“The People vs. OJ Simpson” – Part One

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In 1995, I sat in my classroom and watched the OJ verdict come down. My mother was a homicide prosecutor at the time, and we lived in Washington, DC – at the time the Murder Capital of the US, but also a majority black city. None of us could ignore the racial implications of the case. And the “Not Guilty” verdict in the OJ case reverberated across America.

Over a decade later, FX’s American Crime Story has created a show called “The People vs. OJ Simpson,” reminding us of the details of the murder of Nicole Simpson, and the drama of the OJ trial.

The show is serialized over the next several weeks. Last week, the first episode came out. And it focuses mostly on the social drama surrounding the OJ trial, especially making sure not to shy away from the racial issue.

The dramatized show starts with the context of Rodney King and the subsequent riots, two years before. It brings up the complex racial dynamics of LA in the 1990s right away, even before addressing OJ’s case. This reminds the viewer that the OJ trial wasn’t just about a celebrity – it was about a black celebrity. Anyone watching the show is immediately confronted with the racial factor of the OJ case.

The murders of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman are over in the first few minutes of the series. The first episode moves quickly to OJ (played by Cuba Gooding, Jr) being detained by police, and then to his search for a lawyer. Rob Kardashian (David Schwimmer) plays a role in the show, as well.

Overall, it’s a decent documentation of a complex, stimulating case that captured the attention of the nation. Parts can move slowly, but the OJ Simpson story is undeniably interesting.