Here's Everything You Need To Know About 'American Crime Story' Season 3
Ryan Murphy famously took himself off to Netflix once he heard Disney was buying out Fox. But that doesn't mean his shows on FX are just going to disappear along with him. As long as FX keeps renewing American Horror Story, Feud, and Pose, they all still keep running on the network. And that will continue to be the way it works, even if there are years-long hiatuses between seasons. Such is the case with American Crime Story, which did not air a season this year. So when does Impeachment: American Crime Story premiere? Not until 2020, but it's with good reason.
Unlike shows like American Horror Story and Pose, American Crime Story bases each season on real events. This can be tricky, especially when those involved would rather not have the events of the past dredged up. Murphy has had to juggle around his ideas, putting planned seasons on the backburner because things get in the way.
For instance, after the first season The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story was a hit, word was Murphy planned Season 2 to focus on Hurricane Katrina. The project went so far as to cast Sarah Paulson. But after multiple delays, it still hasn't happened. Instead, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story wound up as the second season, despite the protests of the Versace family.
FX has also been floating the idea of a season of American Crime Story based on the 1997 Clinton impeachment scandal. But like Katrina, it seemed to be indefinitely delayed, until now. At the Television Critics Association summer press tour, it was announced Impeachment: American Crime Story will air beginning on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.
So why the holdup? Murphy wasn't willing to do the story unless Monica Lewinsky was willing to come on board. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he felt she should be the producer to control how her story was told and "make all the goddamn money."
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lewinsky revealed she was initially hesitant, but that Murphy's work telling the stories of marginalized people convinced her.
People have been co-opting and telling my part in this story for decades. In fact, it wasn’t until the past few years that I’ve been able to fully reclaim my narrative; almost 20 years later.
The cast currently in place includes Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart) as Lewinsky and Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp, the woman who recorded and betrayed her. Annaleigh Ashford (Smash) will play Paula Jones, who sued Clinton for sexual harassment during his first term. Her case was initially written off. But when the Lewinsky affair came to light, independent counsel Ken Starr used Jones' case as an excuse to widen his investigation into Clinton, which eventually led to the impeachment proceedings.
According to Deadline, writer Sarah Burgess will adapt Impeachment from Jeffrey Toobin’s A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President. The will be the second time Toobin’s material will be the basis for an ACS season. Season 1 was based on his 1997 book, The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson.
Impeachment: American Crime Story is scheduled to premiere next year, starting Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020.
