So, you’re scrolling through Hulu and you see it—the face of a guy who had the world at his feet before it all came crashing down in a jail cell. We’re talking about American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez. This isn't just another true crime cash-grab. It’s a Ryan Murphy production, which means it's got that specific, high-drama flair we’ve come to expect from the guy who gave us The People v. O.J. Simpson.
But honestly? This show is a lot to process.
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It’s based on the Gladiator podcast from The Boston Globe, and it tries to answer the one question that has haunted New England for a decade: How does a $40 million NFL star turn into a convicted murderer?
The Josh Rivera Transformation
The first thing you’ll notice is the lead. Josh Andrés Rivera—you might know him from West Side Story—doesn't just play Aaron; he basically disappears into him. He put on 30 pounds of muscle to look the part of a pro-bowl tight end, but it’s the eyes that get you. He captures that weird, oscillating energy Hernandez had. One minute he’s this goofy, charismatic kid proposing with a Ring Pop, and the next, he’s a ball of pure, unadulterated paranoia.
The show doesn’t shy away from the brutal reality of his childhood in Bristol, Connecticut. We see his father, Dennis Hernandez, played by Vincent Laresca. Dennis was "The King" in town, a former athlete who worked as a janitor and allegedly ruled his house with an iron fist and a lot of homophobic slurs. It’s heavy stuff. The show argues that Aaron was essentially a "nature vs. nurture" experiment gone horribly wrong.
What the Aaron Hernandez TV Show Actually Gets Right
Let’s get into the weeds of the "Patriot Way." The series spends a lot of time on the institutions that enabled him. We see the University of Florida years where Urban Meyer (played with a sort of chilling intensity by Tony Yazbeck) reportedly looked the other way when Aaron got into trouble.
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One of the wildest parts of the show is the casting of the other NFL legends. You’ve got:
- Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow: Surprisingly, he actually pulls off the earnest, "Jesus-first" vibe of the Florida QB.
- Norbert Leo Butz as Bill Belichick: It’s a bit hammy, but he nails the "we’re on to Cincinnati" grumpiness.
- The "Gronk" Scene: There’s a scene with a Rob Gronkowski actor (Laith Wallschleger) that went viral because it's so... well, it’s a lot.
The show makes a very specific choice to focus on Hernandez’s sexuality. While the real Aaron never publicly came out before his death in 2017, the series portrays him as a deeply closeted man struggling with his identity in the hyper-masculine world of the NFL. It’s a perspective that adds a whole new layer of tragedy to the story, even if some critics think it speculates a bit too much.
The CTE Elephant in the Room
You can’t talk about Aaron Hernandez without talking about his brain. After he took his own life in his cell, researchers at Boston University found he had Stage 3 CTE. That is unheard of for a 27-year-old.
The show treats this as a ticking time bomb. Every hit on the field feels louder. Every headache he gets in the locker room feels more ominous. It doesn't excuse the murder of Odin Lloyd—nothing can—but it provides a terrifying context. You’re watching a man lose his mind in real-time while the league continues to profit off the very hits that are destroying him.
What People Get Wrong About the Show
A lot of viewers think this is a documentary. It’s not. There’s a disclaimer at the end of every episode saying creative liberties were taken. For instance, the character "Chris," played by Jake Cannavale, is largely a composite or a fictionalized version of people in Aaron's life.
Also, don't expect a lot of actual football. If you're looking for game highlights, go to YouTube. This is a psychological drama. It’s about the "Herald Street" shootings and the paranoia of a man who thought everyone was out to get him because, in a way, his own secrets were.
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How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re diving into the 10-episode run on FX or Hulu, pay attention to the shift in tone around episode six. That’s when the "glamour" of the NFL disappears and the walls start closing in.
- Look for the contrast: Compare his life with Shayanna Jenkins (Jaylen Barron) to his "secret" life. The show highlights how he was essentially living three different lives at once.
- Note the timeline: It jumps around a bit, especially with his father’s death, to show how that trauma never really left him.
- The Odin Lloyd Case: The show doesn't treat the murder as a mystery. It treats it as an inevitability.
Ultimately, American Sports Story is a tough watch. It’s supposed to be. It forces you to look at the cost of the "winning at all costs" mentality that dominates American sports. It doesn’t give Aaron a pass, but it definitely points a finger at the people who kept him on the field while he was clearly falling apart.
To get the most out of your viewing, it’s worth reading the original Boston Globe "Gladiator" series or watching the Netflix documentary Killer Inside afterward. Comparing the scripted drama to the raw facts helps separate the "Ryan Murphy-isms" from the devastating reality of what actually happened in Massachusetts. Start with the first two episodes to see if you can handle the intensity; it only gets darker from there.