Monica Lewinsky will help American Crime Story Season 3 bring a “feminist point of view” to Bill Clinton’s impeachment
FX has announced the next season of American Crime Story, and this time, the anthology series will focus on President Bill Clinton’s impeachment. And the show’s creators are working to bring a “feminist point of view” to the infamous scandal, with help from Monica Lewinsky herself.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, FX unveiled Impeachment: American Crime Story at the Television Critics Association’s press tour on August 6th. The new series, which will premiere in September 2020, stars Booksmart‘s Beanie Feldstein as Lewinsky, along with ACS alumnae Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp and Annaleigh Ashford as Paula Jones. The season is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s 2000 book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal that Nearly Brought Down a President, and screenwriter Sarah Burgess will pen the script.
Many ACS viewers will remember Clinton’s 1998 impeachment hearings, as well as the vilification of Lewinsky in the media. But through ACS, Lewinsky will be able to tell her story. THR notes that she is serving as a producer on the new season. Producer Ryan Murphy reportedly scrapped the idea once before because he didn’t have Lewinksy on board.
"I told her, 'Nobody should tell your story but you, and it's kind of gross if they do,'" Murphy told THR in 2018. " 'If you want to produce it with me, I would love that; but you should be the producer and you should make all the goddamn money.'"
Monica walking in to produce American Crime Story: Impeachment pic.twitter.com/7MkbUNk63l
— Brianna ✨ (@bri_larson97) August 7, 2019
In a statement to Vanity Fair, Lewinsky said she had reservations about signing on to produce the series, but after meeting with Murphy, she felt “privileged to work with him and the other talented people on the team.”
"People have been co-opting and telling my part in this story for decades," she said. "In fact, it wasn’t until the past few years that I’ve been able to fully reclaim my narrative; almost 20 years later."
— Monica Lewinsky (she/her) (@MonicaLewinsky) August 7, 2019
However, Variety notes, the new season has already sparked backlash online, with some arguing that its release during the 2020 presidential election is a bad idea.
Airing this during the final six weeks of the 2020 election is an abysmal idea. I'm looking forward to seeing it, and I hope FX reconsiders the timing. https://t.co/flgttR5t18
— Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) August 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/1158887839129645056
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Beanie Feldstein as Monica Lewinsky is casting perfection. But is timing this to air right before the 2020 election really a smart idea? https://t.co/4LiGCPBt0l
— Doug Jamieson @ #TIFF22 (@itsdougjam) August 6, 2019
Variety also reports that FX chairman John Landgraf defended the series’ air date during his announcement, saying, “I don’t think that Crime Story is going to decide the next presidential election.” He argued that the series’ writer would bring a “younger, female, feminist point of view” to the familiar story.
"If you saw the way that story was covered at the time, you will see that the way we perceive many aspects of it, but particularly the women, the female characters, has really been transformed by the period of time, the #MeToo movement," Landgraf said.
We’re glad to see ACS tackling this story. Lewinsky’s perspective needs to be heard, and we hope this new series will do her justice.
