Review: 'American Sports Story' a Fumble for Ryan Murphy

Producer Ryan Murphy is at it again, looking to spin another ripped-from-the-headlines story into his next big franchise. Following the successes of "American Crime Story" and the decidedly not-based-on-a-true-story, "American Horror Story," comes "American Sports Story." The new anthology kicks off its inaugural season depicting Aaron Hernandez's fall from grace.

Hernandez's story makes sense for a dramatization: It has murder, drugs, and gay sex twists. However, the former Patriots player died by suicide in prison, so a lot of the show, which is based on the podcast "Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc." from "The Boston Globe" and Wondery, is drawn from other people's accounts and information that came out after his death. For those unfamiliar with his story, Aaron Hernandez was a superstar NFL player riding high (based on the obscene number of scenes focused on him smoking pot, that's meant literally and figuratively) with a $40 million contract with the New England Patriots. However, it all came crashing down after he was charged in two separate murder cases.

As depicted in the show, Hernandez had run-ins with the law regularly in college, but it was covered up and taken care of by the football team's fixer lawyer. After getting to the NFL, his troubles continued, but without having fixers to make them go away. In 2012, he was charged for a double murder and the subsequent murder of Odin Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancée's sister, in 2013.

Hernandez never publicly came out as bisexual before taking his life, but, based on accounts from others afterwards, the show depicts his struggles with his sexuality and the constant fear of being discovered. While the writers don't try to make excuses for the athlete's behavior or dwell on his difficult upbringing, they also don't make too many of the other characters likable either – the lone exception being his fiancée, and mother to his daughter, Shayanna, though that seems more a reflection on actress Jaylen Barron than the writers.

As Hernandez, Josh Rivera is tasked with the difficulty of bringing the football tight end to life despite the ground seeming to shift underneath him in each of the eight episodes that were reviewed. He does well with showing the inner turmoil of trying to fight against who he really is and the constant fear of being found out, while also juggling the fleeting moments where Hernandez seems content with his life. The "West Side Story" actor shows versatility and depth in the role, even if there aren't many answers available as to what was actually going on in Hernandez's head.

The show works best when it steers closer to Hernandez's sports story and the events that derailed it all. The more time spent outside of the arena, the more you realize that this was a person who couldn't get out of his own way. If there was ever a choice to be made, you can guarantee that Hernandez would almost always make the worst possible decision.

Between the look behind-the-scenes at the life of a star athlete, his brushes with the law, and his reported bisexuality struggles, which has been alleged as a possible motive in Lloyd's murder, there is plenty to mine for the show. But, like its subject matter, "American Sports Story" isn't able to get out of its own way and focus enough to tell a compelling story arc, making it another fumble for Ryan Murphy.

"American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez" premieres September 17 on FX, and streams on Hulu weekly.