When FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story premieres tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT, it will be a culmination of a great many trends on TV and beyond.

With Fargo and American Horror Story, FX was on the cutting edge of the anthology revolution on TV, a format uniquely suited for today’s crowded TV landscape.

Few are nostalgic for the O.J. Simpson trial, but true-crime TV has been a sensation ever since Serial made podcasts a thing, and Netflix’s Making a Murderer and HBO’s The Jinx inspired many more such TV series to come (including one based on Serial).

Ryan Murphy has seemingly been trending since Glee, with American Horror Story and Scream Queens proving the power of social media.

With a star-studded cast that includes Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian and Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, and a slew of other big names, American Crime Story is a diverse ensemble that’s as timely today as it was 21 years ago during the “trial of the century,” given the tragedies of Ferguson and beyond.

FX hopes the American Crime Story‘s first 10-episode season proves to be a confluence of all these TV trends.

Based on Jeffrey Toobin’s The Run of His Life, the series has a powerhouse of executives behind it, including Murphy, frequent co-conspirator Brad Falchuk, creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski and executive producers Brad Simpson, Nina Jacobsen and Dante Di Loreto.

The show’s marketing campaign didn’t truly begin in earnest until this past October, but like American Horror Story, following the casting news on the show was an adventure on its own.

Frank Micelotta/FX Networks
Photo Credit: Frank Micelotta/FX Networks

In its campaign, FX has capitalized on the Cult of Ryan Murphy, connecting the show with American Horror Story, and especially star Sarah Paulson, who’s been dishing out buzzy turns left and right for the anthology master.

The show’s ads are even reminiscent of American Horror Story‘s stylish quick pops, debuting in October.

The network debuted the show’s first official trailer December 2, exactly two months before its premiere.

From there, the majority of the cast traveled to Pasadena for the Winter TCA Press Tour in January, and have appeared in cover stories for Entertainment Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter.

The chase, the glove, the trail. Remaking a Murder. @entertainmentweekly

A photo posted by American Crime Story FX (@americancrimestoryfx) on

With one week before the premiere, FX released its latest video, a “First-Look” featurette that provides audiences with the most we’ve seen thus far of the show.

But the network is banking on the fact that viewers want #TheWholeStory, positioning the series as a behind-the-scenes snapshot of what America DIDN’T see during the trial.

FX’s campaign has been bold, leveraging the many hallmarks of the case (The Glove, The Letter, The Lie) in their key art on Instagram, Twitter and billboards alike:

Get the whole story. 5 days. #acsfx

A photo posted by American Crime Story FX (@americancrimestoryfx) on

We’ll learn tomorrow if FX’s Ryan Murphy and its true story leanings strategy pays off.

The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story premieres Tuesday February 2 at 10 PM on FX.

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