Just in case you thought Ryan Murphy might have been running out of “American stories” to tell, the writer and director is here to assure you he’s far from out of ideas. Earlier today, FX and 20th Television announced Murphy is expanding his American Story franchise even further, with two new spin-off series: American Love Story and American Sports Story.
Much like Emmy award-winning American Crime Story, both of these spin-offs will tell true (and devastating) stories. The upcoming season of American Sports Story will follow the rise and fall of former NFL tight-end Aaron Hernandez, including his infamous trial and suicide. American Love Story will follow the ultimately tragic marriage of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette — the “beautiful union for the young couple, widely regarded as American royalty, [that] began to fray under the stress of the relentless microscope and navel gaze of tabloid media” and ended in their untimely deaths.
According to FX, both series are slated as limited-runs, however, seeing as how American Horror Story is still kicking and American Crime Story has raked up countless Emmys and award nominations since its premiere in back in 2016, it wouldn’t be too much of a surprise if these series stick around a much longer. The network’s Chairman, John Landgraf, released a statement claiming FX “jumped at the opportunity” to work on more series with Murphy, and is excited to see what comes next:
When Ryan Murphy came to us with these two spinoffs and the stories for American Sports Story and American Love Story, we immediately jumped at the opportunity. What began with American Horror Story has spawned some of the best and most indelible programs of our generation, most notably American Crime Story … We can’t wait to see what comes next.
In addition to Murphy, the rest of the American Crime Story team (Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson) will all be producing the upcoming projects. As of right now, no release dates have been announced for either project. However, the American Story franchise will continue with American Horror Story: Double Feature, which premieres August 25, and American Crime Story: Impeachment, which debuts September 7.