ron Goldman
• Cheryl Ladd as Linell Shapiro
• Billy Magnussen as Kato Kaelin
• Rob Morrow as Barry Scheck
• Robert Morse as Dominick Dunne
• Michael McGrady as Det. Phillip Vannatter
• Steven Pasquale as Det. Mark Fuhrman
• Leonard Roberts as Dennis Schatzman
• Joseph Siravo as Fred Goldman
• Malcolm-Jamal Warner as Al Cowlings

Guest

• Marguerite Moreau as Laura McKinny
• Angie Patterson as Paula Barbieri
• Kwame Patterson as Michael Darden
• Romy Rosemont as Jill Shively
• Duane Shepard Sr. as Mr. Darden
• Beau Wirick as Allan Park
• Ken Lerner as Howard Weitzman

Archive footage/audio

• O.J. Simpson
• Nicole Brown Simpson
• Bill Clinton
• Barbara Walters
• Rodney King
• Penny Daniels

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	US viewers (millions)
1	1	"From the Ashes of Tragedy"	Ryan Murphy	Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski	February 2, 2016 (2016-02-02)	1WAX01	5.12^[2]
On the morning of June 13, 1994 Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman are found stabbed to death outside Brown's Brentwood condominium. Brown's ex-husband, O. J. Simpson, an NFL player, broadcaster, and actor, becomes a person of interest in their murders. Deputy district attorney Marcia Clark immediately takes the case, discovering that Simpson had physically assaulted Brown multiple times in the past. As African-American defense attorney Johnnie Cochran challenges Christopher Darden for not standing up for his race as a prosecutor, the LAPD questions Simpson, who gives vague responses and fails to establish a timeline for the day prior to the murders. Clark becomes further convinced that Simpson is guilty, while attorney Robert Kardashian talks Simpson into hiring litigator Robert Shapiro as his new attorney. At Kardashian’s house, Kardashian finds a suicidal Simpson with a gun, and attempts to calm him down. LAPD officers arrive to take Simpson into custody. When they discover that Simpson is missing, Kardashian realizes he has left with longtime friend Al Cowlings in Simpson's white Ford Bronco.
2	2	"The Run of His Life"	Ryan Murphy	Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski	February 9, 2016 (2016-02-09)	1WAX02	3.90^[3]
In the aftermath of Simpson's disappearance, District Attorney Gil Garcetti issues a statewide manhunt, while Shapiro and Kardashian discover Simpson's suicide letter. Shapiro holds a press conference to save face, with Kardashian reading the letter to the press. A driver on the I-405 spots Simpson in his Ford Bronco and notifies the LAPD, leading to a low-speed chase that is broadcast on TV. Simpson orders Cowlings to drive him to Brentwood and prepares to kill himself, but Kardashian calls him and asks that he surrender. Simpson complies and emerges from the car before being taken into custody for the murders.
3	3	"The Dream Team"	Anthony Hemingway	Daniel Vincent DeVincentis	February 16, 2016 (2016-02-16)	1WAX03	3.34^[4]
With Simpson in custody, Shapiro begins assembling his defense team, while Clark confirms to the media that Simpson is to be prosecuted for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He is eligible for the death penalty under California law. Garcetti later chooses to recommend a life sentence, because of Simpson's wide popularity as a sports and celebrity figure. Clark reveals the evidence, the glove, and the blood trail to the media; many reporters (and Clark herself) believe that the case will be an easy win. A TIME magazine cover that appears to feature a darkened image of Simpson raises issues of racism in the media. Shapiro signs F. Lee Bailey onto the defense team, who recommends hiring noted attorney Alan Dershowitz. Dershowitz mentions they could argue that the DNA found at the crime scene could have been tampered with. They make this a key to the defense, after learning that Mark Fuhrman, the LAPD detective who found the glove that is key to the prosecution's case, has frequently made racist comments during his career. Deciding to frame the defense with the argument that the LAPD is systemically racist and has framed Simpson for racial reasons, Shapiro talks to Jeffrey Toobin, a reporter from The New Yorker. He publishes this exchange as a front-page story. Simpson, after meeting with Shapiro, Bailey, and Kardashian, reluctantly agrees to hire Johnnie Cochran as the final member of his defense team. Meanwhile, the prosecution is forced to move onto the attack after most of their key evidence is leaked to the media. They fear Shapiro's plan for the defense.
4	4	"100% Not Guilty"	Anthony Hemingway	Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky and Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski	February 23, 2016 (2016-02-23)	1WAX04	3.00^[5]
Simpson's "dream team" bears down on the trial, with Shapiro adopting a strategy of resisting and objecting to every motion by the prosecution. The defense suffers from internal dissent, as Shapiro struggles to retain his position as lead defense attorney, despite Cochran's being clearly more qualified for the position. The defense builds their case of racism. Eventually, Bailey, Cochran, and Kardashian stage a minor coup while Shapiro is on vacation, and convince Simpson to endorse Cochran as the lead attorney. Judge Lance Ito is called to preside over the trial, and the process of jury selection begins, with both sides seeking a racial composition favorable to their own agenda. While both Clark and Cochran believe that whites are biased against Simpson and black men are biased in his favor, they each have different theories about why black women would be unsympathetic to him: Clark believes they would be sympathetic to Nicole as a battered woman, and Cochran believes they would resent Simpson for marrying a white woman. Their speculation proves inaccurate, as all potential black female jurors align with Simpson as much as do their male counterparts, denouncing Nicole as an unfaithful white gold digger. Clark has to confront her lack of appeal to jurors of all backgrounds, although she had previously successfully represented battered African-American wives. Faye Resnick's book is published during this period, which details Brown Simpson's lifestyle and relationship to Simpson, and detracts more potential evidence from the trial. As Clark and her team realize the increasing difficulties with the case, she and Garcetti decide that they need to add a black lawyer to the prosecution in an effort to buffer the effect of the charismatic and beloved Cochran. She calls on Christopher Darden, and he joins the prosecution team, surprising the defense.
5	5	"The Race Card"	John Singleton	Joe Robert Cole	March 1, 2016 (2016-03-01)	1WAX05	2.73^[6]
In 1982, while working as assistant DA for LA County, Cochran is pulled over and almost arrested in front of his children by a racist police officer for no reason. He barely avoids being taken into custody before the officer understands who he is. Cochran is inspired to return to private practice by this incident. In 1995, the Simpson murder trial begins. Darden attempts to sway the jury from assuming racist implications in the case. Cochran delivers a fiery and moving rebuttal, humiliating the prosecutors. Clark assigns Darden to interview Mark Fuhrman and coach him on how to speak during the trial as a credible witness. Darden gets a bad feeling about Fuhrman, strongly suspecting him to be a latent racist, as suggested by his murky history, but Clark disregards his suspicions. Darden feels increasingly conflicted about his role in the case. Meanwhile, Cochran redecorates Simpson's home, expressing an image of him as being more proud and promoting an African-American identity than he did, in order to prepare for a jury tour of the property. After the defense introduces new witnesses, illegally, William Hodgman suffers a panic attack and faints in court. Clark nominates Darden to replace him as the co-leading prosecutor. A new obstacle emerges for the prosecution, when Fuhrman is shown to have a collection of Nazi memorabilia.
6	6	"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"	Ryan Murphy	Daniel Vincent DeVincentis	March 8, 2016 (2016-03-08)	1WAX06	3.00^[7]
Clark is going through a bitter divorce. The media regularly criticizes her attitude and appearance, and she becomes overwhelmed by this sudden celebrity status. Television networks interrupt daytime programming for coverage of the trial. Darden and Clark bond at the office after-hours with drinks and dancing. A reporter from the Los Angeles Times confronts Cochran about alleged past domestic violence against his first wife. Clark gets a different hair style in an effort to lessen criticism about her appearance, but it is not well received. Bailey cross-examines Fuhrman, repeatingly asking him if he has used the word nigger in the last ten years to describe African Americans, which Fuhrman strongly denies. Darden consoles Clark, who bemoans being turned into a public personality like the flashy defense lawyers.
7	7	"Conspiracy Theories"	Anthony Hemingway	Daniel Vincent DeVincentis	March 15, 2016 (2016-03-15)	1WAX07	2.89^[8]
Shapiro begins to doubt Simpson's innocence and tries to convince the other lawyers to agree to a plea deal, but none will consider debating it. Kardashian finds that he does not believe Simpson's account because there are no other suspects. In addition, he is disturbed by Simpson's behavior and his lack of interest in finding out who murdered Nicole and Ron. Meanwhile, Clark travels to Oakland with Darden for a friend's birthday, showing their increasing closeness. Back in court, Simpson tries on the leather gloves (found at the scene of the crime). After he seemingly struggles to put on the gloves, they appear to be too small to fit him.
8	8	"A Jury in Jail"	Anthony Hemingway	Joe Robert Cole	March 22, 2016 (2016-03-22)	1WAX08	2.91^[9]
The members of the jury start to go stir-crazy and deal with cabin fever during sequestration. A few are excused for having lied on the questionnaire or having had some kind of connections with Simpson. The defense and counsel begin to focus on getting alternates who they believe will vote in Simpson's favor at the time of the verdict. After the glove debacle, people begin to believe in Simpson's evidence. But when Clark presents the DNA evidence in court, doubts arise again. Even the ever-faithful Kardashian begins to suspect Simpson's story, while Cochran and Shapiro seem unconcerned. Defense DNA expert Barry Scheck counters the DNA evidence by suggesting that it was mishandled or planted. This was early in the use of DNA evidence, and most people did not understand how conclusive it was.
9	9	"Manna from Heaven"	Anthony Hemingway	Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski	March 29, 2016 (2016-03-29)	1WAX09	2.76^[10]
Following a tip from a private investigator, Bailey and Cochran travel to North Carolina, where they uncover audio tapes of Fuhrman recounting stories of having tortured, killed, and framed black suspects for fun. The defense fight for the tapes to be played for the jury despite their irrelevance to the case. But among the people who Fuhrman attacks in those tapes is his superior, police Captain Peggy York. She is married to Judge Ito. In pretrial proceedings, she had denied having any connections to Fuhrman, so that Ito could preside over the case. A mistrial is barely avoided. Ito ultimately allows certain excerpts of the tapes to be played to prove Fuhrman's perjury about not having made racist comments. After Cochran calls Fuhrman back to the stand, the officer refuses to answer any more questions, including whether or not he deliberately planted any evidence to frame Simpson. Clark is dismayed by his poor performance.
10	10	"The Verdict"	Ryan Murphy	Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski	April 5, 2016 (2016-04-05)	1WAX10	3.27^[11]
On the last day of proceedings, Simpson declines to take the stand and instead makes a brief statement. He asserts his innocence and desire for the end of the trial, so that he can return to his 2 kids. Following just 4 hours of deliberation, the jury delivers a "not guilty" verdict, prompting both rejoice and shock across the country among different ethnic groups. A lost Kardashian vomits in the sink, and breaks down in tears from a mixture of shame and fear when collecting OJ from prison. A mortified and exhausted Marcia Clark and Chris Darden reckon with the verdict. Although they are dumbstruck with the whole process, both acknowledge that it was delivered out of vengeance for the racism within the LAPD. With Gil Garcetti and the victims’ families, they hold a press conference; Marcia holds up, but Darden breaks down and embraces the Goldmans as they stand beside him. Later, a victorious Johnnie returns to his former protégé, Chris, and attempts to be magnanimous. Chris, however, tells Johnnie that his manipulation of their suffering and exhausted community to acquit a guilty celebrity has meant nothing. African Americans will, he affirms, continue to be arrested, beaten and killed. Johnnie’s own personal shame is finally visible. Meanwhile, O.J Simpson returns to civilian life, but many people view him differently than before. His family and Cowlings welcome him home with open arms, but most of his old friends have severed all ties with him. He is ostracised by his predominantly white neighbors in his wealthy enclave. They believe that he is a murderer who got away with his crime. His favorite establishments ban him as a customer. At his celebration party, Simpson reads aloud a note declaring his intent to find Ron and Nicole's killer. He sees Kardashian leaving the room. The series ends with a saddened and lonely Simpson shown going into his backyard, where he gazes at a life-size statue of himself in his prime. He has avoided prison, but paid a large price for freedom: his friends, fame, and respect. "Ain't No Sunshine" plays over the closing credits that show the fates of the main characters and end with a dedication to Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman.

Production

Development

On October 7, 2014, it was announced that FX had ordered a 10-episode season of American Crime Story, developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and executive produced by Alexander and Karaszewski, as well as Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Murphy also directed the pilot episode. Other executive producers are Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson.^[12] Co-executive producers are Anthony Hemingway and D. V. DeVincentis. All 10 episodes were expected to be written by Alexander and Karaszewski.^[1][13] The series was previously in development at Fox but since moved to the company's sibling cable network FX. Murphy and others wanted to create an unbiased account of the trial by doing “certain takes guilty, certain takes innocent” according to Cuba Gooding Jr so that they would have a “plethora of emotions to play with”.^[14]

Casting

Cuba Gooding Jr. and Sarah Paulson were the first to be cast as Simpson and Marcia Clark, respectively.^[15] Subsequently, David Schwimmer was cast as Robert Kardashian.^[16] In January 2015, it was reported that John Travolta had joined the cast as Robert Shapiro; he would also serve as producer.^[17] In February 2015, Courtney B. Vance joined the series as Johnnie Cochran.^[18] In March 2015, it was announced that Connie Britton would co-star as Faye Resnick.^[19] April 2015 saw the casting of Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden,^[20] Jordana Brewster as Denise Brown,^[21] and Kenneth Choi as Judge Lance Ito.^[22] In May 2015, it was confirmed Selma Blair would be portraying Kris Kardashian Jenner.^[23] In July 2015, it was announced Nathan Lane had joined the cast as F. Lee Bailey.^[24]

Filming

Principal photography began on May 14, 2015, in Los Angeles, California.^[21][25]

Promotion

In October 2015, FX released its first promotional trailer for The People v. O. J. Simpson, showing an Akita dog whining, walking from its residence onto a sidewalk to bark, then walking back to its residence, leaving behind bloody paw prints.^[26] Later that month another teaser was released, wherein the first actual footage of Travolta as Shapiro was shown. In the teaser, Shapiro is about to ask Simpson (whose face is unseen) if he is responsible for the murder of Simpson's ex-wife. In the next short teaser that was released, Simpson (again unseen) is taking a lie detector test.

In November, two new teasers were released. The first shows Simpson writing his attempted suicide letter, while a voice-over by Gooding, Jr. narrates. The second shows the police chasing Simpson's white Ford Bronco, while dozens of fans cheer for him.^[27]

The first full trailer was released in December, along with a poster for the season. The trailer included Simpson sitting in the childhood bedroom of Kim Kardashian and contemplating suicide while Robert Kardashian tries to stop him.^[28]

Reception

Reviews

The People v. O.J. Simpson received acclaim from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the season an approval rating of 97%, based on 89 reviews, with an average rating of 8.74/10. The site's critical consensus read, "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story brings top-shelf writing, directing, and acting to bear on a still-topical story while shedding further light on the facts—and provoking passionate responses along the way."^[29] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 90 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".^[30]

Many critics singled out many cast members for the performances, particularly Paulson and Vance.^[31][32][33] Dan Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter praised the performances of Paulson and Vance, writing: "As Clark's discomfort grows, Paulson's collection of tics seem more and more human, [...] Vance's Cochran is sometimes hilarious, but he has a dynamic range such that he's occasionally introspective and always intelligent as well."^[32] Brian Lowry of Variety praised the casting of the smaller roles, particularly Connie Britton as Faye Resnick and Nathan Lane as F. Lee Bailey.^[34]

Travolta and Gooding's respective portrayals of Shapiro and Simpson were met with mixed reviews by critics. Brian Lowry of Variety called Travolta "awful" in the role, adding: "Yes, Shapiro spoke in stiff, measured tones, but the actor's overly mannered line readings turn the attorney into a buffoon, in sharp contrast to the more nuanced portrayals around him."^[34] Nicole Jones of Vanity Fair called his performance "campy and calculated".^[35] Dan Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter also criticized his performance, calling it "a mesmerizingly bad performance from the eyebrows down." He also wrote that "His unnecessary accent varies by episode, and Travolta's laser intensity feels arch and almost kabuki at times, turning Shapiro into a terrifying character from the next American Horror Story installment, rather than a part of this ensemble."^[32]

Maureen Ryan of Vanity Fair, conversely, became more impressed with Travolta as the season progressed: "I started in the realm of puzzled disbelief, arrived at amusement, and ultimately traveled to a place of sincere appreciation. You simply can't take your eyes off Travolta, and that is a form of enchantment."^[36] Elisabeth Garber-Paul of Rolling Stone also called it "arguably [Travolta's] best performance since" Pulp Fiction.^[37] Robert Bianco of USA Today wrote that Travolta's was the show's "broadest performance".^[38]

Dave Schilling of The Guardian panned Gooding's performance, writing: "his whiny, gravely voice sounds absolutely nothing like the real O. J. Simpson's deep, commanding tones."^[39] Michael Starr of New York Post also was highly critical of Gooding's performance, saying that he "portrays Simpson as a hollow, sad-sack cipher who speaks in a high-pitched whine and sleepwalks in a fog he never shakes after being arrested for the brutal double murder of ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. He's a forgettable, annoying presence in what should be a showcase role for Gooding—who, to be fair, is reciting lines written for him, so he can only do so much with the material."^[40]

On the other hand, Joe McGovern was more positive on Gooding's performance, writing that his casting "takes a risk and pulls it off."^[41] Elisabeth Garber-Paul of Rolling Stone described his performance as "an unnervingly believable take on a potential psychopath with teetering sanity."^[37] Nick Venable of Cinema Blend also opined that Gooding's turn as Simpson "could indeed get him on a shortlist of Emmy nominees."^[42]

In spite of the mixed reviews for their performances, Gooding and Travolta received Emmy nominations. Travolta was also nominated as one of the producers of the show in the Outstanding Limited Series category, which he ultimately won. Gooding's nomination was criticized by some reviewers.^[43]

Reaction from individuals involved

Mark Fuhrman, who is portrayed by Steven Pasquale, refused to watch the series and called his portrayal untruthful. In an interview with New York Post, he said, "The last 20 years, I have watched the facts dismissed by the media, journalists and the public simply because it does not fit within the politically correct narrative. At this late date, FX is attempting to establish a historical artifact with this series without reaching out to any prosecution sources. In a time when Americans read less and less and investigative journalism is on vacation, it is sad that this movie will be the historical word on this infamous trial. After all, it was 'based on a true story.'"^[44]

Marcia Clark praised the series and called Sarah Paulson's portrayal of her "phenomenal".^[45] During an interview on The Wendy Williams Show, Clark admitted that she watched the series with friends "to keep me from jumping off the balcony", and that she was emotionally unable to watch the series' recreation of Fuhrman's testimony. Clark also said her sons were only able to watch the first episode.^[46] Clark went to the Emmys with Sarah Paulson, who won that night for her performance.^[47]

The families of Brown and Goldman expressed anger at the show. Nicole Brown's sister, Tanya Brown, lashed out at the cast members for what she saw as a lack of consultation with the families.^[48] Ron Goldman's father, Fred Goldman, expressed numerous criticisms of the series even though they were portrayed sympathetically. Among them was his statement that the series did not devote enough material to his son, who is only depicted on the show as a corpse. He expressed concern that the generations of people who were too young to understand the events at the time would assume the series' depiction of events was accurate. Goldman's family also criticized the series for not depicting the murders, as they believe that Goldman died trying to save Brown from her attacker and that he was the man who eyewitnesses heard shouting that night.^[49] Goldman's sister, Kim, criticized the series for sympathetic portrayals of Simpson and Kardashian, despite the fact that in real life, Kardashian had admitted to having had actual doubts about Simpson's innocence and eventually severed his ties with him.^[50]

Ratings

See also: American Crime Story § Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story

No.	Title	Air date	Rating/share (18–49)	Viewers (millions)	DVR (18–49)	DVR viewers (millions)	Total (18–49)	Total viewers (millions)
1	"From the Ashes of Tragedy"	February 2, 2016	2.0	5.11^[2]	1.6	3.86	3.6	8.97^[51]
2	"The Run of His Life"	February 9, 2016	1.5	3.89^[3]	1.9	4.37	3.4	8.26^[52]
3	"The Dream Team"	February 16, 2016	1.3	3.33^[4]	1.6	3.45	2.9	6.78^[53]
4	"100% Not Guilty"	February 23, 2016	1.3	2.99^[5]	1.4	3.35	2.7	6.34^[54]
5	"The Race Card"	March 1, 2016	1.1	2.72^[6]	2.0	4.28	3.1	7.00^[55]
6	"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"	March 8, 2016	1.2	3.00 ^[7]	1.8	4.03	3.0	7.03^[56]
7	"Conspiracy Theories"	March 15, 2016	1.2	2.89 ^[8]	1.7	3.88	2.9	6.77^[57]
8	"A Jury in Jail"	March 22, 2016	1.2	2.91^[9]	1.3	3.01	2.5	5.92^[58]
9	"Manna from Heaven"	March 29, 2016	1.1	2.76^[10]	1.8	3.99	2.9	6.75^[59]
10	"The Verdict"	April 5, 2016	1.3	3.27^[11]	1.6	3.51	2.9	6.78^[60]

Accolades

Year	Association	Category	Nominated artist/work	Result
2016	68th Primetime Emmy Awards^[61]
		Outstanding Limited Series	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Won
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie	Courtney B. Vance	Won
			Cuba Gooding Jr.	Nominated
		Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie	Sarah Paulson	Won
		Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie	Sterling K. Brown (For “Manna from Heaven”)	Won
			David Schwimmer (For “Conspiracy Theories”)	Nominated
			John Travolta (For “100% Not Guilty”)	Nominated
		Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special	Ryan Murphy (for "From the Ashes of Tragedy")	Nominated
			John Singleton (for "The Race Card")	Nominated
			Anthony Hemingway (for "Manna from Heaven")	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special	Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski (for "From the Ashes of Tragedy")	Nominated
			Joe Robert Cole (for "The Race Card")	Nominated
			D. V. DeVincentis (for "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia")	Won
	68th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards^[61]
		Outstanding Casting for a Limited Series, Movie, or Special	Jeanne McCarthy, Nicole Abellera Hallman, Courtney Bright, and Nicole Daniels	Won
		Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie	Nelson Cragg (for "From the Ashes of Tragedy")	Nominated
		Outstanding Costumes for a Period/Fantasy Series, Limited Series, or Movie	Hala Bahmet, Marina Ray, and Elinor Bardach (for "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia")	Nominated
		Outstanding Hairstyling for a Limited Series or Movie	Chris Clark, Natalie Driscoll, Shay Sanford-Fong, and Katrina Chevalier	Won
		Outstanding Makeup for a Limited Series or Movie (Non-Prosthetic)	Eryn Krueger Mekash, Zoe Hay, Heather Plott, Deborah Huss Humphries, Luis Garcia, and Becky Cotton	Nominated
		Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie	Adam Penn (for "From the Ashes of Tragedy")	Nominated
			C. Chi-Yoon Chung (for "The Race Card")	Won
			Stewart Schill (for "The Verdict")	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Limited Series or Movie	Doug Andham, Joe Earle, and John Bauman (for "From the Ashes of Tragedy")	Won
	32nd TCA Awards^[62]
		Program of the Year	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Won
		Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials		Won
		Individual Achievement in Drama	Sarah Paulson	Won
			Courtney B. Vance	Nominated
	7th Critics' Choice Television Awards^[63]	Best Movie/Limited Series	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Won
		Best Actor in a Movie/Limited Series	Courtney B. Vance	Won
			Cuba Gooding Jr.	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Movie/Limited Series	Sarah Paulson	Won
		Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Limited Series	Sterling K. Brown	Won
			John Travolta	Nominated
2017	74th Golden Globe Awards^[64]	Best Limited Series or Television Film	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Won
		Best Actor – Limited Series or Television Film	Courtney B. Vance	Nominated
		Best Actress – Limited Series or Television Film	Sarah Paulson	Won
		Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or Television Film	Sterling K. Brown	Nominated
			John Travolta	Nominated
	21st Satellite Awards^[65]	Best Miniseries or Television Film	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Won
		Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film	Courtney B. Vance	Nominated
			Cuba Gooding Jr.	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film	Sarah Paulson	Won
	Writers Guild of America Awards^[66]	Long Form – Adapted	Scott Alexander, Joe Robert Cole, D.V. DeVincentis, Maya Forbes, Larry Karaszewski, and Wally Wolodarsky	Won
	American Film Institute Awards 2016^[67]	Top 10 Television Programs	The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story	Won
	23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards^[68]	Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series	Sterling K. Brown	Nominated
			Courtney B. Vance	Nominated
		Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series	Sarah Paulson	Won
	ACE Eddie Awards 2017^[69]	Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television	Adam Penn, Stewart Schill and C. Chi-yoon Chung (for "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia")	Nominated
	21st Art Directors Guild Awards^[70]	Excellence in Production Design for a Television Movie or Limited Series	Jeffrey Mossa (for "100% Not Guilty"," ""Marcia, Marcia, Marcia"," ""Manna From Heaven")	Nominated
	Producers Guild of America Awards 2017^[71]	Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television	Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski, Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, D.V. DeVincentis, Anthony Hemingway, Alexis Martin Woodall, John Travolta, Chip Vucelich	Won
	Cinema Audio Society Awards 2017^[72]	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Movie or Mini-Series	John Bauman, Joe Earle, Doug Andham, Judah Getz and John Guentner	Won
	Society of Camera Operators Awards^[73]	Camera Operator of the Year – Television	Andrew Mitchell	Won
	British Academy Television Awards^[74]	Best International Program	Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson	Won

Home media

The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story was released on Blu-Ray and DVD on September 6, 2016 by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

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See also

• O.J.: Made in America-The 2016 Oscar-winning documentary that featured some of the participants portrayed in the miniseries
• June 17th, 1994-An episode of the acclaimed 30 for 30 series from ESPN that also covered the OJ Bronco chase
• American Tragedy-The 2000 TV movie that also covered the Simpson trail
• The O. J. Simpson Story

External links

• Official website
• The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story at IMDb