O.J. Simpson series takes viewers back in time

Here’s a revelation that should surprise absolutely no one: Several of the cast members in The People v. O.J. Simpson, FX’s 10-episode re-creation of “the trial of the century,” have at some point rubbed elbows with their real-life counterparts.

That’s to be expected in Los Angeles, where famous people of all kinds routinely travel in the same circles — or at least in adjacent ones.

It stands to reason that Courtney B. Vance, who steals scene after scene as the charismatic Johnnie Cochran, lead attorney in O.J. Simpson’s defense “Dream Team,” would have crossed paths years ago with the man he portrays onscreen.

It makes sense that Sarah Paulson, who is equally as impressive as lead prosecutor Marcia Clark, managed to arrange a dinner meeting with Clark to discuss nuances of the old case.

And it’s only natural that reality star Kris Jenner, who is a footnote character in The People v. O.J. (because her husband was one of Simpson’s lawyers), would jump at the chance to pose for paparazzi photos with Selma Blair, the actress portraying her.

There’s no way to know whether The People v. O.J. Simpson, which premieres at 9 p.m. Tuesday, is a better show because of these and other first-person encounters.

But it’s distinctly possible that the actors, by getting to know their characters as real people, were more deeply committed to getting their performances and the overall story letter perfect.

When Vance speaks about Cochran, for example, he does so with the utmost reverence.

“I don’t want to misrepresent myself,” the actor says. “When I say I knew Johnnie Cochran, maybe ‘knew’ isn’t the right word. But I did meet him many years ago. He was very gregarious. He was larger than life. I looked up to him.

“The work that he did, particular in police abuse cases, was so important. There’s no question in my mind that we could so use him today if he were still alive. So to step into his shoes was an opportunity of a lifetime.”

Must-see court TV

Joining Vance and Paulson is a “Dream Team” cast that includes Cuba Gooding Jr. (as Simpson), John Travolta (defense attorney Robert Shapiro), David Schwimmer (defense attorney Robert Kardashian), Sterling K. Brown (prosecutor Christopher Darden) and Nathan Lane (defense attorney F. Lee Bailey).

The series, based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson, focuses on the two legal teams battling to either convict or acquit Simpson of double homicide.

It was a racially polarizing case. Surveys indicated that the majority of white observers believed O.J. killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman; African-Americans, when polled, tended to support Simpson, convinced that he was being railroaded by a racist police department.

Thanks to the nonstop media coverage — which included live telecasts from inside Judge Lance Ito’s courtroom on CNN, Court TV and E! Entertainment — trial watching became a national obsession.

“However you felt about the trial and about O.J. and what he was accused of,” Vance notes, “it was impossible not to be well informed.”

The saga held everyone’s attention because it was a story with a little bit of everything.

It was a real-life mystery and conspiracy thriller (not so much a whodunit as a “did-he-really-do-it?” and a “can-they-prove-it?”).

It was riveting courtroom drama, with more twists and turns than a John Grisham bestseller.

It was an intoxicating mixture of showbiz glitz and tabloid sleaze (yet the circuslike proceedings managed nevertheless to start provocative conversations about racism in America and about domestic abuse).

The series masterfully taps into all of these story elements and more — transforming “the trial of the century” into the TV drama of the year.

There are many tent-pole moments for viewers to relive: the white Ford Bronco chase; O.J. declaring to the judge that he was “absolutely 100 percent not guilty”; prosecutors accusing Cochran of playing “the race card”; the defense grilling Detective Mark Fuhrman about his use of racist words; Kato Kaelin’s flaky testimony; the gloves that didn’t fit, which in turn inspired Cochran’s immortal “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit” catch phrase; and the “not guilty” verdicts that were heard around the world.

“I think everyone who was alive at the time remembers seeing the slow-speed Bronco chase on TV,” Vance says. “They remember exactly where they were and what they were doing.

“The same is true for the verdict at the end of the trial. It was as if time had stopped until we could hear what the jury had to say.”

History lesson

We who lived it will remember it well. Yet to the filmmakers’ credit, the story still creates edge-of-your-seat tension throughout.

“And can you imagine how it will be for younger viewers?” Vance asks. “There’s a whole segment of the population that was not alive during that time.

“If they watch, many of them won’t know what’s going to happen next. They’ll be like, ‘Did that really happen in real life?’

“Yes, it did,” he says. “A story this incredible, no writer could possibly make it up.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 3:17 PM with the headline "O.J. Simpson series takes viewers back in time."