Ask Matt: Versace Doesn’t Register in ‘Versace,’ Votes for HGTV’s ‘Home Town,’ ‘Black Panther’ on TV, and More – TV Insider

Does Versace Need Versace?

Question: We’re now more than halfway through the highly emotional second season of FX’s American Crime Story anthology, The Assassination of Gianni Versace, and the least intriguing parts are the scenes (thankfully just a couple this week) that feature Versace! The third and fourth episodes didn’t have anything to do with Versace and they were the strongest episodes to date. It’s so ironic that the title of this extremely compelling series features the name Versace. — Fred

Matt Roush: And yet without the high-profile slaying of the celebrated designer, which catapulted the deranged Andrew Cunanan onto the front pages while also marking the end of his reign of terror, this fascinating and unsettling docudrama almost surely wouldn’t exist. Calling the series “The Madness of Andrew Cunanan,” while more appropriate, wouldn’t have the same ring. Addressing your criticism, I don’t mind the Versace scenes. Edgar Ramirez is doing a fine job working on a much smaller canvas to depict certain turning points in Versace’s life, including most recently his coming out, which made an interesting parallel to the equally-ill fated Navy officer played by Finn Wittrock, who gave his interview about gays in the military to CBS News from the shadows. The series seems to be making the point that while Versace made a name for himself, trying to live openly and honestly, the man who would end his life was doing anything but, existing in a toxic world of narcissistic delusion. That’s a pretty powerful contrast.

Ask Matt: Versace Doesn’t Register in ‘Versace,’ Votes for HGTV’s ‘Home Town,’ ‘Black Panther’ on TV, and More – TV Insider