The ’90s nostalgia, the lure of another Ryan Murphy-created anthology, the reliving of a public trial that served as a precursor to today’s reality TV boom — audiences couldn’t get enough.
But FX’s American Crime Story has yet to prove itself as an ongoing miniseries. And we’ll have to wait until 2018 to see if the show can replicate its success in season two — which will be about the fallout from Hurricane Katrina and star Matthew Broderick and Annette Bening — even though seasons 3 (the murder of Gianni Versace) and 4 (the Monica Lewinsky scandal) are already being mapped out.
Meanwhile, John Ridley’s similarly titled anthology miniseries American Crime (Season Premiere, 10 p.m. Sunday, ABC) — now in its third season — centers on fictional but familiar crimes, studying them through the lenses of religion, race, class and other societal divides.
The fictional element gives American Crime an edge over American Crime Story, because the writers are free to create a unique story that still feels real, like a mashup of news reports. The stories in each American Crime season are vast, looking at all of the implications that led to the crime and all of the far-reaching consequences instead of just replaying a famous/noteworthy crime in a vacuum — and the acting is just as top-notch. Felicity Huffman, Timothy Hutton, Regina King, Benito Martinez, Richard Cabral and Lili Taylor make up the strong ensemble cast that transforms into new characters in different situations with each season. King won an Emmy for her roles in both seasons 1 and 2.
Season 1 explored drug addiction and gun violence ripping families apart in California, while last year’s second season delved into sexuality, consent and bullying within an Indiana high school. There’s never just a single crime committed or an easy guilty verdict. Instead, American Crime explores the environment that fosters crime, its many factors and cycle of victims.
Debuting Sunday, Season 3’s timely subject matter includes immigration, human trafficking and forced labor in North Carolina. The premiere finds Luis Salazar (Martinez), a father from Mexico, illegally entering the U.S. in an effort to find his missing son. Across the border he finds slavery is very much alive in America today on farms, where undocumented workers are promised jobs but forced into servitude. These workers become stuck in poverty with mounting debt and no legal rights.
We also meet Jeanette Hesby (Huffman), who has married into a farm-owning family and discovers some alarming business practices, and Kimara Walters (King), a social worker who’s trying to help a young sex worker testify against her abuser and start a new life.
While these stories might not be ripped from the headlines, the subject matter and performances feel all too real.
Picks of the Week
The Bachelor (Season Finale, 8 p.m. Monday, ABC) – Serial Bachelor franchise contestant Nick Viall gives out his final rose — or does he? Either way, if you’re not sick of Nick yet, he will continue to grace ABC on Monday nights as a competitor on Dancing with the Stars.
The Mindy Project (Tuesday, Hulu) – Mindy encounters an unfair work experience, takes a nap and dreams she’s a white man. This is not a drill: Blonde-haired, blue-eyed Ryan Hansen (Veronica Mars,Party Down) plays Mindy Lahiri this week.
This Is Us (Season Finale, 9 p.m. Tuesday, NBC) – Jack travels to Cleveland to meet Rebecca and make things right on the night of her first big show with the band, while Randall, Kate and Kevin have major life decisions to make. Bring on the waterworks.
CONTACT JAC KERN: @jackern
