At the beginning of the month, FX premiered its groundbreaking retelling of the 1994 trial of OJ Simpson, American Crime Story: The People Vs. OJ Simpson. A spin-off of the network’s widely successful American Horror Story franchise, Crime Story is unique in that it will present true-crime stories each season in a dramatized format, as opposed to the mostly fictional stories of its sister show. The first season will follow the entire Simpson trial.

From nearly every angle, The People Vs. OJ Simpson is perfect television. With smart writing that sticks closely to the facts, and acting of a caliber not usually expected of criminal TV, it takes the elements of good storytelling and combines them with polished cinematography and high production values. For a show with an outcome nearly everyone is already expecting, it remains highly suspenseful.

Particularly good acting comes from David Schwimmer and Cuba Gooding Jr., who do such a good job portraying their respective characters that the stress and suspension of the situation is directly translated to anyone watching them.

American Crime Story is a must-watch for the 2016 television season, featuring some of the best writing and acting in the last couple years on TV or in film. Not only is it the rare historical drama that actually stays true to its base material, it entertains immensely along the way.