FX Orders New Ryan Murphy Anthology Shows 'American Love Story' And 'American Sports Story'
Back in 2018, Netflix tore open the purse strings for a chance to snag Ryan Murphy away from Fox and its fellow cable channel, FX. And though the prolific showrunner has signed on for a multi-year deal with the streaming service, that doesn't mean he's done with the empire he's been building at FX. Murphy is expanding the American Story franchise with two brand new spinoffs — American Love Story and American Sports Story.
So many American stories to tell and so little time, huh? American Horror Story (the first in the franchise) spun horrific tales of fiction loosely based on true stories and is now approaching the release of its 10th season. The spin-offs have so far, followed closely in its footsteps. American Crime Story is also an anthology series, with a new premise each season. A little different from the bunch is American Horror Stories, which is a weekly anthology, changing its cast and storyline in each episode.
Between them, the series has a combined 141 Emmy nominations, with 33 of the awards won. If these new additions to the family are able to hold their own, the American Story franchise might end up with a chokehold on the ceremony.
American Sports Story
As usual, these series tell it all with their titles.
American Sports Story will retell the stories of historic and world-class sports figures, delving into the finer details of their lives that shaped the narratives remembered today. Like the rest of the franchise, this will be a scripted anthology series, casting actors as famous figures. The first season will focus on the Aaron Hernandez Trial. Per the official press release:
The first installment of American Sports Story is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc from the Boston Globe and Wondery. The limited series charts the rise and fall of NFL superstar Aaron Hernandez and explores the connections of the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide, and their legacy in sports and American culture.
The series is set to be written by The Americans' Stu Zicherman, and executive produced by Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Falchuk, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy, Linda Pizutti Henry, and Ira Napoliello.
American Love Story
American Love Story is similarly a scripted anthology and, you guessed it, focuses on various famous love stories. The first season details the courtship and eventual marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
What started out as a beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, began to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel gaze of tabloid media. The pressures of their careers and rumored family discord ended with their tragic deaths when his private plane crashed into the ocean on a hazy summer night off the coast of Massachusetts.
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, and Alexis Martin Woodall executive produce the series.
American Crime Story
The third season of American Crime Story is already on the way, set to premiere next month on September 7, 2021. Impeachment follows the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and the impeachment of then-president Bill Clinton.
Plans for season 4 are already being considered. Along with the two new spin-offs, FX announced that Studio 54: American Crime Story is currently in development. This season would trace the story of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager whose 1977 midtown Manhattan disco was renowned for excess. A popular spot for the rich and famous, Studio 54 was known for lavish parties, music, sex, and drugs. But every epic rise has a more devastating fall. For Rubell and Schrager, their downfall came in the form of tax fraud.