On June 17, 1994, football player and actor O.J. Simpson was supposed to turn himself in to the police, following the brutal murder of his ex-wife. Instead, he left a note for his attorneys to read and took off in a white Ford Bronco. A chase ensued, and it was all over the news, capturing the attention of people across the country as they watched it play out live. The televised pursuit is an iconic event of the 90s, so it's no surprise that it would be part of National Geographic's planned three-night miniseries event The '90's: The Last Great Decade?, which airs next month.
The timing couldn't be more perfect for the above preview, as today marks the 20th anniversary of O.J. Simpson's white Ford Bronco chase. In addition to showing off the memorable CNN footage of the chase, the clip also features commentary from film director John Singleton, 90s rapper (and more currently, home renovator) Vanilla Ice and crime writer Patricia Cornwell. It's that commentary that really gives us a sample of the format of this miniseries.
It reminds me a bit of VH1's I Love the 90s, which aired about a decade ago and had comedians and 90s icons discussing fads, pop culture and current events about the decade. But it sounds like National Geographic's miniseries will take an even broader approach in its examination of the decade, focusing on politics in addition to technology, movies and music. And by the title, it also sounds like it'll pose the question of whether or not it was "the last great decade."
In addition to the above clip, National Geographic Channel and Kelton Global released the first results of their national survey, which was done to gauge people's attitudes toward the 90s. Apparently, 86% of people in this survey believe Simpson was guilty. More women than men believe he was guilty (89% vs. 84%). More republicans than democrats believe he was guilty (89% vs. 82 %). And fewer African-Americans than those of other ethnicities believe he was guilty (76% vs 88%).
Nat Geo's survey also indicates that one in four Americans think the O.J. Simpson double murder trial -- in which Simpson was found not guilty to both murders (Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman) -- is the number one news event of the '90s, above the death of Princess Diana, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the LA riots and the sex scandals of the Clinton administration. Here's another look at National Geographic's upcoming miniseries.
For those looking forward to National Geographic's thorough examination of the '90s, The '90s, The Last Great Decade?, the three-night miniseries event is scheduled to begin Sunday, July 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on National Geographic. Rob Lowe is set to narrate the miniseries, which will revisit the 10 years between the Cold War and the war on terror, featuring 120 original interviews with newsmakers, major entertainers and "thought leaders."
