ABC Chief Paul Lee told reporters Saturday that things were contentious there for a moment between his broadcast network and FX, as the two channels sparred over title similarities on shows “American Crime” and “American Crime Story.”
“I should probably say nothing, but they went after us, and yes we did have a conversation,” Lee said during the Television Critics Association press junket. “That being said, we went first.”
“[Our show] is becoming such a distinctive and powerful brand, that ‘American Crime’ is starting to stand on its own,” he added. “It’s really interesting to see the slow burn of people getting into the series.”
“There’s probably room for both, to be honest,” Lee concluded. Easy for him to say.
Season 2 of the anthological “American Crime” on ABC premiered Wednesday. That series once-again stars Timothy Hutton and Felicity Huffman.
FX’s “American Crime Story,” which will cover the O.J. Simpson trial on its own first season, debuts Tuesday, Feb. 2. The ambitious Ryan Murphy project boasts a cast of Selma Blair, Connie Britton, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nathan Lane, Sarah Paulson, David Schwimmer, and John Travolta.