‘American Crime Story’ spoilers: John Travolta joins Cuba Gooding Jr., Sarah Paulson

Ryan Murphy may be a casting genius. Somehow, this man manages to attract more big-name actors to his projects than almost anyone we know. Case in point? The big announcement today that John Travolta is doing his first regular TV role since “Welcome Back, Kotter” on the upcoming miniseries “American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson.”

Travolta will play on the miniseries famed defense attorney Robert Shapiro, and he joins a cast that includes Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson, “American Horror Story” star Sarah Paulson as prosecutor Marcia Clark, and David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian. Ultimately, these four actors could go toe-to-toe with almost any other show on TV in terms of intrigue and star power.

As for whether or not this series will be good, that is an entirely different story. “American Crime Story” is at least a project with potential, and Murphy is getting behind the show to the expect that he is directing the first episode. The last TV episode he directed was the premiere of “American Horror Story: Freak Show,” and before that “The Normal Heart.” He has not been an extremely prolific TV director since the early days of “Glee” and “American Horror Story.”

There is no timeframe yet as to when this series, which has already been ordered, will premiere, but we wonder if this would be a suitable replacement for “The Bridge” on the network’s summer lineup if they can begin filming soon enough. The network already has “The Bastard Executioner” seemingly lined up for next fall, and “American Horror Story” will return in its traditional spot.

What’s your take on the Travolta casting, and are you as surprised about it as we are? Share with a comment, and head over here to get some other big TV news sent right to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: FX.)