29 January, 2025 Siobhan Marie Day 0 Comments 3 categories

Created by Stu Zicherman, Starring: Josh Andrés Rivera, Jaylen Barron, Lindsay Mendez, Ean Castellanos, Tammy Blanchard, and Country of origin: United States, with Original language: English, with No. of seasons: 1, No. of episodes: 10, with Executive producers: Stu Zicherman, Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Hernan Lopez, Carl Franklin, Marshall Lewy, Linda Pizutti Henry, Ira Napoliello, with Editors: Travis Weaver, Geofrey Hildrew, Hye Mee Na, Danielle Wang, and Jordan Bracewell, with Running time: 42–52 Minutes, and Production companies: Sleeping Indian, Inc., Monarch Pictures, Wondery, The Boston Globe, Color Force, Ryan Murphy Television, and 20th Television, and Original Network: FX, September 17, 2024 – present

Was it Icarus or Mental Illness…?

American Sports Story is a sports drama anthology series created by Stu Zicherman, who executive produced the series alongside Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexia Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy, Linda Pizutti Henry, and Ira Napoliello. It is the fourth installment series in the American Story media franchise, and was broadcast on the FX cable networks.

American Sports Story is an American sports drama anthology series developed by Stu Zicherman, who also serves as an executive producer alongside Ryan Murphy, Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson, Alexis Martin Woodall, Eric Kovtun, Hernan Lopez, Marshall Lewy, Linda Pizutti Henry, and Ira Napoliello. The series serves as the fourth installment in the American Story media franchise, and is broadcast on the cable network FX.

PARK CITY, UT - JANUARY 23: Filmmaker Stu Zicherman poses for a portrait during the 2013 Sundance Film Festival at the WireImage Portrait Studio at Village At The Lift on January 23, 2013 in Park City, Utah. Photo by Jeff Vespa/WireImage

Ryan Murphy during the 82nd Annual Golden Globes held at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 03: Nina Jacobson attends The Wrap's 2024 WrapWomen Power Women Summit at The Maybourne Beverly Hills on December 03, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Executive producer Brad Simpson attends The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story season finale episode at the Director Guild of America on March 19, 2018 in West Hollywood, California. Photo credit should read Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 23: Alexis Martin Woodall attend FX's "Grotesquerie" New York Premiere at Spring Studios on September 23, 2024 in New York City. Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images

Hernan Lopez during Variety's Entertainment & Technology Summit presented by City National Bank at The London Weho on September 26, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Rich Polk/Variety via Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 16: Eric Kovtun attends Los Angeles Premiere of Netflix's "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on September 16, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Marshall Lewy, CCO, Wondery attends Variety Shaping Culture With Podcasts, Presented By Wondery at Funke on September 19, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. Photo by Leon Bennett/Variety via Getty Images

American Story is an American anthology television franchise consisting of several television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX and FX on Hulu. Each series follows a different genre of fiction, with each individual season conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters and settings, and a story line with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season and series are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season and series, often playing a new character.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is the title of the first season of the anthology series and focuses on the rise and fall of former NFL tight end for the New England Patriots, Aaron Hernandez, until his arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd. The series premiered on September 17, 2024 with two episodes.

Aaron Josef Hernandez (November 6, 1989 – April 19, 2017) was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played three seasons with the New England Patriots until his arrest and conviction for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Hernandez played college football for the Florida Gators, earning first-team All-American honors and winning the 2009 BCS National Championship Game. Due to concerns towards his size and off the field incidents, he was not selected until the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Patriots at 20 years old. Alongside teammate Rob Gronkowski, Hernandez formed one of the league's most dominant tight end duos, becoming the first pair to score at least five touchdowns each in consecutive seasons for the same team. He also made an appearance in Super Bowl XLVI. During the 2013 offseason, Hernandez was arrested and charged for the murder of Odin Lloyd, a semi-professional player who was dating the sister of Hernandez's fiancée. Following his arrest, Hernandez was immediately released by the Patriots. He was found guilty of first-degree murder in 2015 and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center. While on trial for Lloyd's murder, Hernandez was also indicted for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado. He was acquitted after a 2017 trial. Five days after being acquitted of the double homicide, Hernandez was found dead in his cell, which was ruled a suicide. His conviction for Lloyd's murder was initially vacated under the doctrine of abatement ab initio because Hernandez died during its appeal, but was reinstated in 2019 following an appeal from prosecutors and Lloyd's family. Hernandez was posthumously diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has led to speculation over how the condition may have affected his behavior.

Hernandez was arrested at his home earlier today and is was charged with murder and five illegal firearms charges in relation to last week's slaying of Odin Lloyd, 27. Photo by The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Aaron Hernandez Charged with Murder of Odin Lloyd

Aaron Hernandez Headlines After Murder Arrest

Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez and his attorney Jose Baez during the defense of its case at Hernandez's double murder trial at Suffolk Superior Court.

Odin Leonardo John Lloyd (November 14, 1985 – June 17, 2013) was a semi-professional American football player in the New England Football League who was murdered by Aaron Hernandez, a former tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League, in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on June 17, 2013. Lloyd's death made international headlines following Hernandez's association with the investigation as a suspect. Lloyd had been a linebacker for a New England Football League (NEFL) semi-professional football team, the Boston Bandits,[1] since 2007.[2] Hernandez was arrested on June 26, 2013, and charged with the murder. Ninety minutes after his arrest, Hernandez was released by the Patriots.[3] Police also arrested two other men in connection with Lloyd's death: Carlos Ortiz on June 27, 2013, and Ernest Wallace on June 28, 2013.[4][5] Prosecutors say both men were with Hernandez when they drove to the location of the murder.[6] On August 22, 2013, Hernandez was indicted by a grand jury for the murder of Odin Lloyd. Nearly eight months later, Ortiz and Wallace were also indicted for the murder. On April 15, 2015, Hernandez was found guilty of first-degree murder, as well as five weapon charges, which required a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. On May 12, 2016, Wallace was acquitted of first-degree murder of Lloyd, but was convicted of being an accessory after the fact of the crime; he was sentenced to serve four and a half to seven years in prison.[7] On June 27, 2016, Ortiz changed his 'not guilty' plea and pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Ortiz. He was also sentenced to serve four and a half to seven years in prison. On April 14, 2017, Hernandez was acquitted on two separate murder charges for the 2012 double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado.[8] Five days later, on April 19, 2017, at 3:05 am, Hernandez was found dead in his prison cell by correctional officers after apparently hanging himself with a bedsheet. By killing himself before the appeal of his case could be completed, Hernandez's murder conviction was vacated, technically returning him to a state of innocent until proven guilty. The court's decision to vacate was appealed by the prosecutors and the Lloyd family's attorneys. In March 2019, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court overturned the entire doctrine of abatement ab initio, thus reinstating his original murder conviction.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc. from The Boston Globe and Wondery, and focuses on the rise and fall of former NFL player. Specifically, the series explores the disparate strands of Hernandez’s identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture.

The story of Aaron Hernandez unspooled rapidly in Boston and beyond, with developments almost impossible to digest in real time. The Patriots star tight end dazzled crowds with his spectacular athleticism, only to be implicated in one murder, then two others. There were trials, and verdicts, and a maximum security prison. He took his own life at age 27. What is the legacy of Aaron Hernandez? Through documents and audio recordings, some never before made public, and interviews with key people who have never before spoken, the Globe’s Spotlight Team has compiled the story of a profoundly troubled young man and the ugly underside of America’s most popular sport. Its reporters produced not only this six-part series, but also its first-ever multi-episode podcast where you can hear the voices – including that of Aaron Hernandez – that will bring the story alive.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez stars Josh Andrés Rivera, Jaylen Barron, Lindsay Mendez, Ean Castellanos, and Tammy Blanchard. The anthology series consisted of ten episodes that ended on November 12, 2024.

Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez in "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" (2024) Photo Credit: FX Networks

Jaylen Barron as Shayanna Jenkins in "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" (2024) Photo Credit: FX Networks

Lindsay Mendez as Tanya Singleton in "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" (2024) Photo Credit: FX Networks

Ean Castellanos as DJ Hernandez in "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" (2024) Photo Credit: FX Networks

Tammy Blanchard as Terri Hernandez in "American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" (2024) Photo Credit: FX Networks

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is the Featured Television Blog of the month for January, you can expect a detailed critique of the limited series where we look at the real life case of Aaron Hernandez. There is also a recommendation of the anthology series that includes a look at the cast of the series and a detailed synopsis of all nine episodes. There is also a detailed review of the anthology series looking at the Boston Globe podcast that the series is based on. For the interview, FX presents a behind-the-scenes interivew with, First Look at American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez. There is also a Top Ten List, and for American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, the list is My Top Ten American Story Series. Last but not least, the Featured Television Blog of the month includes an Official Trailer for the featured series!