The new sports crime series from Ryan Murphy became a streaming hit. The prolific creator and mega-producer has a long history on the small screen, dating back to the teen drama Popular which aired on The WB in the late 1990s and 2000s. It then moved to Pinch/Foldwhich ran from 2003 to 2010 on FX. However, Murphy became one of the most recognizable names in television with the one-two punch of Happiness and American horror story in early 2010.
Murphy continues to be a prolific producer and 2024 has proven to be an exceptionally busy year for the creator. He has procedural dramas on broadcast television, with the 9-1-1 show and Doctor Odysseyboth of which he co-created. And in streaming, thanks to a waiver in his deal with Disney’s 20th Television, he can continue working on his existing Netflix shows like Monster season 3, while also developing new series for ABC, FX and Hulu. One of those dramas, for FX and Hulu, has now found new life.
American Sports Story is a hit on Hulu
The show focuses on Aaron Hernandez
According to Colliderthe police drama American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez is currently the #1 trending show on Hulu. This comes nearly two months after the show premiered in September with a 74% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and comes as the series prepares to air its final episode on November 12. Murphy executive executive produced the anthology, although it was developed by Stu Zicherman.
The first installment of American sports history consists of ten episodes. It is based on Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez podcast and the Football Inc. podcast, centered on the rise and fall of Aaron Hernandez (played in the series by Josh Rivera). It explores his identity and family, his career and his tragic end. The anthology generated mixed reactionswith praise for the performances, but criticism about the way the story was told and its focus.
What does the new success mean for American sports history?
Subscribers May Be Wanting to Binge
In a sign of how streaming has altered viewing habits, it may be that many subscribers were looking to enjoy Aaron Hernandez’s adaptation at their own pace. This is understandable given the difficult real-life subject matter American sports historywhich deals with murders, family conflicts and difficult questions to answer.
Source: Collider