'The People v. O.J. Simpson' Premiere Review: A Juicy True Crime Drama

FX debuted its latest anthology drama American Crime Story on Tuesday with The People v. O.J. Simpson. Executive produced by Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story), the series will focus on a different historical event each season, with this first season delving into the O.J. Simpson trial, based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson.

As someone who was only a year old during the trial, O.J. Simpson has only ever been a pop culture reference or a punchline on Family Guy to me. For many viewers, though, the series likely brings back memories of the highly covered trial. There are a variety of opinions about this case and how it proceeded, but I don't have enough information to pass judgment on the events that occurred. Therefore I can only take this show as a piece of drama, and as such the premiere was highly effective. Although we all know how this story ends, the premiere does a good job of providing enough suspense and drama to keep the viewer engaged thanks to some excellent performances.

Cuba Gooding, Jr. stars as Simpson, and given that I don't really have a reference point, I thought he did a fine job. His body language and expressions suggested there is a lot going on inside his mind that we are not privy to. John Travolta stole every scene he was in as Robert Shapiro, imbuing him with a confidence that seemed to fill the room. Sarah Paulson and David Schwimmer also stepped into their roles with ease, delivering strong performances as Marcia Clark and Robert Kardashian. The scene where Simpson threatens suicide and Kardashian must talk him down is a stand out, effectively depicting the emotional toll that the events had on everyone involved.

As far as pilots go, this was one of the more effective ones this season. Some parts of the episode were somewhat slow, particularly those involving the police investigation when the bigger personalities were not on screen, but those were few and far between. For the most part the episode held my attention, drawing me in from the beginning and ending with a "cliffhanger" (or as much of a cliffhanger as there can be in a well-known story) that left me wanting to watch the next episode. Many shows take a couple of episodes to find their footing and completely pull me in, but this one already has me hooked and anticipating the next nine episodes.

One final thing I found interesting was how the theme of race pervades this story. Given recent events, this show could not be more relevant. The episode begins with archive footage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, and questions of race and how the police are treating Simpson are brought up throughout the episode. Meanwhile, the show highlights how lax the police were in their questioning of Simpson and the favors they granted him given his celebrity status. Based on the scenes for next week's episode, it seems the show will be tackling the subject of race head on, so as sad as it is that we are still dealing with these issues twenty years later, it will be interesting to see what the show has to say about the state of things then and how they relate to now.

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts on the episode below.

Shows I'm Looking Forward To

I only have time for a quick post this week, so I thought I'd list some shows that I'm most looking forward to in the next few months. This includes both new and returning shows.

DC's Legends of Tomorrow
As a DC Comics nerd, Arrow and The Flash are two of my favorite shows right now. But when The CW announced another spinoff featuring a large cast of characters taken from both shows, I was skeptical. I thought it would be too much. But when I learned that the show would feature Rip Hunter and have the group travel through time to stop Vandal Savage, I started getting excited. And then I saw the first teaser last year and the fanboy in me was giddy. Now the wait is almost over as the show premieres this Thursday.

The Magicians
I picked up Lev Grossman's fantasy novel The Magicians two summers ago and was hooked within a few pages. I hadn't been that caught up in a book in a long time. By the end of the summer I bought the next two books in the trilogy. I like to describe the series as a cross between Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia for adults. After I finished the trilogy I was reminded that Syfy was developing a TV adaptation of the series, which was the reason I wanted to read it in the first place. Syfy aired the pilot as a special preview back in December, so I've already seen that. Except for a few minor deviations, the show seems to be sticking pretty close to the source material. I thought the pilot was great, and I can't wait to see the rest of the season when it debuts next week on January 25.

Colony
I'm a little late on this one because it premiered last Thursday. But USA made the pilot available online early so I watched it a couple of weeks ago. One of the executive producers is Lost's Carlton Cuse, and the show stars Lost's Josh Holloway, so naturally I had to check it out. It takes place in a Los Angeles that is occupied by unseen "Hosts" whom we can presume are of extraterrestrial origin. But rather than a typical alien invasion story, Colony focuses on the people trying to live their lives under this occupation. Family and loyalty are two of the themes that become apparent in the pilot, so I'm interested to see where it goes starting with the second episode this Thursday.

Daredevil Season 2
Netflix has been knocking it out of the park with its Marvel series. Both Daredevil and Jessica Jones were fantastic last year. Daredevil had some of the best fight scenes I've seen in a comic book adaptation, including a hallway scene shot in a single take. It also introduced the most complex villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin. I'm very excited for season 2, which will feature the Punisher and Elektra and will be available on March 18.

Person of Interest Season 5
I finally caught up on Person of Interest over the winter break, and the end of season 4 was huge. CBS only ordered 13 episodes for season 5 and has not announced a premiere date, so this could be the last season. This show has changed a lot since it started, becoming much more serialized than its original premise indicated, so I'm excited to see how it ends. All four seasons are available on Netflix if you'd like to check it out before what could be the final season.

Of course I'm excited for all of my shows to return, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind. Until next week, Happy Watching!

Golden Globes TV Predictions

It's awards season, and tomorrow marks the first big awards show of the year (the People's Choice Awards don't count). Hosted by Ricky Gervais, the 73rd annual Golden Globes will take place Sunday night, honoring the best in film and television of 2015.

In preparation for the awards, I decided to make my predictions for who will win in the TV categories. I will also reveal whom I would like to see win. Keep in mind that I am not a professional critic, nor have I seen all of the nominated shows, so don't bet any money based on these. These predictions are informed by years of watching the awards and getting a feel for which shows the Hollywood Foreign Press Association tends to honor, as well as some insight from real critics. You can find the full list of nominees, including the movie categories, here.

Let's get started.

UPDATE: The great thing about the Golden Globes is that you never know what is going to happen. This year had many surprises in the television categories, as evidenced by my awful score of 2/11. But I can't complain because Mr. Robot and Christian Slater won in their respective categories (seriously, you all should watch that show). Also, I called Rachel Bloom's surprise win, so I'm happy. The winners are in red below.

Best Television Series - Drama
Empire (FOX)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
Mr. Robot (USA)
Narcos (Netflix)
Outlander (Starz)
Who I think will win: My gut is saying Outlander. I haven't seen it, but critics seem to love it.
Who I want to win: It's very unlikely, but I'd love to see Mr. Robot take it. It is easily my favorite new show of 2015.

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Mozart in the Jungle (Amazon)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Transparent (Amazon)
Veep (HBO)
Casual (Hulu)
Who I think will win: Transparent for the repeat.
Who I want to win: Out of the nominees, I've only seen Silicon Valley, which is more than deserving of an award.

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
American Crime (ABC)
American Horror Story: Hotel (FX)
Fargo (FX)
Flesh and Bone (Starz)
Wolf Hall (PBS)
Who I think will win: I've only seen Fargo, but I think it will take its second Globe.
Who I want to win: Fargo. In my opinion, it's one of the best shows on TV right now, if not the best.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel
Queen Latifah, Bessie
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Sarah Hay, Flesh and Bone
Who I think will win: This is a wild guess, but I'm going to say Queen Latifah.
Who I want to win: Again, I've only seen Fargo, but Kirsten Dunst was a standout this season.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Patrick Wilson, Fargo

Idris Elba, Luther

David Oyelowo, Nightingale

Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero

Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall

Who I think will win: This is a stacked category, and I could see any of these actors taking it. It's a tough call, but I'm going to guess Idris Elba.
Who I want to win: Although I love Idris Elba, I wasn't overly impressed with the latest season of Luther, so I have to give this one to Patrick Wilson, who was another standout in Fargo.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Who I think will win: Viola Davis will follow up her Emmy win.
Who I want to win: Davis, hands down.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Drama
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Wagner Moura, Narcos
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Who I think will win: Jon Hamm will get one last award for Mad Men.
Who I want to win: It would be a very pleasant surprise if Rami Malek won for his fantastic performance.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Who I think will win: Based on Gina Rodriguez's surprise win last year, I'm going to take a gamble and say Rachel Bloom.
Who I want to win: I don't watch any of these shows, so I'll say Bloom for the shock factor.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Rob Lowe, The Grinder
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Who I think will win: Jeffrey Tambor will take it for the second year in a row.
Who I want to win: Again, I haven't seen any of these shows, but Master of None is high on my watchlist, so I'll say Aziz Ansari.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Regina King, American Crime
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Judith Light, Transparent
Who I think will win: She lost to Joanne Froggatt last year, but Uzo Aduba has won two Emmys, so I'm giving this one to her.
Who I want to win: For the third category in a row, I haven't seen any of these performances. So I'll go with Aduba because we have Boston University in common.

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
Tobias Menzies, Outlander
Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot
Who I think will win: I've only seen Mr. Robot, but I've heard great things about Ben Mendelsohn in Bloodline, so I'm going with him.
Who I want to win: Christian Slater. (If you can't tell, I really liked Mr. Robot.)

There we go. My picks for the 2016 Golden Globes. If I get at least 8 out of 11, I'll call it a success. I'll update this post with the winners afterwards. Feel free to leave your picks in the comments, and don't forget to tune in to the awards at 8:00PM ET on NBC.

2016 TV New Year's Resolutions

It's been a year since my last post, but instead of making excuses and looking back at what prevented me from writing in 2015, I'm going to take this opportunity to start fresh. It's a new year, and there are some things that I want to work on in 2016. So here are my TV-related resolutions for the new year.

1. Be More Active
No, I don't mean exercise (although I should really do that as well). I'm talking about this blog. I don't know if I was too busy, too lazy, or both, but I really failed to keep up with this blog in 2015. I do enjoy writing about TV, so I'm determined to do more of that this year. My goal is to post at least once a week. In order to accomplish that, I hope to add some variety to my posts. So in addition to reactions or reviews, I might post a recommendation or a list every so often. That way, when I inevitably fall behind on my shows and can't post a timely review, I'll still have options for things to write. I already have some ideas for posts, including a monthly recommendation, so I'm excited to get writing in 2016.

2. Work On the Years-Old To-Do List
There are plenty of shows that have been on my watchlist for several years that I've never gotten around to watching. These include, but are not limited to, Doctor Who, Orange Is the New Black, and The Wire. I'm not saying that I will clear my entire watchlist in 2016, but I do hope to at least start a couple of these shows. The problem is that there are too many current shows that I need to keep up with, so I rarely get a break to start something from several years ago. Clearing my watchlist will be a long and gradual process, but I have to start sometime, right?

3. Spring Cleaning
I'm not making any promises with this one. It's safe to say that I currently watch more shows than I can count, so naturally there are some shows that I would probably be better off saying goodbye to. The problem is that I am a completist, so once I am a season or two into a show, I need to see how it ends. My resolution then, is to let go of any shows that are no longer keeping my interest and make room for new shows. In the past few years I've let go of Hawaii Five-0 (which was a tough decision) and Under the Dome (good riddance). Right now I can't think of any that deserve that fate, but as 2016 promises several interesting new series, I'll need to take a look at what I'm watching and decide if they're really worth my time.

4. Plan For the Future
I'll be graduating this year, so I need to figure out how I'm going to watch TV. Although I watch the majority of my shows online, there are some that I catch live. Right now I have the university's cable, but once I graduate I will need to decide if I want to get cable or rely on over-the-top services. With all the talk of cord-cutting these days, it's a big decision and one that I will not be taking lightly.

As much as it pains me not to have a round 5, that's all I could come up with. 2016 is going to be a big year both in the TV industry and in my own life, and I'm ready to tackle it head on. I'll be back with my first actual post of the year soon, so stay tuned. In the meantime, have a happy new year, and happy watching!