The 2024 NFL season not only comes with a new slate of gameday action each week, but FX is adding to football-related entertainment.
The network will dive into the controversial life and career of Aaron Hernandez — who rose to fame with the New England Patriots before his death inside a jail cell in 2017. We dive into when fans can watch the latest installment of FX’s “American Sports Story.”
Where Can You Watch ‘American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez’
- TV Channel: FX
- Streaming: Hulu
- Time: 10 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Sept. 17
- Availability via Streaming: 12:01 a.m. ET on Hulu, Tuesday.
FX is fresh off showcasing the highly-publicized exit of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in its summer series “Clipped.” Now, “American Sports Story” will feature Hernandez.
This new anthology drama series will be produced by Ryan Murphy, best known for the hit FOX show “Glee” while also producing “American Horror Story” on FX. He was also the producer behind “Nip/Tuck” and the FOX series “9-1-1 Lone Star.”
Murphy has tried his hand with a sports drama series before. He was the producer behind the highly praised “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” in 2016, which focused on the “trial of the century” of 1994-95 involving the fallen NFL icon and actor.
Looking at Who’ll Play Hernandez and Other Cast Members
Hernandez will be portrayed by actor Josh Rivera.
He’s best known for playing “Chino” in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story. His other acting credits include “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Hernandez, however, becomes the 29-year-old’s first major lead role in a series.
Meanwhile, the son of legendary actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Patrick Schwarzenegger, will play Tim Tebow. Tebow is best known for winning two national championships and his 2008 Heisman-winning season with Hernandez as his top tight end.
Actress Jaylen Barron will play Shayanna Jenkins, the former fiancée of the late Hernandez. Barron is best known for her role as Trish on the comedy-drama series “Blindspotting.”
The series has also tabbed Broadway actor Norbert Leo Butz to play Hernandez’s former NFL head coach Bill Belichick.
Looking Back at What Happened to Hernandez
Hernandez was a talented but troubled NFL star during the Patriots’ dynasty era.
He arrived to the Pats as a fourth-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. He fell on draft boards due to his legal issues at Florida, including his involvement in a bar fight while also failing a drug test.
But he went on to blossom early in New England, producing his first 100-yard game in his second-ever NFL contest and later establishing himself as a reliable target for Tom Brady. Hernandez caught 175 passes for 1,956 yards and scored 18 touchdowns across three seasons. He was also a key target for the 2011 Patriots, who snatched the AFC title.
His life of stardom turned into a life of controversy. Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the shooting death of Odin Lloyd in June 2013. Lloyd was discovered with multiple gunshot wounds approximately a mile from Hernandez’s home in Massachusetts. Hernandez’s name was additionally linked to the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado, who were gunned down in a drive-by shooting in July 2012.
Hernandez was found dead inside his jail cell at Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Mass. He was only 27, and his death was ruled a suicide.