The TV Column

American Crime Story covers Versace murder

Darren Criss portrays serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The series premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday on FX.
Darren Criss portrays serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The series premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday on FX.

And now, more crime and crime fighting.

The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday on FX. There will be nine episodes in this second installment of the crime anthology series from the ubiquitous Ryan Murphy.

Last season, American Crime Story presented People v. O.J. Simpson, about the "trial of the century." It was, to say the least, well received, earning 22 Emmy Award nominations, winning nine.

It'll be tough for Gianni Versace to have that same impact or universal appeal, but Murphy felt it was an important tale to be told.

The miniseries, based on the book Vulgar Favors by Maureen Orth, profiles serial killer Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who murdered not only international fashion icon Versace, but four other men in 1997.

Versace, played by Edgar Ramirez (Wrath of the Titans), was stalked by Cunanan and gunned down on the steps of his South Beach, Fla., mansion on July 15, 1997, at the age of 50. Cunanan was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List at the time.

Cunanan committed suicide on a houseboat eight days later. His motives for the killings remain unclear.

According to FX, the series "examines how cultural homophobia and prejudice delayed law enforcement's search for Cunanan, as well as Versace's relationship with his sister and muse Donatella (Penelope Cruz).

"The Assassination of Gianni Versace is a story of failed ambition, about how the pursuit of an 'American Dream' ended in murder and suicide."

The series will cover three main storylines and uses a crimes-in-reverse thematic structure because we already know the crime and the criminal. In fact, Versace is gunned down in the first 10 minutes.

We are then introduced to Versace's grieving longtime partner Antonio D'Amico (Ricky Martin) and Donatella as she arrives to try to hold the Versace empire together.

In subsequent episodes, viewers work backward as Cunanan weaves his way through his killing spree in Minnesota, Illinois and New Jersey.

Another thread is the failure of law enforcement to catch Cunanan before he got to Miami. This is the "cultural homophobia and prejudice" the FX publicity mentions. Some critics have said this thread is the weakest of the three.

This series is a showcase for Criss, who played Blaine Anderson, the bow-tied love interest of Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) in Murphy's musical comedy/drama Glee.

Murphy is well-known for casting his favorites and Criss is no exception. Murphy told Entertainment Weekly that he knew Criss had a serial killer in him after seeing him on Broadway.

"I just knew he could do it," Murphy said. "I think people thought of Darren as a musical comedy star first, but when I saw Hedwig, I knew he was capable of great darkness."

About the role, Criss added, "I did as much research as humanly possible, but there's not a whole lot of preparation you can do. The only thing you can really do is be available to all emotions at all times. At any point, [Cunanan] is ready to fire off in any direction."

More from Murphy. Here's more proof that Ryan Murphy never sleeps. The creator of Nip/Tuck, Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Feud and 9-1-1 has had another series picked up by FX.

Murphy has co-created a scripted dance musical series titled Pose that will be set in 1980s New York and star Evan Peters (American Horror Story), Kate Mara (House of Cards) and James Van Der Beek (Dawson's Creek).

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will make history by featuring five transgender actors in regular roles.

FX says, "The drama looks at the juxtaposition of several segments of life and society in 1980s New York -- the rise of the luxury Trump-era universe, the downtown social and literary scene and the ball culture world."

"Ball culture" refers to an LGBT subculture that stages competitions at events known as balls.

Murphy described the show as an exploration of the "universal quest" for identity, family and respect.

The first season of eight episodes is scheduled to begin production next month with a debut set for this summer.

Black Lightning premieres at 8 p.m. today and brings a bit of diversity to The CW's world of superheroes.

Based on the DC Comics character, the series stars Cress Williams as retired superhero Jefferson Pierce, who is forced to take his costume out of mothballs and return to gang-fighting vigilante status. The series details its effects on his family.

Also starring are China Anne McClain, Nafessa Williams, Christine Adams, James Remar, Damon Gupton and Marvin "Krondon" Jones III.

There will be 13 episodes in the first season.

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Style on 01/16/2018

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