Aaron Hernandez: From the NFL to murder

For all its sensationalism, Aaron Hernandez's story is a sad one – primarily because of his victims, who were murdered and injured for no reason, and also because of Hernandez himself, who squandered enormous talent and opportunities because he could not overcome his demons.

American Sports History: Aaron Hernandezthe first part of Ryan Murphy's spin-off of American crime historychronicles the University of Florida and New England Patriots tight end's rise from humble beginnings and his fall from the athletic top, dramatizing the many factors that led to his downfall. Though there are no stars, but Josh Rivera is a strong lead, the film is watchable and detailed, if – in true Murphy tradition – about as subtle as a football gang tackle.

Despite some framing plots with flash-forwards in the first two episodes, American Sports History: Aaron Hernandezpremiering September 17 on FX, is a straightforward summary of Hernandez's life, which begins in Bristol, Connecticut, where he and his brother DJ (Ean Castellanos) were trained as football players as children by their father Dennis (Vincent Laresca). Dennis was a domineering former UConn star who sabotaged his dreams by taking part in a robbery that left a police officer dead.

Dennis is hostile toward his wife Terry (Tammy Blanchard) and controlling of his children, though this part is driven by his desire for DJ and especially Aaron to avoid the mistakes he made. In return, he demands that Aaron follow in his footsteps and join DJ, an aspiring quarterback, at his alma mater. When Dennis suddenly dies, however, Aaron is seduced by a recruiter to attend the University of Florida, where he plays under coach Urban Meyer (Tony Yazbeck), who is also concerned about Aaron's tendency to party and cause trouble, but nonetheless recognizes that his gift could lead him to the NFL.

Michael Parmelee/FX

American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez features Dennis and Urban as the first of Aaron's many father figures, who encourage his abilities and fail him by refusing to stand by him and curb his worst impulses. Created by Stu Zicherman (based on the Boston Globe and the Wondery podcast “Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez & Football, Inc.”) the show shifts the blame from one to the other without absolving Aaron of responsibility, and that balance helps offset the utter directness.

Aaron's fixation on living up to Dennis's idea of ​​masculinity is complicated by his homosexuality, which he hides to avoid the attacks of virtually everyone around him who uses the F-word to underscore their intolerance. This is confusing and infuriating for Aaron, who dates many women – and marries and has a child with his high school sweetheart Shayanna Jenkins (Jaylen Barron) – while simultaneously having secret affairs with a classmate and later with coach Chris (Jake Cannavale), whose affections he can't resist.

Rivera is always in the spotlight American Sports History: Aaron Hernandezand his nuanced and angry portrayal is the main reason to stick with the show. His Aaron is a man fighting a constant internal war between his light and dark instincts, and he captures his pain, resentment, and anger without sentimentalizing it; the character is both a byproduct of his upbringing and circumstances and an individual who actively chose to make the wrong decisions regardless of his lousy role models and unfortunate losses.

Essentially torn and with few guardrails to keep him on the straight and narrow, he's a runaway phenomenon who continues to succeed while simultaneously losing control of himself. Rivera portrays him with equal parts heart and menace.

American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez portrays its protagonist as a boy with bad urges, a victim of paternal dominance and sexual abuse (by his uncle), struggling at home—he's forced to live with his cousin Tanya (Lindsay Mendez), who constantly feuds with Terry—and living in a college and professional football culture that tolerates misbehavior as long as the young men perform on the field.

That's all true, but the show's lack of subtlety often makes it too obvious, killing any mystery or tension. As Urban breaks his promise to mold Aaron into an adult, New England coach Bill Belichick (Norbert Leo Butz) — who drafts him after countless teams turn him down due to understandable character concerns — makes it clear he's not a babysitter. Still, he and the team, along with Aaron's agent Brian Murphy (Thomas Sadoski), work hard to protect Aaron from the consequences of his actions, teaching him that he can get away with anything — a lesson that ultimately brings about his downfall.

Eric Liebowitz/FX

Ten episodes are running, American Sports History: Aaron Hernandez takes time to lay out the many threads Aaron is enmeshed in, from the tensions between his marriage and his homosexual affairs to his endless smoking of weed to his friendship with Alexander Sherrod (Roland Buck III), a drug dealer Aaron shot in the face (out of insane paranoia) but failed to kill. That crime isn't the only one Aaron commits, as it's preceded by a fatal drive-by shooting and the execution of Shayanna's sister's boyfriend Odin Lloyd (J. Alex Brinson). In each case, the motivating factors are Aaron's violent tendencies (rooted in his warped ideas of masculinity) and drug-induced delusions, not to mention a brain damaged by years of concussions, as evidenced by the autopsy showing he suffered from extreme CTE.

American Sports History: Aaron HernandezThe main character is a perfect storm of destructive influences, horrific situations and inner torment, culminating in an incarceration for multiple murders and drug-fueled suicide. Zicherman's series is never cheesy or insensitive, but treats its material with a melancholy sobriety that makes it a minor tragedy. Still, it is often heavy-handed, feeling a bit like a Wikipedia entry come to life.

Even a few cheesy CGI effects for the football action and two-dimensional characterizations like the tough Urban, the even tougher Belichick, or the devout Tim Tebow (Patrick Schwarzenegger) failing to straighten Aaron's rogue course with Jesus don't help matters. Still, this latest ripped-from-the-headlines saga is never boring and often gripping for casual viewers and NFL fans alike, and with Laith Wallschleger's Rob Gronkowski, it leaves a lasting impression.