The People vs. O.J. Simpson (FX / Netflix series) - first reactions

As someone that was a teenager during the actual O.J. Simpson trials, I can attest to the fact that pretty much everyone was following the crazy events that took place during those times. I would imagine that this show was actually pretty difficult to make because the producers would be putting themselves in a lot of legal danger if they mis-represented certain characters.

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There are a lot of reasons to see this series. The number one reason is that it was an extremely relevant part of 90's culture and in I would say most people's minds, a fantastic example of how rich people can get away with anything. Now, I know that the guy was determined to be "not guilty" but I don't think that I am speaking out of term with I suggest that most people "know" that he did it.

Anyway, that is not what this is about. This series is wonderfully-made and has an absolutely massive cast. Of course the main characters are all recurring but there were so many actual players in this trial that the cast section is just loaded with hundreds of names. Now I'm gonna start off with Cuba Gooding Jr. , who played O.J.

I have a little bit of a problem with Cuba playing this role because of one obvious problem: While he is an absolutely incredible actor, he is significantly smaller than "The Juice" is in real life. This would be like having Tom Cruise play a basketball player when you should have selected Tom Selleck.

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It is rumored that O.J. actually worked with the producers to a great degree when they were making this series, and he wanted Denzel Washington to play him. I think at least physically speaking, that would have made sense to me as well because they are almost exactly the same size. No offense to Cuba of course, but he just isn't the imposing physical presence that OJ (or Denzel) is.

One real treat (for me) was the fact that one David Schwimmer was in the cast as Robert Kardashian and before you ask... yes, he is Kim's father.

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The likeness between Schwimmer and the actual Kardashian is uncanny, mostly their hair and David does a great job in his role. I think that Schwimmer doesn't get roles because he is and always will be "Ross" and to be fair it is hard to not see him that way, even though there are no comedic moments in this series.

It is also worth noting that John Travolta was made entirely of plastic and wax for his performance as Robert Shapiro.

I don't think it was necessary to have been alive and cognitively aware of your surroundings during the actual trial in order to appreciate this, but it certainly would help. There are many things in this film that I was unaware of, even in the first episode. For example: I had no idea that O.J. wasn't actually driving the white Bronco during the initial car chase, nor did I know that all the evidence was collected from his own yard. That's just a couple of things.

Informative and entertaining, I think that this series will keep you on the edge of your seat despite the fact that we already know that the end result it. Definitely worth your time.