For fans of Ryan Murphy, it feels as Impeachment: American Crime Story (season 3 of the show) has been a long time coming. In fact, the series was first announced all the way back in 2019 and is only now making its way to our TV screens more than two years later.
With an incredible cast including Sarah Paulson, Clive Owen, and Beanie Feldstein — not to mention involvement from the real Monica Lewinsky — Impeachment: American Crime Story aims to tell a whole new side of what was perhaps the most infamous political scandal of the 20th century.
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Here’s everything we know about Impeachment: American Crime Story so far.
Impeachment: American Crime Story release date
There's not too much longer to wait before Impeachment: American Crime Story is released. The first episode of the show's third season will premiere on FX on Tuesday, September 7 at 10 p.m. ET.
While the show was originally scheduled to premiere nearly a year ago, in September 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic complicated and delayed the production schedule and meant that episodes didn't even begin filming until fall 2020. The updated premiere date was announced in June 2021.
Impeachment: American Crime Story trailer
So far, there have been three separate trailers released for Impeachment: American Crime Story. Each one reveals something a little different about the show, and each is just as exciting as the next.
In the first teaser, described as the Impeachment: American Crime Story’s official trailer, you get to see a bit of what went on in the White House when the news of Lewinsky's and Clinton's affair broke. Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp is pretty chilling, as is the teaser for all the action that comes next.
The second trailer looks deeper into Clinton's impeachment trial and the political workings that went into it. In a sense, it seems as if there was a witch hunt by Republicans to ensure that Clinton was found guilty and discredited even if he hadn't done anything impeachment-worthy.
A third teaser clip really offers the goods, showing Linda Tripp interrogating Monica Lewinsky about the alleged affair between the two. It’s clear that there will be plenty of drama to dive into on Impeachment: American Crime Story, and it’s going to be good.
Impeachment: American Crime Story cast
Impeachment: American Crime Story is a Ryan Murphy production, so you can bet you'll be seeing some familiar faces that appear in his other shows. Sarah Paulson, who you'll probably remember as Marcia Clark in The People v. O.J. Simpson, American Crime Story's first season, is back for Impeachment as Linda Tripp. So is Annaleigh Ashford, who was in the show's second season, The Assassination of Gianni Versace. She’ll be playing Paula Jones.
However, there are plenty of new faces around as well. Beanie Feldstein will play Monica Lewinsky while Bill and Hilary Clinton will be played by Clive Owen and Edie Falco, respectively. Recently, Cobie Smulders was added to the cast to play Anne Coulter, replacing Betty Gilpin, who dropped out of the role. Billy Eichner, Margo Martindale and Taran Killam also star.
Impeachment: American Crime Story plot
If you lived through the 1990s, no doubt you're familiar with the scandal that erupted during Bill Clinton's presidency when his affair with his then-21-year-old intern, Monica Lewinsky, became public. Not only was he impeached for the indiscretion, but the story dominated the press for months. Impeachment: American Crime Story will follow the aftermath of the revelation and how it affected one person in particular: Lewinsky.
Lewinsky is actually on board as one of the show's producers, something she was a bit nervous about and initially swore off becoming involved with. That is, until Murphy convinced her otherwise. "People have been co-opting and telling my part in this story for decades. In fact, it wasn’t until the past few years that I’ve been able to fully reclaim my narrative; almost 20 years later," she told Vanity Fair.
Perhaps most importantly of all, Impeachment: American Crime Story will help some of the women involved in Clinton's scandal reclaim their own stories and tell their side. After so many years being vilified by the press and public, it's an opportunity Lewinsky relishes.
"Throughout history women have been traduced and silenced. Now it’s our time to tell our own stories in our own words. Almost all the books written about the Clinton impeachment were written by men," she explained. "But I hope that by participating, by telling the truth about a time in my life—a time in our history—I can help ensure that what happened to me never happens to another young person in our country again."
It's worth mentioning that series writer Sarah Burgess based much of Impeachment: American Crime Story on the book A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down A President. The legal analyst and author's non-fiction book along with Lewinsky's input should make the show as close to reality as possible.
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