‘The People v. O.J. Simpson’ Cast Power Rankings: ‘100% Not Guilty’

Fred Goldman is not a chill character, and we wouldn’t expect him to be. His frustration is palpable and incredibly understandable, as his murdered son’s name is being dragged through the mud as O.J. and Nicole’s dirty laundry is being dragged into the spotlight. But Siravio’s performance dips into hysteria more than once; it feels flailing when so many of the other performances are more controlled.

Previous rank: N/A

Greenwood continues to play that brick wall of pragmatism perfectly. You get the sense that his character is completely aware of how the “optics” of the case are conspiring to screw them.

Previous rank: 15

Big week for Larry! Sit-downs with Faye Resnick and F. Lee Bailey clearly establish Larry King Live as the preeminent place for O.J. commentary in the American Crime Story universe. Sorry about it, Geraldo Rivera and Greta Van Susteren.

Previous rank: 16

This week was the Ross-est Robert Kardashian has felt since the series began. Every revelation from Faye Resnick’s tell-all; every development in the power struggle between Shapiro and Cochran; all were met by that Ross Gellar hangdog expression, like Emily just left him at the altar after he blurted out Rachel’s name during the vows. Schwimmer can do better.

Previous rank: 6

That smirk at the arraignment! Gooding is doing a good job selling O.J. getting his confidence back, and it’s an ugly thing. The more that Cochran begins to work his magic, the more you get the sense that O.J. knows he’s getting off.

Previous rank: 12

I’m into this depiction of a loose, fun, ambitious Lance Ito. It’s a change of pace from the stone face we all knew from the trial. I’m dying to know how this version of Judge Ito reacts to Jay Leno’s Dancing Itos.

Previous rank: N/A

Still giving A+ side-eye.

Previous rank: 8

Lane is working wonders to add layers to Bailey. This week, we see Bailey’s vanity as Shapiro tells him he’ll be working the case pro-bono. As Bailey retorts, he’s worked for the best and most notorious defendants of their lifetime … and at least Patty Hearst paid. Add to that the backhanded maneuverings as Bailey threw Shapiro under the bus to Larry King and we’ve got one unexpectedly fascinating Dream Team-er.

Previous rank: 3

Loving how loose and fun Brown is in this role. He’s so likeable! He’d probably crush those focus-group rankings that Marcia Clark tanked so bad.

Previous rank: 1

We’re starting to see the hubris at the heart of what will become Marcia Clark’s downfall. Thus far, she’s principled, she’s aggressive is pursuit of justice, and she’s righteous. But she’s also blind to the issues of perception that will soon doom her and her case. She says it straight-out to Darden: “What am I not seeing?” Paulson is playing it so that she honestly can’t see it coming.

Previous rank: 4

“Lesbian sex 197.” That’s Bob Shapiro announcing to his legal team that there’s a steamy passage in Faye Resnick’s book that they should pay attention to. Travolta sells it like a pronouncement from on high. He continues to marvel and amaze.

Previous rank: 2

This was the episode we were all waiting for. At the very least, this was the episode I was waiting for. Faye Resnick in real life is already a Ryan Murphy character, so watching Connie Britton chomp down on carrot sticks and sleaze her way through blithe descriptions of coke parties and Brentwood hellos was worth the wait.

Previous rank: N/A

Vance is doing a very canny job playing Johnnie Cochran as both charlatan and man of conscience. The temptation had to have been to play Cochran as basically Jackie Chiles from Seinfeld, but Vance knows enough to make the man far more mercurial. Cochran’s legal tactics are questionable — the way he bullies Marcia Clark over hair samples — but also effective. He maneuvers around Shapiro, but it’s the right thing for the client. In Vance’s hands, Cochran is what Chris Darden says he is: the real deal.

Previous rank: 5