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Turns out, the timing was right.
"The People v. O.J. Simpson," a 10-episode drama series starting
on the FX network on Feb. 2, sets the 1994 arrest, year-long
trial and acquittal of one of America's best-loved sporting
heroes firmly in the arena of the nation's still troubled
history of race relations.
The first image viewers see is TV footage of the 1992 Los
Angeles riots that followed the acquittal of four white police
officers in the beating of black motorist Rodney King.
"The show is about race in America," said Scott Alexander, one
of the show's executive producers. "It's about how problems
between police and black Americans never really go away."
"The O.J. case has always remained of interest but it feels more
ripped from the headlines now than ever," he added, referring to
the deaths of more than 30 unarmed black people at the hands of
U.S. police since 2014.
The series also reflects an unwavering obsession with the
so-called "trial of the century" that was broadcast live on U.S.
television throughout its eight-month duration.
"The O.J. case has now assumed the same status as the Kennedy
assassination," said David Schmid, an English professor at the
University at Buffalo, and editor of the 2015 book "Violence in
American Popular Culture."
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson, John Travolta as his
attorney Robert Shapiro, and David Schwimmer as family friend
Robert Kardashian, the TV series produces no new evidence about
the murder of Simpson's ex-wife Nicole and her friend Ron
Goldman.
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Instead, it explores the behind the scenes drama among prosecutors,
police and the former football star's defense team. It is also about
"the beginning of the 24-hour news cycle, the beginning of reality
TV, and gender politics," said Alexander.
One episode focuses on prosecutor Marcia Clark, who was criticized
for her hair style, her collapsed marriage, and for losing what
initially seemed a slam-dunk conviction.
Although Simpson, now 68, was acquitted of the two murders, he is
currently serving a 33-year prison term for the 2007 armed robbery
in Las Vegas of what he said was his own stolen sports memorabilia.
Schmid says the Simpson case brought together "everything our
culture is most fascinated by - namely sex, sports, violence,
celebrity, and in this case, race."
"Add to that this widespread perception that in some sense O.J. got
away with is and you have a sure fire recipe. ... It's a bit like
the Jack the Ripper murders. Why? - because it's still unsolved," he
said.
(This version of the story corrects title of professor David Schmid
in paragraph eight)
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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