Do you think The Assassination of Gianni Versace has the potential to be as big as The People vs OJ Simpson? Or is 90s gay politics too niche for audiences?
A: Hank Stuever
Is it political, though? What principles did Andrew Cunanan stand for?
That said, I think you’re onto something. Make the subject gay (either a little bit or a lot) and you still lose some potential audience (dude bros, mainly), though not nearly to the degree that you once might have. Plus, I think everyone wants to tune in to see if this one is as good as the last one. Versace is nowhere near the true-crime mania that accompanies the subject of O.J. Simpson. Minus the crazed gay serial killer angle and debaucherous gay luxury angle, he Versace murder is hard sell as a work of nostalgia or revisionist drama.
I have seen two episodes at this point, but I have a feeling I’ll be bingeing a lot more of it tonight in advance of FX’s presentations tomorrow. What I can say, so far, is that this series hits the same sweet spot that the O.J. series did, between fact and sensation. Darren Criss goes all out as Andrew Cunanan.
Q: Darren Criss
Is that the Street Magician guy?
A: Hank Stuever
No, it’s the guy from “Glee.”
What to Watch: TV chat with Hank Stuever
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