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TV This Week

For O.J. Simpson, an unsurprising verdict

But a fascinating journey nonetheless on FX's 'American Crime Story'

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

April 5, 2016

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For a brief period in the 1990s, the nation was obsessed with O.J. Simpson. We watched him speed off in a white Bronco, try on the telltale glove, and receive the verdict in the case accusing him of murdering his ex-wife and a friend.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that the O.J. obsession returned so easily this winter. “American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson” wraps up tonight at 10 p.m. not just as FX’s latest successful launch but also as the show that reminded us how much we still care about Simpson.

Over the previous two months, “People” has dramatized the case against Simpson and how it played out in the courtroom and with the media. In the season finale, the verdict is delivered.

Everyone already knows what that verdict is – not guilty. Most people even remember where they were when they heard the verdict delivered, like they remember where they were when they heard the Berlin wall was coming down or that the Challenger space shuttle had exploded.

The media has slipped easily, happily back into O.J. mode, perhaps because things were so simple 20 years ago. There was no Twitter or Facebook or mobile video, just Court TV delivering the daily glimpses of the trial and CNN reporting on it.

Simpson’s been all over television since “People” debuted. Oprah Winfrey Network, nightly newscasts and others have run specials looking at where the Simpson case participants are now.

Sunday Esquire Network had the brilliant idea of replaying Court TV coverage of the trial, drawing quite a response on social media.

Many magazines have revisited the case, trying to offer perspective on why it matters and what sort of media evils it wrought.

But it’s not very complex. He was a famous person accused of doing something horrendous. That tends to happen a lot nowadays; it didn’t then.

Expect the season finale of “People” to draw strong ratings, which will get even bigger with seven-day DVR playback, where it routinely doubles its live numbers.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, APRIL 5
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol: American Dream” (R)	A 90-minute special looking at highlights from past seasons of the reality competition.
8:30 p.m.	ESPN	“Women’s College Basketball” (S)	The women’s national championship game in Indianapolis.
9 p.m.	TBS	“America’s Greatest Makers” (R)	Series premiere. New reality competition in which tech experts pitch ideas for new technologies.
10 p.m.	FX	“The People v. O.J. Simpsons” (D)	Season finale. The two sides deliver their closing statements before the verdict is given.
10 p.m.	MTV	“Awkward” (C)	Jenna sets up an internship for Tamara.
10:30 p.m.	BET	“Chasing Destiny” (R)	Series premiere. Reality series following Kelly Rowland as she looks for a new female group.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	The three finalists perform in the first half of the series finale.
8:30 p.m.	Disney XD	“Walk the Prank” (C)	Series premiere. New series that’s half sitcom, half hidden-camera prank show.
9 p.m.	A&E	“Wahlburgers” (R)	Season finale. The crew plays in a game of softball at Fenway Park.
10 p.m.	Comedy Central	“Broad City” (C)	Ilana’s parents visit the city for their 30th anniversary.
10 p.m.	CNBC	“Follow the Leader” (N)	Series premiere. Financial expert Farnoosh Torabi looks at the philosophies of successful businesspeople.
10 p.m.	TLC	“Two in a Million” (R)	Series premiere. Reality series in which two people with rare medical conditions spend a week together and share their experiences.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
Time	Network	Program	Description
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Series finale. Many contestants from past seasons perform before this year’s winner is revealed.
8:30 p.m.	CBS	“The Odd Couple” (C)	Season premiere. Felix and Oscar try to save their neighbors’ marriage after eavesdropping on their arguments.
9 p.m.	Travel Channel	“Mysteries at the Museum” (N)	Season premiere. Mysteries include an electric chair that’s related to an unusual crime.
9 p.m.	CMT	“Party Down South” (R)	Season finale. The seventh season wraps up, followed by a reunion episode.
10 p.m.	USA	“WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony” (A)	This year’s inductees include The Godfather and Sting.
10:30 p.m.	TNT	“NBA Basketball” (S)	Another battle between the league’s top two teams, the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 a.m.	Amazon	“Catastrophe” (C)	Season premiere. The comedy’s complete second season becomes available.
3 p.m.	ESPN	“Golf” (S)	Live coverage of the second round of The Masters.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Sleepy Hollow” (D)	Season finale. The team tries to find a way to stop The Hidden One.
9 p.m.	ABC	“Shark Tank” (R)	Pitches include a supposed cure for those who are addicted to their cell phones.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Blue Bloods” (D)	Frank has to decide if he should promote an officer who was acquitted of killing a boy.
10 p.m.	Showtime	“All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records” (N)	Documentary looking at the history of the music store chain.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	CBS	“Golf” (S)	Third-round coverage of the year’s first major tournament, The Masters.
3:30 p.m.	NBC	‘NHL Hockey” (S)	The Penguins take on the Flyers as the regular season winds down.
7:30 p.m.	Fox	“NASCAR Racing” (S)	The Duck Commander 500 from Texas Motor Speedway.
8 p.m.	Lifetime	“The Cheerleader Murders” (M)	A high-schooler whose father and sister were murdered looks into the disappearance of two of her cheerleader teammates.
8:30 p.m.	ABC	‘NBA Basketball” (S)	LeBron and the Cavs take on the Bulls in Chicago.
9 p.m.	Starz	“Outlander” (D)	Season premiere. Jamie and Claire navigate the world of French society.
SUNDAY, APRIL 10
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	CBS	“Golf” (S)	Final round of The Masters, won last year by Jordan Spieth.
8 p.m.	MTV	“MTV Movie Awards” (A)	The 26th annual event, hosted by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart.
8 p.m.	Starz	“The Girlfriend Experience” (D)	Series premiere. New drama following female escorts.
9 p.m.	AMC	“Fear the Walking Dead” (D)	Season premiere. The families try to leave L.A. on Strand’s yacht.
9:30 p.m.	Showtime	“Dice” (C)	Series premiere. Sitcom in which comedian Andrew Dice Clay plays a version of himself trying to jumpstart his career.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Quantico” (D)	The trainees try to cross the U.S.-Canada border without passports.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.