OJ’s trial back in limelight
Two decades after the ‘Trial of the Century’, the OJ Simpson murder case is set to grip TV viewers with an acclaimed documentary set to sweep the Emmys in 13 categories.
O.J. SIMPSON’S fall from grace became a defining tale of American life – a story not just of a murder but of race, the media and celebrity in modern culture.
Two decades after the unforgettable climax of the “Trial of the Century”, it continues to polarise and seduce TV viewers, with an acclaimed documentary released this year and a drama about the trial set to sweep the Emmys.
The 10-part The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story premiered on FX in February, offering a dramatised behind-thescenes look at how he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Exploiting a growing obsession with true-life crime mysteries, the show pulled in six to eight million viewers each week, with Simpson readying for release next year after being jailed for nine years in an unrelated robbery case.
It was nominated for nine Creative Emmy Awards – four of which it won – and is the most nominated show at television’s prestigious annual Primetime Emmys today, with a chance of winning 13 statuettes.
The series focuses on the white female prosecutor convinced of Simpson’s guilt and the star’s so-called “Dream Team” of lawyers that persuaded the predominantly black jury of reasonable doubt in the 1995 trial.
“I’ve never seen a phenomenon like that, when one crime fascinates America for so long.
“It’s really compelling,” said Tom Nunan, a former network boss who now teaches at UCLA’s School of Theater Film and Television.
Netflix has announced a second season of its headline-grabbing Making a Murderer while September sees the broadcast of no fewer than three documentaries about the 1996 killing of six-yearold pageant star JonBenet Ramsey.
I don’t want to be known by the fact that I’m beautiful. I want to be known for the fact that I’m an achiever. Not even an actor. I don’t want a label. I don’t want a box. I want a legacy. Priyanka Chopra, on how she wants to be remembered, to Refinery29.