 American Crime Story is a true crime anthology series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Kerazuski, with executive producers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Nina Jacobson. It is a spin-off of Falchuk and Murphy's horror anthology, American Horror Story, and the first season titled The People vs. OJ Simpson premiered on February 2, 2016. It was an instant success with premiere ratings of 5.12 Live Viewers, which set a record for a highest-rated original drama premiere on FX. Season 1 was also a hit with critics, scoring a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The People vs. OJ Simpson also gathered 9 Primetime Emmy Awards. After a year of confusion on when the second season would air and what it would be about, Season 2 officially premiered on January 17, 2018, titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, American Crime Story. The second season was less of a rating smash for FX than its predecessor, but still nothing to worry about when compared to FX's other content. The slight slip in viewership is mirrored by a slight drop in critical acclaim, scoring still an astounding 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and The Assassination of Gianni Versace collected 3 Primetime Emmy Awards. Despite these immensely successful two seasons, the status of the show is currently categorized as on a hiatus. So why aren't FX and Ryan Murphy going full steam ahead and cashing in on the success while the iron is hot? Two words, development hell. See despite what you've heard, hell sucks, it's not fun. Following the immense success of The People vs. OJ Simpson, the series was renewed up to Season 4 with the second season being announced to be revolving around Hurricane Katrina and would air in 2018. Simultaneously, The Assassination of Gianni Versace was also being developed for the third season. Due to unknown circumstances that would later become more clear, it was then announced that American Crime Story Versace would air as the second season in early 2018 while Katrina would begin production as Versace aired. However, as Versace aired, Katrina was not in production and word fell silent for a while regarding the status of American Crime Story Katrina. While Katrina and Versace were being developed, it was also announced that they had already been developing the franchise's fourth installment, set to feature one of America's biggest presidential scandals, the affair of Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky. Yes, all three seasons were seemingly being developed simultaneously and now it seems that Versace may have been the only one to make it out of development hell unscathed. The first bit of trouble was revealed when Ryan Murphy announced that the series's fourth cycle was no longer to revolve around the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal due to the showrunners running with the real-life Monica Lewinsky. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan Murphy stated that he told Lewinsky nobody should tell your story but you and I think it's gross if they do. He went on to add that he offered Lewinsky a producer's position on the fourth season of American Crime Story, stating he told her if you want to produce it with me I would love that. But you should be the producer and you should make the goddamn money. Given that Ryan Murphy is no longer moving forward with this season, we can assume that Lewinsky declined this offer. The source material for the season was announced to be the book of vast conspiracy, the real story of the sex scandal that nearly brought down a president. So based upon that, we can assume the general idea and direction the season would have went. The scandal, the denial, the trial, and the impeachment. But unfortunately, we will never know for sure how it would have played out on screen or who would have been playing these notable figures. As of September 2018, season 3 is still expected to be American Crime Story Katrina, however no information is known as to when it will begin production or when it is expected to premiere. FX chief John Landcraft says, my understanding is that they've seen scripts, so much of it right now is Ryan's. He kind of sets his own timetable. He went on to say that he believes Pose and American Horror Story will have new seasons every year. But new American Crime Story and feud seasons will come out whenever the material is ready and Ryan Murphy can fit it into his schedule. The original plan for American Crime Story Katrina went as follows. When it was originally announced, American Crime Story Katrina was supposed to be based on Douglas Brinkley's book, The Great Deluge, Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It would start Annette Benning as Governor Kathleen Blanco, Dennis Quaid as George W. Bush, and Matthew Broderick as FEMA head Michael Brown. This version of American Crime Story Katrina would have focused on how the New Orleans government, as well as the United States government, possibly mishandled the situation of Hurricane Katrina. But this version would never be told on screen because in summer 2017 it was announced that this take on the story was abandoned, and the new premise would be based off the book Five Days at Memorial, Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sherry Fink. For those who are unfamiliar with the controversy at this hospital, allow me to summarize. Potential spoiler alert for American Crime Story Katrina, but Dr. Anna Poe, who is supposed to be played by Sarah Paulson, was on duty during and after Katrina's landfall on August 29th until September 1st. By August 31st, 2005, Memorial Medical Center was surrounded by floodwaters, had no sanitation, was low on food and supplies, had no electricity, which resulted in indoor temperatures reportedly reaching up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of this, the staff at the Medical Center made the decision to evacuate the hospital. Several patients died in the evacuation process, but by September 2nd, 2005, patients, their family members, and staff evacuated under, quote, incredibly difficult circumstances. The seventh floor of the Memorial Medical Center was dedicated to providing long-term care for severely ill patients, and its goal was to improve these patients' health to the point where they no longer needed medical care. This is where things get particularly dark. Emmett Everett was one of those patients on the seventh floor and was awake and alert during the situation. He was waiting for a surgical procedure to relieve chronic bowel obstruction, which is not necessarily a life-threatening condition. Allegedly, Poe gave Everett a lethal cocktail of drugs with the intent of killing him. Everett weighed 380 pounds, so according to staff, Poe didn't believe that the staff could assist him in the evacuation, thus her decision to end his life. In testimony, Annapoe did say that the decision was a team decision and not hers alone. On September 11th, following Katrina, 45 bodies were recovered from the hospital. A psychology test revealed that 23 of those bodies tested positive for morphine and or fast-acting sedative, Versed, but a few reportedly were prescribed the morphine for pain. It was also reported that the staff had discussed euthanizing patients. Experts reported that the levels of morphine and Versed in the bodies was abnormal. With multiple reports like these on July 17th, 2006, Dr. Annapoe was arrested and charged with four counts of second-degree murder in connection to the deaths of four patients on the seventh floor. Nurses Lori Budo and Sherry Landry were also arrested and charged, but the charges were dropped for the nurses in exchange for their testimony. State Attorney General Charles Foddy announced the arrest and stated, this is not euthanasia, this is plain and simple homicide. The arrest warrant stated that Poe and the nurses intentionally killed Emmett Everett, Hollis Alford, Aretha Watson, and Rosie Savoy. The nurses that testified testified in defense of Annapoe, and after trial Annapoe's charges were cleared and the state of Louisiana paid Poe's legal fees for $450,000. Three lawsuits were filed against Poe, but were settled and the families agreed to be quiet about the terms of the settlement. That's just a basic unbiased rundown of the case and how it unfolded, but if you're interested in it there are a few documentaries and books on the subject and I would recommend you look into them if you're into that kind of stuff. When the season was originally announced in 2016, Ryan Murphy stated, in my opinion, Katrina was an effing crime, a crime against a lot of people who didn't have a strong voice. We're going to treat it as a crime. That's what this show is all about. In August 2018, director Anthony Hemingway and FX chief John Landcraft both shared their concerns about the slow development with the project. And for now, the future of American Crime Story is sitting in the limbo that has plagued many Hollywood projects in the past. Development hell. So what do you think? Would you have liked the Lewinsky-Clinton-based season of American Crime Story? Do you think Katrina will end up being scrapped like the Lewinsky-Clinton season? 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