How to watch the Oscar-winning O.J. Simpson documentary Made In America
The People Vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story is also available to stream
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On Thursday, 11 April 2024, American football player O.J. Simpson passed away at 76 years old following a battle with cancer.
The star, who was given the nickname ‘Juice’, rose to prominence in the sports world in the late 1960s, enjoying a career as a running back in the NFL that saw him play for the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49s until the late '70s.
After his football career, Simpson transitioned into movies, famously starring in The Naked Gun trilogy and coming close to stealing the role of the Terminator away from Arnold Schwarzenegger in James Cameron’s celebrated sci-fi epic.
Then, in 1994, it all came crashing down when Simpson was accused and later acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman.
The intense drama surrounding his time in court and the circumstances leading to his arrest quickly overshadowed any previous achievements he may have acquired. Plus, as someone with an admitted history of spousal abuse, the court’s ‘not-guilty’ verdict left many people around the world stunned and the families of Brown and Goldman without any form of justice.
The news of Simpson’s death has prompted many to revisit the wild story of his life, something which has been captured in all of its troubling and uncomfortable detail in two award-winning shows.
Read on to find out how you can explore this infamous figure on screen.
Where to stream O.J.: Made in America documentary
The award-winning documentary O.J.: Made in America is currently streaming on Disney+.
Released in 2016 and directed by filmmaker Ezra Edelman, this five-part docuseries chronicles all aspects of Simpson’s life, from his beginnings as a sports star rising up the ranks, to the edge-of-your-seat drama surrounding his arrest for murder and the unbelievable events featured in his court case.
Edelman’s film places particular focus on the roles of race and celebrity in America and spends time looking at Simpson’s unique status as a famous Black man and how this changed once his reputation was tarnished.
The film goes beyond Simpson’s acquittal and tells the story surrounding his eventual imprisonment 13 years later following a robbery charge. The docuseries was critically acclaimed and went on to win the Best Documentary Feature award at the 2017 Oscars.
Where to stream The People Vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
The People Vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story is also available to stream on Disney+ and takes a dramatised look at Simpson’s murder trial via a starry ensemble cast.
A spin-off of Ryan Murphy’s popular anthology series American Horror Story, The People Vs. O.J. Simpson also debuted in 2016 and cast Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson.
He was joined by American Horror Story regular Sarah Paulson as lead prosecutor Marcia Clark, Friends star David Schwimmer as Simpson’s real-life best friend and Kim’s dad, Robert Kardashian and John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, a key member of Simpson’s defence team.
Much like Edelman’s documentary, Murphy’s fictionalised take on Simpson’s infamy also bagged numerous awards, including the gong for Outsanding Limited Series at the 2017 Emmys.
O.J.: Made in America and The People Vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story are both available on Disney+.
