ESPN might not even know it, but right now is the perfect time for its first episodic documentary, OJ: Made in America.
True crime series such as The Jinx and Making a Murderer are some of the hottest things on TV (and on Reddit as well) and this excavation of the OJ Simpson case lands square in the middle of that zeitgeist. ESPN should rush it out now, after its premiere at the Sundance film festival, rather than waiting until June to air it in five installments. It risks eclipse by FX's The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, which debuts early next month.
An outcropping of ESPN's 30 for 30 documentary series, this nearly eight-hour examination of one America's greatest sports stars and most notorious celebrities is absolutely fascinating. The structure is chronological, charting Simpson's tough start in San Francisco, his Heisman trophy and NFL glory, his Hollywood heyday and his descent into violence and depravity.
One of his defense lawyers calls his story a great American tragedy and this film certainly makes a compelling case for that. Not only is it the story of a man; it is also of a country obsessed with race, success at all costs, celebrity and redemption.
True crime fans will most enjoy the last three episodes, which examine Simpson's relationship with and the death of his wife, Nicole, the famous Bronco chase, and of course the trial. The fourth episode picks apart the defense strategy, the prosecution's blunders, and the racial and economic factors at play in his eventual acquittal. Even for those of us who were glued to the television during the case, this re-examination with more than two decades of hindsight and perspective is absolutely vital.
Film-maker Ezra Edelman, a Sundance veteran and longtime producer on Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, talks to all the key players in Simpson's life – though not the man himself or his family members – and gets the real story.
After so much time and with Simpson serving 33 years in prison for armed robbery – the subject of episode five – no one has anything to lose. This leads to shocking realizations about the infamous case (the reason the glove didn't fit was because Simpson stopped taking his arthritis medication, just in case they asked him to try it on) and about the man himself.
Edelman's approach isn't necessarily artful: there are not nearly as many shots of rusting cars as there are in Making a Murderer. But his straightforward and even-handed approach lets the audience come to its own conclusions. Simpson's success and downfall seem simple but this impeccably journalistic approach draws out the complexities, as the story deserves. Edelman seems evenhanded and sympathies drift to and from Simpson more times than he ran up and down the gridiron.
The result is captivating and binge-worthy. Edelman churns suspense out of a story we all know. Love it or hate it, OJ Simpson is going get everyone talking again. And so will ESPN.
If all of its long-form documentaries are going to be this good, it is going to be absolutely vital viewing for both fans of sports and casual viewers.