''The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'' is the second season of the FX

true crime True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events. The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 per ...

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

television series ''

American Crime Story ''American Crime Story'' is an American anthology true crime television series developed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, who are also executive producers, alongside Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, Ryan Murphy, and Brad Simpson. The seri ...

''. The season premiered on January 17, 2018, and concluded on March 21, 2018. In 9 episodes, the series explores the murder of designer

Gianni Versace Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-u ...

by spree killer

Andrew Cunanan Andrew Phillip Cunanan (August 31, 1969 – July 23, 1997) was an American spree killer who murdered five people over three months from April 27 to July 15, 1997. His victims include Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace and Chicago real esta ...

, based on

Maureen Orth Maureen Orth is an American journalist, author, and a Special Correspondent for '' Vanity Fair'' magazine. She is the founder of Marina Orth Foundation, which has established a model education program in Colombia emphasizing technology, English, ...

's book ''Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History''. The series stars

Édgar Ramírez Édgar Filiberto Ramírez Arellano (, born 25 March 1977) is a Venezuelan actor. Ramírez studied communications at the Andrés Bello Catholic University. He then worked in media and considered becoming a diplomat. When Guillermo Arriaga prai ...

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

Ricky Martin Enrique Martín Morales (born December 24, 1971), known professionally as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican singer, songwriter, and actor. He is known for his musical versatility, with his Ricky Martin albums discography, discography spanning ...

, and

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British A ...

. The season received positive reviews from critics, with praise for most of the performances. At the

70th Primetime Emmy Awards The 70th Primetime Emmy Awards honored the best in U.S. prime time television programming from June 1, 2017, until May 31, 2018, as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The ceremony was held live on September 17, 2018, at the ...

, it received the most nominations with nine, and won three awards, including Outstanding Limited Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Criss.

Cast

Main

Antonio D'Amico Antonio D'Amico (20 January 1959 – 6 December 2022) was an Italian fashion designer and model. Biography D'Amico was born in Mesagne, in the Italian province of Brindisi, and later lived in Milan. He was hired as a part-time office admini ...

Donatella Versace Donatella Francesca Versace (; born 2 May 1955) is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion company Versace, with whom she worked closely on the developm ...

Special guest stars

Judith Light Judith Ellen Light (born February 9, 1949) is an American actress. She made her professional stage debut in 1970, before making her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of ''A Doll's House''. Her breakthrough role was in the ABC daytime soap opera ...

Marilyn Miglin Marilyn Miglin ( Klecka; October 18, 1938 – March 14, 2022) was an American entrepreneur, inventor, and longtime host on the Home Shopping Network. She has been referred to as the "Queen of Makeovers". Miglin garnered significant media attent ...

Aimee Mann Aimee Elizabeth Mann (born September 8, 1960) is an American singer-songwriter. Over the course of four decades, she has released more than a dozen albums as a solo artist and with other musicians. She is noted for her sardonic and literate lyr ...

as Bar Singer *

Finn Wittrock Peter L. Wittrock Jr. (born October 28, 1984), known as Finn Wittrock, is an US actor and screenwriter who began his career in guest roles on several television shows. He made his film debut in 2004, in '' Halloweentown High'' before returning to ...

as Jeffrey "Jeff" Trail

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Production

Development

''The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story'' was picked up on October 18, 2016, and was announced as the third season of the

series Series may refer to: People with the name * Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series * George Series (1920–1995), English physicist Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Series, the ordered sets used i ...

, following the season about ''Katrina''. The announcement also revealed that English author

Tom Rob Smith Tom Rob Smith (born February 19, 1979) is an English author, screenwriter and producer. Personal life and education The son of Swedish mother Barbro and English father Ron, both antiques dealers, Smith was born and raised at Norbury, South Lon ...

would be the writer of multiple episodes of the season, including the first two, while executive producer Ryan Murphy would be directing the

season premiere A season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a returning television show. In the United States, many season premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or late winter. In countries such ...

. Following the airing of the first season's finale in April 2016, it was revealed that series creators

Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski Scott Alexander (born June 16, 1963) and Larry Karaszewski (; born November 20, 1961) are an American screenwriting team. They are best known for writing postmodern biopics with larger-than-life characters. They coined the term "anti-biopic" t ...

would not be returning for the second season. In June 2017, it was announced that ''Katrina'' would not begin production until early 2018 and that ''Versace'' would air in early 2018, replacing ''Katrina'' as the show's official second installment. On October 2, 2017, ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the '' American Story'' media franchise, each season is conceived as a ...

'' actor

Matt Bomer Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is the recipient of accolades such as a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2000, he made his television debut o ...

was announced as the director of the eighth episode, making it his directorial debut. During its production, the working title of the season was ''American Crime Story: Versace/Cunanan''. In December 2017, after the first public screening, it was revealed that ''Versace'' would have nine episodes, despite being originally reported to consist of ten episodes.

Casting

In February 2017,

and

joined the cast of ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace'' as

and

, respectively. Murphy confirmed the reports announcing

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

would portray

in ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace'' were false;

was later cast in the role. In April 2017, it was announced that

was joining the cast of ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace'' as

, Versace's longtime partner. On April 28, 2017,

Annaleigh Ashford Annaleigh Amanda Ashford (née Swanson; born June 25, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her work on television as Betty DiMello on the Showtime period drama ''Masters of Sex'', and on Broadway as Lauren in '' Kink ...

was seen filming on the set of ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace'' with Criss. On June 21, 2017, it was announced through ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' that Ashford's role in the series would be as Elizabeth Cote, a friend of Cunanan's since high school, while

Nico Evers-Swindell Nico Thomas Evers-Swindell is a New Zealand actor who portrayed Prince William in the 2011 Lifetime original film '' William & Kate''. Previous roles include minor appearances in the 2010 film ''Edge of Darkness'' and the television crime drama ' ...

would play her husband, Philip Merrill. On May 5, 2017, Murphy announced via his

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account that

Max Greenfield Max Greenfield (born September 4, 1979) is an American actor. He appeared in recurring roles in ''Veronica Mars'' and ''Ugly Betty''. He co-starred as Schmidt in the Fox sitcom ''New Girl'', for which he received nominations at the Primetime Emmy ...

joined the casting, by publishing a photo of Greenfield and Criss on the set. On June 21, 2017, it was announced that

will star in ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace'', playing Jeffrey Trail, Cunanan's first victim. In November 2017, the official Twitter account for the series revealed that

and

Dascha Polanco Dascha Yolaine Polanco (born December 3, 1982) is a Dominican-American actress. She is known for portraying the role of Dayanara "Daya" Diaz on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'', and for the role of Cuca in the 2021 movie ''In the He ...

are part of the cast. In December 2017, the official webpage for the series released cast and character bios revealing that Max Greenfield would play Ronnie, whilst confirming the casting of Judith Light as Marilyn Miglin,

as Detective Lori Wieder,

Jon Jon Briones Ernesto Cloma Briones Jr., known as Jon Jon Briones (born August 7, 1965), is a Filipino-American actor best known for his work in musical theatre. He was born in Quezon City, Philippines and became a United States citizen in 2010.Wolf, Matt"We ...

as Modesto Cunanan,

Cody Fern Cody Fern (born 6 July 1988) is an Australian actor and director. Following his feature debut in ''The Tribes of Palos Verdes'' (2017), he portrayed murder victim David Madson in the FX series '' The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American C ...

as David Madson, and

Mike Farrell Michael Joseph Farrell Jr. (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as List of M*A*S*H characters#B.J. Hunnicutt, Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series ''M*A*S*H (TV series), M*A*S*H'' (1975–83). Farrell ...

as Lee Miglin.

Filming

According to multiple set reports and photos,

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

of season 2 took place at the beginning of May 2017, in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

and Reggio Calabria. As revealed by

via his

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

account, shooting ended during the week of November 13.

Promotion

In September 2017, FX released the first promotional teaser for ''The Assassination of Gianni Versace'', showing doves sitting outside Versace's former

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word '' manse'' originally defined a property l ...

and flying away when two gunshots ring out. A second teaser was released that same month, depicting Versace's sister Donatella placing flowers on a casket. In October, a third teaser was released, depicting some

police radio Police radio is a radio system used by police and other law enforcement agencies to communicate with one another. Police radio systems almost always use two-way radio systems to allow for communications between police officers and dispatchers. ...

communications as a black clothes cover, with the name Versace on it, is being closed. The same month, a fourth teaser was released, showing Donatella kissing the stairs where Gianni was murdered, before entering in his mansion. On

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

day, FX aired a new promotional video during a commercial break of the ninth episode of '' American Horror Story: Cult'', which announced that the season would premiere on January 17, 2018. In November 2017, four new teasers were released. The first showed Versace relaxing next to his pool, as Cunanan comes out of it. The second depicts D'Amico leaving Gianni's house, as he hears two gunshots (the unseen murder) and runs to see what happened; while a

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

by Ricky Martin as D'Amico says that he was Gianni's partner and lover. The third shows Donatella and Gianni hugging and watching themselves in front of a mirror, as the latter tells his sister that she would be Versace without him. The fourth depicts a running

sewing machine A sewing machine is a machine used to sew fabric and materials together with thread. Sewing machines were invented during the first Industrial Revolution to decrease the amount of manual sewing work performed in clothing companies. Since the inv ...

, which ends up having some issues and not being able to finish its work. On November 15, 2017, the first full trailer for the season was released via the Twitter account of the series. It shows moments from Cunanan's unstable past and the first aftermaths of Versace's assassination. The same day, it was announced that the first episode of the season would be available five days before the official premiere for FX+ subscribers. On November 28, 2017, FX released a new short trailer depicting the main cast of the season: Cruz, Ramírez, Martin and Criss; while a voice-over by Criss as Cunanan reveals how he feels the same as Versace. In December 2017, more teasers were released. The first opposed Versace and Cunanan as they speak about themselves and their pasts. The second featured a Versace fashion show where models start crying, as news reports about the designer's death are heard. The third showed Cunanan trying to convince someone that he really has a date with Versace, while the scene is being cut by shots of the assassination and its aftermaths. The fourth one features Donatella Versace in a black dress for her brother's funeral; the fifth showed different rooms of Versace's mansion, with multiple voice-overs by different characters; and the sixth featured a showering Cunanan, surrounding his face with duct tape, as

's Ronnie asks him what he is doing. On December 28, a first look at the series was released, with interviews from the crew and the cast. That same day, a new teaser was also released, depicting Criss-as-Cunanan about to kill his sexual partner and then Versace. At the start of January 2018, a new teaser was released. It featured Criss-as-Cunanan changing the

license plate A vehicle registration plate, also known as a number plate (British English), license plate (American English), or licence plate ( Canadian English), is a metal or plastic plate attached to a motor vehicle or trailer for official identificati ...

of his car and greeting a young girl, while a voice-over is saying that the police are looking for him and that he is very dangerous. On January 16, 2018, the full red band trailer was released, and a short version premiered the next day.

Reception

Reviews

The second season of ''American Crime Story'' received generally positive reviews from critics. The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gave the season an approval rating of 88% based on 98 reviews, with an average rating of 7.20/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''The Assassination of Versace'' starts with a bang and unfurls slowly, moving backward through an intricate (and occasionally convoluted) murder mystery anchored by a career-defining performance from Darren Criss." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the season has a score of 74 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Reaction from individuals involved

In January 2018, the

Versace Gianni Versace S.r.l. (), usually referred to as Versace ( ), is an Italian luxury fashion company founded by Gianni Versace in 1978 known for flashy prints and bright colors. The company produces Italian-made ready-to-wear and accessories, as w ...

family released a statement criticizing the series. They explained they have "neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever" in the production of the season, before adding that it "should only be considered as a work of fiction." Executive producer Ryan Murphy answered that the series was "not a work of fiction" as it is based on a non-fiction book,

's ''Vulgar Favors'', and that the production team and FX stand by the author and her work. Comparing it to '' The People v. O. J. Simpson'', Murphy added that the season is "a work of non-fiction obviously with docudrama elements," and not a documentary. Following this answer, the Versace family released a second statement, still slamming the series as "a work of fiction" because "the Orth book itself is full of gossip and speculation." They also heavily criticized Orth's work, calling it an "effort to create a sensational story" with "second-hand hearsay that is full of contradictions." They gave the example of

's medical condition, as Orth claims that Versace was

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

positive Positive is a property of positivity and may refer to: Mathematics and science * Positive formula, a logical formula not containing negation * Positive number, a number that is greater than 0 * Plus sign, the sign "+" used to indicate a posit ...

at the time of his death.

also criticized the series, deeming some scenes as "ridiculous" and insisting that "so much has been fictionalized". He also revealed that he does not plan to watch it, but that he would have been happy if

, who plays his role, got in contact to get some insight into his relationship with Versace. According to Ryan Murphy,

was very supportive that

played her role. As Cruz and Versace are friends, Murphy explained that, when he offered her the role, Cruz asked the permission of Versace before agreeing to do it. He also revealed that, while Cruz was representing the series at the

75th Golden Globe Awards The 75th Golden Globe Awards honored film and American television of 2017, and was broadcast live on January 7, 2018, from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST by NBC. This Golden ...

, Versace "very graciously sent era lovely and huge flower arrangement saying 'good luck.'"

Ratings

Accolades

Notes

References

External links

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