Monica Lewinsky gets her own back? Why FX’s American Crime Story – about Bill Clinton’s impeachment – is the most binge-worthy TV show to watch right now
- Compared to the drama that former US president Donald Trump caused in the White House, the scandal between Clinton and an intern is almost quaint in comparison
- Season 3 of the true crime drama series stars American Horror Story actress Sarah Paulson as Linda Tripp and Edie Falco as Hillary Clinton – who nail their roles
Impeachment as entertainment might seem impossible after years of slogging through the real thing in the US. The Trump administration brought day after day of melodrama and never fully stuck the landing.
Executive producer Ryan Murphy’s 10-episode anthology series is propelled by the brand of brisk, addictive storytelling, stellar casting and high-end soap appeal that have defined the American Crime Story franchise since its first entry, The People v. O.J. Simpson. It delves into the stories behind the political theatre, following the women who were actively involved in – or involuntarily pulled into – the mammoth Republican effort to eject Clinton from the Oval Office.
Sarah Paulson does a phenomenal job portraying Linda Tripp, the former White House secretary who exposed the affair between Clinton and Lewinsky. The leak led to his impeachment, fuelled the careers of far-right crusaders such as Ann Coulter (Cobie Smulders), and exposed the beginning of a divided Washington D.C. bent on revenge rather than governance. Additional players include Paula Jones (Annaleigh Ashford), whose sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton played a key role in the scandal, and, of course, Hillary Clinton (Edie Falco).
Owen and Falco are Bill and Hillary here. They nail it, from his laid-back mannerisms, Arkansas drawl and wandering hands to her awkward dance as an accomplished, ambitious woman struggling to fit the role of demure first lady and scorned wife. Feldstein is equally convincing as the beret-clad Lewinsky. She’s naive, but not stupid. She knows Bill has her on booty-call speed dial, but she’s hopelessly infatuated with him – he’s the president! Her fatal mistake is taking Tripp into her confidence.
Impeachment chronicles the start of their “friendship” after both women were transferred from the White House to work at the Pentagon. When Lewinsky disclosed details about her relationship with Clinton, the duplicitous Tripp saw an opportunity for revenge with a tell-all book. She was angry about being passed over for a promotion in the West Wing after her former boss Vince Foster took his own life, so she coaxed and manipulated Lewinsky to spill the beans, taping their phone conversations. Her 20 hours of secret recordings would later become central to Clinton’s 1998 impeachment. Tripp died last year at the age of 70.
