Premiering January 17 on FX, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” is showrunner Ryan Murphy’s follow-up in the “American Crime Story” true crime anthology series to “The People v. O.J. Simpson.” That debut season two years ago won 10 Emmys, including three for acting, but not for big names Cuba Gooding Jr., David Schwimmer and John Travolta. It was instead career-redefining work by rising stars Sterling K. Brown, Sarah Paulson and Courtney B. Vance that lit up the awards circuit. “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” pulls that same bait-and-switch.

Oscar winner Penelope Cruz features heavily in marketing materials as Gianni Versace’s sister, but appears in just half of the eight episodes made available for the press to preview (out of nine total for the season). Between the second and seventh episodes, she has only one scene. Grammy winner Ricky Martin is similarly absent as Gianni’s boyfriend. Emmy nominee Edgar Ramirez has top billing in the eponymous role, but spends most of the first episode on a gurney and tallies only one more episode than Cruz and Martin — by cameoing in a dream sequence.

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” is really the story of serial killer Andrew Cunanan, played by Darren Criss. Cunanan is the only character to appear in every episode, with the show working backward from 1997 through his life and murders. The first two episodes explore Cunanan’s connection to Versace, with subsequent episodes expanding on previous victims — with only random and sporadic asides to the Versace clan — and the eighth episode delving into Cunanan himself, going back to 1980 to depict his childhood.

This procedural approach provides excellent standalone acting showcases for guest stars Jon Jon Briones (episode 8), Mike Farrell (episode 3), Cody Fern(episode 4), Judith Light (episode 3) and Finn Wittrock (episode 5). Fern and Wittrock are in just as many episodes as main cast members Cruz and Martin, but their appearances fit more organically into the narrative. Wittrock has already been Emmy-nominated for a standout supporting performance in a Ryan Murphy anthology series — “American Horror Story: Freak Show” three years ago.

Criss also got his big break acting in television under Murphy, on “Glee,” later writing a song for its series finale, earning the musical its sole Emmy nomination for Best Original Music and Lyrics. A compulsive liar, charming manipulator and homicidal psychopath, Cunanan is the role of a lifetime and Criss is perfect casting, down to his half-Filipino background.

Emmy nominees for “M*A*S*H” and “Transparent” respectively, Mike Farrell and Judith Light play a married couple, but neither will be eligible for Emmy consideration because they do not appear in five percent of the total runtime of the season, a prerequisite for the Best Movie/Limited Supporting Acting categories after Ellen Burstyn was nominated for a 15-second cameo in the 2006 movie “Mrs. Harris.” Also worthy of recognition, yet ineligible is Max Greenfield, unrecognizable in the opening two Miami-set episodes as Cunanan’s short-term boyfriend. Greenfield is an Emmy nominee for the sitcom “New Girl” and was previously directed by Murphy on “American Horror Story: Hotel.”

‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’ preview: Ryan Murphy sidelines big names for rising stars