John Ridley Isn't Worried About 'American Crime'/'American Crime Story' Confusion

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[news]

If you're looking to cope with the winter by snuggling on your couch with a thrilling crime drama that takes place in the good ol' U.S. of A., you're in luck. The coming weeks provide two promising and very similarly named options: ABC's "American Crime" and FX's latest Ryan Murphy vehicle, "American Crime Story."

One might think titles as alike as those would cause confusion for viewers, but "American Crime" creator John Ridley told HuffPost Live on Wednesday that the similarity doesn't worry him.

"I think we're probably very lucky. Ryan clearly knows what he's doing, and if anybody happens to bleed off and watch 'American Crime' because they're thinking it might be 'American Crime Story,' we're in a good position," Ridley said. "Look, we can't pretend we invented the use of putting 'American' in front of some kind of thing: 'American Sniper,' 'American Gangster,' 'American' what-have-you." 

Though "American Crime" existed first (the series returned for its second season on Jan. 6), "American Crime Story" follows the naming convention of Murphy's other FX series, "American Horror Story." 

Beyond their titles, the shows share another trait: They're both anthology series that tell a self-contained story each season and reboot the next. After a first season centering on the murder of a war veteran, this year "American Crime" tells the story of the alleged rape of a male high school student. "American Crime Story," on the other hand," will debut in February with a first season recreating the infamous trial of O.J. Simpson.

Ridley said he is confident viewers will pick up on the differences between the shows -- and maybe even give both series a try.

"If you want to watch 'American Crime Story,' I encourage you to. I think it's probably gonna be a terrific series. You know, it's out there. I think the audience is clever enough to differentiate the two of them," he said.

Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation with John Ridley here.

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