Tired of cliffhangers occurring between seasons? Tired of waiting a to find out what happened to you favorite characters? As someone who screams frantically when the credits begin to roll on such finales, I know I am. Then I discovered a new kind of show known as an anthology where the entire story would finish within a season without giving the viewer anything to cringe or worry over. Of course, there are cliffhangers between episodes, but at least one can go into the show knowing that in a matter of episodes, everything will end. When people told me about “American Horror Story,” I did some research of the concept of the show and watched a few episodes, and at the end, I was so happy that I found a show that tied all loose ends.
Before I binged watch further, however, I came across a commercial for a new season of an ABC show I had yet to hear of. It entailed high school basketball players with promising futures, a boy who appeared to be intoxicated, plenty of shots of parents of the players defending their sons while the mother of the intoxicated boy begged the school administration to take action,and an coach played by “Leverage’s” Timothy Hutton saying that police will make arrests, all before the announcer announced the name of the show as “American Crime.” As someone who loves crime shows and had just become fond of the anthology genre, I was immediately interested and have followed the show closely since the premiere with only positive feedback.
The show “American Crime,” like “American Horror Story,” is an anthology, but this time it follows crimes that happen in everyday life. Season one focused on a war veteran who was murdered and showed the reactions his family, law enforcement, and even the suspects. This new season follows the same concept with a different story. Season two follows Taylor Blaine, a low-income student who attends a prestigious high school full of students from wealthy families who generally look down on those with financial aid. One day, photos of him intoxicated at a party thrown by the school’s basketball team surface around the school. When his mom, Anne, asks him about it, Taylor tells her he was raped. His mom takes action and does all she can to find out who attacked her son and to bring justice and to bring justice to that person. She must do this while facing an administration more concerned about profit and school reputation, parents of the basketball team members concerned over their sons’ futures over Taylor’s and law enforcement officials who need more evidence.
This show is incredibly exciting and intense with sharp camera techniques, acting that makes the characters realistic and brings them to life and a plot that has the viewers not only guessing what will happento the victims and suspects but also who the victims and suspects are themselves. The show also touches real-life issues such as social status, the privilege of school athletics and homosexuality. Any fan of anthologies such as “American Horror Story” or even crime shows ought to give this new anthology a good look.
