When it comes to new television series, some producers are more concerned with avoiding cancellation than the long-term future of the show, but the team behind the upcoming FX anthology American Crime Story is looking ahead to Season 2 before Season 1 has even premiered. Although the first installment has not yet hit the airwaves, that has not stopped Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson from planning for the second season. As O.J. is a hard act to follow, the producers are aiming big with their choice of the next tragedy to tackle: Hurricane Katrina.
The plan for the second season is to follow a group of six to eight people in an examination of all sides of the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, ranging from the conditions of the Superdome to hospital overcrowding to weather refugees who were put onto buses and shipped off with little more than the shirts on their backs. The hurricane may be a force of nature that can’t exactly be prosecuted, but the effects of the terrible storm certainly qualify as crimes against humanity, at least according to Ryan Murphy.
You may think Hurricane Katrina doesn’t quite fit into the typical scope of law and order associated with true crime, but Murphy told THR, Katrina is an ideal fit for American Crime Story:
I want this show to be a socially conscious, socially aware examination of different types of crime around the world. And in my opinion, Katrina was a f---ing crime – a crime against a lot of people who didn’t have a strong voice and we’re going to treat it as a crime. That’s what this show is all about.
We already knew American Crime Story is an anthology series. It will focus on instances of true crime cases sweeping the nation. Instead of covering a new trial every week in a “ripped from the headlines” format, each season will focus on the before, during, and after of a major event event as well as how the world was changed by the outcome. Still, I'm not sure how that will all fit with a plotline based around Katrina.
These plans from Murphy and Co. are all very optimistic at this point, as American Crime Story has not yet been greenlighted for a second season. Still, preparation never made any show worse, and The People v. O.J. Simpson has a recipe for success that makes a second season order attainable. Aside from centering on one of the most infamous court cases in American history, the first installment boasts a star-studded cast. Cuba Gooding Jr. will be playing O.J. Simpson, with John Travolta and David Schwimmer as supporting characters. Interestingly, Ryan Murphy has brought American Horror Story regular Sarah Paulson on board for the Simpson story. Who knows? Maybe she’ll become a familiar face on this anthology series, as well.
American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson will kick off on February 2 at 10 p.m. ET on FX. Check out our list of midseason premiere dates to see when all the other new 2016 series will debut.
