In January 1998, the world watched on as then-US president Bill Clinton swore that he “did not have sexual relations” with Monica Lewinsky.
The sex scandal rocked the political world, not least because of the notable age gap and imbalance of power between Clinton and his former intern. Their sexual relationship began in 1995 and lasted until 1997, although he did not admit any wrongdoing until August 1998 when he finally admitted to engaging in an “improper physical relationship” with Lewinsky.
The incident led to Clinton being charged with perjury for lying about the affair, however, the Senate failed to convict him. He was also impeached for high crimes and misdemeanours for lying under oath and obstruction of justice. Only the second US president to ever be impeached (after Andrew Johnson and before Donald Trump who was impeached twice), Clinton was ultimately acquitted on both counts.
In Impeachment: American Crime Story, acclaimed director and producer Ryan Murphy drew inspiration from Jeffrey Toobin’s book, A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President, to explore the explosive story and examine the national crisis that led to the first impeachment of a US President in over a century through the eyes of the women at the centre of the events: Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp and Paula Jones.
All three women found themselves in the public spotlight during an intense time of shifting sexual politics and a rapidly changing media landscape. For Lewinsky, it was her word against that of one of the most powerful men in the world.
The cast is full of familiar faces including Beanie Feldstein (Lady Bird, What We Do in the Shadows, Bad Neighbours 2) as Monica Lewinsky, Clive Owen (Closer, The Knick) as Bill Clinton, Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie) as Hillary Clinton and Sarah Paulson (Mrs America, Ratched) as civil servant Linda Tripp.
Rounding out the cast are Annaleigh Ashford (Bad Education, B Positive) as civil servant Paula Jones, and Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother, The Avengers) as journalist Ann Coulter.
The 10-part series will drop new episodes weekly express from the US starting on September 8, 2021, only on BINGE. Weekly episodes will be available on the platform for a period of 35 days.
Check out the teaser below.
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