Freshly Squeezed: How OJ Simpson became TV's flavour of the month

At first glance, it perhaps seems odd that arguably the two best shows currently on television, American Crime Story and OJ: Made In America, both concern OJ Simpson. However, when you consider that race is one of the ongoing major issues in US society, as well as the more lurid aspects of the mid-'90s Simpson trial - a mix of sex, violence, celebrity and tabloid hysteria that effectively birthed reality television - the increased interest in the astonishing Simpson saga becomes more understandable.

Created by American Horror Story duo Brad Falchuck and Ryan Murphy, and based on the book The Run Of His Life: The People Vs OJ Simpson by New Yorker journalist Jeffrey Toobin, American Crime Story focuses exclusively on the year-long trial Simpson - an ex-NFL star turned actor and businessman - faced for the alleged murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown-Simpson, and restaurant waiter Ron Goldman. For those of us too young to remember the full details of the Simpson trial, the twists and turns the show takes are staggering.

The story commences in June 1994, with LAPD detectives arriving at Nicole Brown-Simpson's Brentwood home, where both she and Goldman are found murdered. A warrant is issued for OJ Simpson's arrest, though he cannot be found. At a press conference attended by OJ Simpson's lawyer, Robert Shapiro, one of OJ's closest friends, Robert Kardashian - father of Kim - reads a letter from OJ that many interpret as a suicide note. Later that same day, Simpson is located in the back of a Ford Bronco being driven on an Orange County freeway by his close friend, Al "AC" Cowlings. Police cars close in on the vehicle, but Cowlings informs them that Simpson has a gun to his own head and is threatening to kill himself.

This is the cue for one of the most bizarre media spectacles of the late 20th century; the big three US networks and news outlets across the country cut to live coverage of the police chasing the Ford Bronco through Los Angeles. Eventually, Simpson returns to his home and turns himself in. Remarkably, this only takes us up to the end of episode two of American Crime Story, with the rest of the series given over to a trial that is virtually unparalleled in the GUBU stakes.

"To me, it doesn't feel like a period piece, it feels modern," Ryan Murphy told Variety earlier this year. "Toobin's theory was the verdict is all about race. That's happening all over the country still." Race was the subject that would turn out to be key to Simpson's acquittal, following the addition to his legal "dream team" of Johnnie Cochran (brilliantly played in the show by Courtney B. Vance), who successfully turned the trial into a referendum on police brutality. In particular, a recording of racist comments by one of the investigating detectives, Mark Fuhrman, would be central to the defence's case.

As well as Vance's memorable turn, there are a number of other powerhouse performances in American Crime Story, including Sarah Paulson as prosecution lawyer Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as her colleague Christopher Darden, and John Travolta, whose funny and sharp portrayal of Robert Shapiro ranks among his finest ever work (ironically, the show's one weak link is Cuba Gooding Jr, whose hammy take on Simpson is a bit one note). The series reaches a peak with the outstanding 'A Jury In Jail', one of the greatest episodes of television in recent years. A tour de force of black comedy, the storyline sees the respective legal teams resort to increasingly Machiavellian manoeuvres to try and get their preferred jurors installed, to the increasing exasperation of Judge Lance Ito. The preferences unsurprisingly break down along race lines, with Simpson's legal team even referring to one possible alternate juror - a middle-aged white woman - as "The Demon".

Eventually, Judge Ito is forced to warn both sides that the sheer volume of objections has almost exhausted the supply of possible jurors. Meanwhile, the epic nature of the trial has led to a revolt among the jury, who have started to succumb to cabin fever in their hotel. Although American Crime Story has many deft flourishes of black comedy, it never loses sight of the tragedy at the heart of the case. One of the most powerful scenes occurs when Ron Goldman's grieving father, Fred (a terrific Joseph Siravo), lambasts Clark for the prosecution's ineptitude. It is a stark reminder of the pain felt by the victims' families.

Equally as essential as American Crime Story is the five-part OJ: Made In America, made by EPSN as part of its celebrated 30 For 30 strand, which expands out from Simpson's life to offer a panoramic view of race relations in the US in the late 20th century. As you might expect, Simpson makes for a fascinating character study. The series opens with footage of him answering questions at a parole hearing in the Nevada desert, where he is currently serving a prison sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping. From there, Made In America rewinds back to Simpson's early life in San Francisco, where he was raised by his mother Eunice.

In one of those biographical details that reminds us that truth truly is stranger than fiction, Simpson's father, Jimmy, was a gay man who became a well-known drag queen in San Francisco, before passing away from AIDS in 1985. From his time as a budding star at the in-house college of the Los Angeles establishment, USC, and onto his record-breaking stint in the NFL and later fame as an actor and businessman, the through-line of Simpson's life is race -and specifically his attempts to outrun it.
Reluctant to speak out on the civil rights movement and address issues such as police brutality, Simpson traded off the fact that he was viewed as non-threatening by white America, and longed for acceptance by the country's corporate, sporting and entertainment elites.

On the surface, his and Nicole Brown-Simpson's marriage was the perfect all-American success story, but as Ezra Edelman's superlative series highlights, Simpson's smooth exterior masked a dark internal life. As his abusive treatment of his wife spiralled, Simpson was becoming a psychological car-wreck. The American dream had turned into a nightmare - and the fallout is still being picked over to this day.

American Crime Story is on RT?‘2 Thursdays at 10.15pm. OJ: Made In America is available to view on espn.com