American Crime Story Season 3 is coming to FX after the last season explored the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace by Andrew Cunanan.
American Crime Story debuted on FX in February 2016 with a 10-episode Season 1, titled The People v. O. J. Simpson. The series explored the trial of O.J. Simpson, based on Jeffrey Toobin’s The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson.
Following the success of American Story Season 1, a nine-episode Season 2, titled The Assassination of Gianni Versace, premiered in January 2018.
Here is everything that we know so far about American Crime Story Season 3, including release date, cast updates, and plot.
This article provides everything that is known about American Crime Story Season 3 and all related news. As such, this article will be updated over time with news, rumors, and analysis. Meanwhile, let’s dig down into what is known so far.
Is there going to be a Season 3 of American Crime Story?
Yes, there is going to be Season 3 of American Crime Story.
The upcoming season, entitled Impeachment: American Crime Story, will be based on the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
Release date latest: When is American Crime Story Season 3 likely to come out?
On November 14, 2020, Sarah Paulson sent out a tweet that revealed that American Crime Story: Impeachment had begun principal photography.
Linda. American Crime Story: Impeachment has begun principle photography @MrRPMurphy pic.twitter.com/460EshRhZC
— Sarah Paulson (@MsSarahPaulson) November 13, 2020
Seasons 1 and 2 of American Crime Story were released in January and February 2016 and February 2018 respectively. Therefore, fans hoped that American Crime Story Season 3 would arrive in January or February of 2020.
However, FX announced in August 2019 that production on the upcoming season would begin in February 2020 and premiere on September 27, 2020, at 10 p.m. ET, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The announcement sparked a backlash, with many criticizing the scheduling of the premiere date on September 27, two months before the general election on November 3.
Many critics felt that due to the Season 3 story’s political nature, it was inappropriate to schedule it so close to the general election.
FX finally announced in January 2020 that the air date had been delayed due to Executive Producer Ryan Murphy’s busy schedule.
According to FX chairman John Landgraf at the 2020 TCA winter press tour, the September 27 date was not feasible because Murphy would not be able to start production on American Crime Story Season 3 until March 21, 2020.
He explained this meant that “we won’t be physically done shooting episodes until October.”
Regarding the premiere date for American Crime Story Season 3, Landgraf said:
“We don’t know. We have to get into production and see how it goes and how long post-production will be. I guess I would say it’s TBD at this point.”
Although Landgraf had said that Murphy would be able to start production on Season 3 in the spring of 2020, production was eventually put on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It remains unclear when production on American Crime Story Season 3 will start. But it seems likely that fans will have to wait until at least 2021 to see Impeachment: American Crime Story.
We will keep you updated on the latest release date news, so stay tuned.
American Crime Story Season 3 cast updates
FX confirmed British actor Clive Owen will play President Bill Clinton.
Beanie Feldstein will play Monica Lewinsky, Sarah Paulson (who played Marica Clark in The People V O.J. Simpson) will play Linda Tripp.
Annaleigh Ashford (who played Elizabeth Cote in The Assassination of Gianni Versace) will play Paula Jones.
Other cast members include Bill Eichner as Matt Drudge, Anthony Green as Al Gore, Margo Martindale as Lucianne Goldberg, and GLOW star Betty Gilpin as the conservative firebrand Ann Coulter.
Monica Lewinsky is producing Impeachment: American Crime Story
FX also confirmed Monica Lewinsky would serve as a producer on American Crime Story Season 3.
Playwright Sarah Burgess, who wrote the script for the Impeachment: American Crime Story, will be executive producing with Brad Falchuk and Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story co-creators), Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (American Crime Story Season 1), Richard Shepard, Alexis Martin Woodall, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson.
Feldstein, Paulson, Henrietta Conrad, and Jemima Khan will also serve as producers.
What is American Crime Story Season 3 about?
FX originally announced in August 2017 that American Story Season 3 would be based on Hurricane Katrina. However, the story would not be based on Douglas Brinkley’s The Great Deluge as planned.
Instead, it would follow events at the New Orleans’ Memorial Medical Center during Hurricane Katrina, based on the book, Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital, by Pulitzer Prize winner Sheri Fink.
But FX announced in February 2019 that all plans for an American Story Season 3 based on Hurricane Katrina story had been scrapped.
In August 2019, John Landgraf, chairman of FX Networks and FX Productions, revealed that the upcoming season would be titled Impeachment: American Crime Story.
Landgraf revealed that Impeachment: American Crime Story would explore the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal and the subsequent impeachment of President Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction and justice.
The story would be based on a book by Jeffrey Toobin, titled A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President.