Earlier in the year, America once again became enthralled with the retelling of the O.J. Simpson murder trial when FX aired the first installment of American Crime Story, with the subtitle of The People vs. O.J. Simpson. The show became the most watched new cable show of the year and garnered 22 Emmy nominations for the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards.
Now, the show is heading to new heights – at least in the streaming world. The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Netflix has gained the streaming rights to The People vs. O.J. Simpson and all subsequent seasons of American Crime Story.
Not only will Americans get to watch the trial of the century unfold again when it comes to Netflix in 2017, but every country that has access to Netflix will also get to watch the show, with the exception of Canada.
“We’re excited to evolve our relationship with Fox and to bring their lauded content to our members around the world,” Sean Carey, Netflix’s vice president of global television, said.
Gina Brogi, 20th Century Fox TV distribution executive vice president worldwide pay TV and SVOD, echoed Carey’s sentiments, saying “We’re extremely pleased to continue our relationship with Netflix on this groundbreaking deal. We are very proud of the first installment of this franchise, The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, which has received extraordinary critical acclaim and perfectly captured the cultural Zeitgeist.”
In the past, FX’s CEO, John Landgraf, has been critical of Netflix for their unwillingness to report their ratings and for stripping the shows of their channel branding, which Variety reports is why in every opening sequence for shows on FX, viewers see the “FX Presents” towards the beginning of the sequence.
The People vs. O.J. Simpson marks the return of the true-crime anthology series returning to the spotlight on television, and shows how the trend is still popular, as NBC and CBS both have plans for upcoming true-crime anthology shows that will air at different points in the 2016-2017 television season.
The show featured a dramatic retelling of the O.J. Simpson murder trial, where he was eventually acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson, Simpson’s ex-wife, and Ron Goldman. Denise Brown, Nicole Brown Simpson’s sister, has recently signed true-crime deal with NBC, showing that the genre has little signs of slowing down.
Season two of American Crime Story will air in 2017 and will focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.