FX’s The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story won the Emmy for best limited series on Sunday night.
The show beat out ABC’s American Crime, FX’s Fargo, AMC’s The Night Manager and History’s Roots.
People v. O.J. Simpson, nominated for 22 awards, has garnered five wins including best actor in a limited series or movie for Courtney B. Vance’s performance (he beat out co-star Cuba Gooding Jr.), supporting actor in a limited series or movie for Sterling K. Brown’s performance (beating out co-stars John Travolta and David Schwimmer) and best actress in a limited series or movie for Sarah Paulson’s performance.
The FX series also took home the Emmy for best writing for a limited series, movie or dramatic special (it was nominated for three separate episodes in that category).
“In the wrong hands, it could have been very tabloid-y,” exec producer Ryan Murphy told reporters backstage Sunday of his anthology drama (season two will examine Hurricane Katrina). “Everyone worked really hard to make it about something deeper, more serious and more modern. That’s what we’re doing moving forward with American Crime Story: We’re interested in socially relevant stories; we won’t be doing trial of the week. We’re trying to use our light to shed some new insight and historical knowledge on some of these famous cases. That’s what we started tonight and that’s what we’re doing moving forward.”
It also was nominated three times in the category of best directing for a limited series, movie or dramatic special (for Ryan Murphy, John Singleton and Anthony Hemingway) but lost out to Susanne Bier for AMC’s The Night Manager.
In addition, the series won Emmys for best casting and best hairstyling for a limited series, movie or special at last week’s Creative Arts Emmys.
Jimmy Kimmel hosted the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards, which aired live on ABC from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
A complete list of winners can be found here. The winners for the Creative Arts Emmys, which were handed out last weekend over two nights, can be found here.
