So many great things about The People v OJ Simpson

Now halfway through the great Fx series The People V OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, and no matter what you know or think you know about the OJ case this series will bring the case and those relatively innocent days alive - and perhaps its greatest strength is its head-on approach to the many issues that rattled and captivated Americans over the course of that trial: race, celebrity, police brutality (this was in the wake of the Rodney King arrest, the first of now thousands the exposed police brutality against blacks - a case that now seems almost quaint and innocent - at least he lived), sexism (some of the best material is in episode six as Marcia Clark is purloined in the tabloids that focus on her hair and clothing style - she's just devastated and we really feel for her - quite an accomplishment of writing and directing, as she's such a tough and sharp-edged character but now we see her vulnerability), politics (why didn't the LA DA take this trial on himself? Obviously, because he didn't want to alienate black voters), and the legal system (the so-called dream team of lawyers defending OJ do a great job, or course, and Johnny Cochran is always great to watch in action - but it all feels unfair, like the Red Sox playing against a high-school team). Though the case comes alive to us 20 years down the road and it's a harbinger of many future police on black conflicts even more in the news today, the case also seems so long ago - yes, it was the first celebrity event to go 24/7 on the news channels and to become unending tabloid fodder, and the OJ chase (episode 1) was probably the first crime scene watched live on national TV - but we've moved far beyond that today, as we're no longer depending on news media to present the news, we get it instant and unfiltered and all the time from social media: the news media has been the victim of its own success and has been pushed to the margins of the picture