The anticipated anthology series ‘American Crime Story’ returned last week with an exquisite season and revamped cast. Titled ‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace’, the drama is based on the murder of Italian fashion mogul Gianni Versace. I watched the season 2 premiere with high hopes and had mixed feelings about it by the end of the episode. The story revolves around the life of Gianni Versace, his fame as an acclaimed designer and inevitable death; starring ÉdgarRamírez in the titular role as Gianni, Penélope Cruz as Donatella Versace, Darren Criss as the infamous Andrew Cunanan and Ricky Martin as Gianni’s love interest Antonio D’Amico. He notoriously embodied the role of Cunanan and made it his own. It will be unfair to question Criss’s acting talent, as he gave his career’s best performance, in my opinion. In contrast, Penélope Cruz did not amalgamate as Donatella The star-studded cast exemplifies power and panache at its best. The show is inspired by true events and uncovers the story leading to Gianni’s murder. Serial killer Andrew Cunanan was responsible for the uncalled assassination of Gianni in the summer of 1997 at his glorious beach house in Miami, Florida. The pilot starts off with Gianni mulling over in his luxurious king size bed before making his way to a bistro and purchasing fashion magazines. He heads back home only to be sought by Cunanan who impulsively shoots Gianni multiple times. The show progresses thereon and a series of flashbacks are set in motion depicting Gianni and Cunanan’s odd connection in the past. In reality, Gianni’s sudden death drew media frenzy and hype and is often regarded as a murder mystery. The show brings back time and ‘90s nostalgia and the cast delivers stellar performances. However, there is one performance that stood out and that was of Darren Criss. The pilot starts off with Gianni mulling over in his luxurious king size bed before making his way to a bistro and purchasing fashion magazines. He heads back home only to be sought by Cunanan who impulsively shoots Gianni multiple times He notoriously embodied the role of Cunanan and made it his own. It will be unfair to question Criss’s acting talent as he gave his career’s best performance, in my opinion. In contrast, Penélope Cruz did not amalgamate as Donatella. Although her acting was impressive, her outlook and appearance was faulty. Perhaps Donatella’s character would have better suited Lady Gaga. ‘The Assassination Of Gianni Versace’ is a decent addition to the anthology series. The show is intense and the performances are believable but the storyline has loopholes and un-addressed questions we need answers to; did Cuannan really know Gianni beforehand? What was his motive to kill? Hypothetically speaking, I on and off suspected Donatella for conspiring against her late brother Gianni. There has to be some connection between her and the murder of Gianni. Nonetheless, the show is decent and cleverly put together. I hope the follow up episodes unveil crucial information about Gianni’s death; it is good television for a reason. The writer is a model and an actor. He can be reached at haiderrifaat95@gmail.com Published in Daily Times, January 26th 2018.