"American Crime" is one of the heaviest TV series considering that it takes on weighty controversies such as gender, class, and race. It's writer, John Ridley approached the drama like it was just a crazy experiment that may not actually last. But guess what, it did. "American Crime" got to renew its second season. It has also been acknowledged by means of massive nominations including 10 Emmy's.
That kind of recognition says a lot about the team doing something right. And this support is something that John Ridley does not take for granted, especially the support one famous fan is giving them.
John Ridley is very grateful for the support Stephen King gives "American Crime". Ridley said, “For someone who’s the very definition of a storyteller to choose to support our show and what we do, the provocative nature of the way we tell stories, just means the world to all of us on American Crime. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottoms of our hearts and the depth of my soul.”
Stephen King considers the series as "amazingly good". He also gave Yahoo TV some fan questions for Ridley: “How much pushback did you guys get from the network?” Please note that King wants the answer to come with a minimum of bulls–t, please.”
Ridley says that they got no pushback. ABC wanted to explore and excavate this area. They came to him wanting to create a series that would deal with race, ethnicity, and perspectives.
"So, there was never a moment where they said, 'Hey, you know, could you change the subject matter, soften it a little bit.' "
Ridley says that there were occasional discussions with regards to the presentation and cinematic language. But overall, they were actually supportive.
"How much [pushback] are you getting in regards to Season 2?“
Ridley says that nobody has done a show like this before. The kinds of perspective they put on screen is not very usual on TV. He says that they also end up saying, "Hey, maybe this is an insane experiment, and in one way, shape or form, it’s not going to work and we don’t have to worry about it next year.” Read more of his response here.
"Do you expect the new season to be a bit more viewer-friendly, or will it be just as dark?"
Ridley says that it won't be more viewer friendly. He says that the subject matter that they want to present should be delivered in a very provocative way, so as to provoke thought and conversation.
The next season of "American Crime" will air on 2016. If you are a big fan of "American Crime" just like Stephen King, here is a trailer of the series.
