How Sitcoms Responded to the O.J. Simpson murder trial

[TMC]

I came across this in light of FX's new miniseries about O.J. Simpson:
http://www.vulture.com/2016/01/oj-si...esponded.html#

SEPTEMBER 1994

26
CBS airs a Murphy Brown episode called "Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?" that centers on an astronaut who kills his brother and leads police on an Simpson-like chase.

26
CBS also airs a Love & War episode called "A Nation Turns Its Lonely Eyes to You," which has the show’s characters distracted by media coverage of the crime from the preceding Murphy Brown episode.

NBC airs “The Big Salad,” a Seinfeld episode that ends with Kramer leading police on a low-speed chase down the New Jersey Turnpike. He’s driving a white Bronco, and his passenger is an ex–Major League pitcher suspected of killing his dry cleaner. Footage from O.J.’s actual chase is used.

NOVEMBER 1994

27
Fox airs “Homer Badman,” an episode of The Simpsons that parodies, among other things, the media circus surrounding the O.J. case.

MAY 1995

10
In Roseanne’s “The Birds and the Frozen Bees,” Roseanne and Jackie are captivated by the trial and crack a few jokes at the expense of F. Lee Bailey, a member of O.J.’s defense team. Then Marcia Clark, played by Laurie Metcalf, crawls out of the TV so Roseanne can pat her on the back and offer her some cheese.

JULY 1995

19
In the season-four premiere of The Larry Sanders Show, “Roseanne’s Return,” the O.J. trial captivates Larry as Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) complains that people like him, who live on the same street as O.J. and have watched their property values decline, are the real victims.

OCTOBER 1995

5
Seinfeld introduces Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris), a character inspired by Johnnie Cochran, in “The Maestro.” As Morris would later recall on the DVD commentary, he and Cochran visited the same barber for years, so he was even more familiar with the lawyer’s mannerisms than those who watched Larry King every night.

[bgva]

Unhappily Ever After on The WB made a few O.J. trial jokes back then too. I remember one where they had an O.J.-themed school dance, and served (wait for it) orange juice instead of punch.

Pretty dumb show lol

[treky]

Originally Posted by bgva

Unhappily Ever After on The WB made a few O.J. trial jokes back then too. I remember one where they had an O.J.-themed school dance, and served (wait for it) orange juice instead of punch.

Pretty dumb show lol

"orange juice instead of punch"?

I don't get it; is that a reference to the trial?

[bgva]

Originally Posted by treky

"orange juice instead of punch"?

I don't get it; is that a reference to the trial?

Sorry, should've elaborated. This is how the scene went down (paraphrasing):

DITZY CHARACTER: No punch?
CLASSMATE (fills cup): It's O.J. tonight!
DITZ: I don't get it...

Orange juice=O.J.

[treky]

Originally Posted by bgva

Sorry, should've elaborated. This is how the scene went down (paraphrasing):

DITZY CHARACTER: No punch?
CLASSMATE (fills cup): It's O.J. tonight!
DITZ: I don't get it...

Orange juice=O.J.

O, OK! That;s cute!

[Yong Fang]

Probably there would not have been the Jackie Chiles character on Seinfeld if it wasn't for Johnnie Cochran who became famous because of OJ.

[DJM77]

Originally Posted by Yong Fang

Probably there would not have been the Jackie Chiles character on Seinfeld if it wasn't for Johnnie Cochran who became famous because of OJ.

There definitely wouldn't have been.

[factsoflife]

I believe the sitcom "Ellen" aired an episode where Paige dates a member of the OJ jury and the whole joke is that the date can't be seen in public so they cover his face and bleep his voice the entire time.

They never specifically mention OJ Simpson in the episode, but it was largely assumed to be at the very least a riff on that case, which was at the time current.

[TMC]

How ’90s Shows Addressed The O.J. Simpson Saga