The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX, January 17)

How did Ryan Murphy and the American Crime Story team ever think they could follow up The People V. O.J. Simpson with anything other than The Assassination Of Gianni Versace? So much of what made O.J. 2016’s show of the year is on display here: a headline-grabbing tragedy, true-crime-lit source material, an indictment of prejudiced law enforcement, an award-winning actor whose performance lifts a public figure out of her eternal state of media caricature. And The Assassination Of Gianni Versace aims to do all of this on a more sustainable scale than Katrina—once planned as American Crime Story’s second installment, now slated to be its third. If anything, Tom Rob Smith’s adaptation of Maureen Orth’s Vulgar Favors is even more human-sized than The People V. O.J. Simpson, telling the tales of two men—fashion designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramírez) and serial killer Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss)—on parallel tracks of fame and notoriety, their individual struggles with personal ambitions and demons ultimately meeting in catastrophe on the steps of Versace’s South Beach villa. Criss’ chilly, chameleonic work as Cunanan is the best of his career; in her poignant portrayal of Donatella Versace, Penélope Cruz gives Ramírez’s character both a foil and a confidant, and gives Emmy voters reason to pay attention. [Erik Adams]

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