FX and 20th Television have a deal for two American Story spinoffs from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. American Sports Story and American Love Story are the names of the new series.
American Sports Story is a scripted anthology series focused on a prominent event involving a sports figure, and “re-examines it through the prism of today’s world, telling that story from multiple perspectives,” according to FX. The first installment of the limited series is based on the podcast “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc.” An NFL star, Hernandez went to prison for murder and committed suicide.
American Love Story is a scripted anthology series as well. The first installment depicts “the whirlwind courtship and marriage,” in FX’s words, of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. ”What started out as a beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, began to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel gaze of tabloid media.”
“When Ryan Murphy came to us with these two spinoffs and the stories for American Sports Story and American Love Story, we immediately jumped at the opportunity,” said John Landgraf, chairman of FX. “What began with American Horror Story has spawned some of the best and most indelible programs of our generation, most notably American Crime Story which created a beautiful partnership between Ryan, Brad, Nina and Brad. Their alchemy and the way in which they construct these stories is done with such care, such clarity and such dimensionality that creates the magnificence that is The People v. O.J. Simpson, The Assassination of Gianni Versace and Impeachment. We can’t wait to see what comes next.”
American Horror Story launched in 2011 and American Crime Story premiered in 2016. American Horror Stories launched this summer.
“More than a decade ago, Ryan Murphy expressed interest in expanding the American Horror Story model to be able to tell different American stories, which have long captivated so many of us,” said Dana Walden, Walt Disney Television chairman of entertainment. “It was a brilliant idea. Adding these new installments to the franchise will enable Ryan, Brad, Nina and Brad and their talented teams to tackle riveting stories outside of the horror and crime genres. This group has done a truly amazing job of examining situations we think we know everything about and making us realize that there was so much more there than what we had been told. Many of us at 20th Television, FX and FXP have worked together on this franchise since the very beginning and it has been a privilege. It’s been an incredible partnership and collaboration and we’re looking forward to these new chapters.”
The third installment of American Crime Story, entitled Impeachment, premieres Sept. 7. It tells the story of Bill Clinton’s impeachment through the eyes of Monica Lewinsky, Linda Trip and Paula Jones.
The next American Crime Story will look at Studio 54. It depicts Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, who in 1977 turned their Manhattan nightclub into “an international mecca of nightlife for the rich and famous and commoners alike—renowned for its lavish parties, music, sex and drugs,” according to FX.
