LOS ANGELES – Sarah Paulson has commitment issues. I'm not talking about her personal relationship with 73-year-old Holland Taylor, but rather her professional one with producer Ryan Murphy, who insisted she play Marcia Clark in his miniseries "The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."
Before that, the two collaborated during five seasons of "American Horror Story," in which the 41-year-old actress tackled a wide range of roles including an untrustworthy medium, an emotionally unstable ghost, the protective headmistress of a girls school and bickering conjoined twins.
For Murphy, the two anthology series have helped him recover from "Glee's" plunge of popularity to join the top ranks of TV producers. "The People v. O.J. Simpson," which concludes its 10-episode run on April 5, is second only to "The Walking Dead" in viewership among scripted cable dramas.
For Paulson, who will almost certainly earn her fifth Emmy nomination in four years for her portrayal as the embattled prosecutor, the relationship has made her the prominent participant in an intriguing experiment that invites a core group of performers to return to a series as a completely different character.
"From an acting standpoint, it's the best gig in the world," said Paulson, working the room at a cocktail party not far from co-stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and David Schwimmer. "I don't have to come to work wearing the same outfit I did the season before."
Murphy's approach has attracted A-list talent, including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett. Lady Gaga, who won a Golden Globe for her work in "American Horror Story: Hotel," recently revealed that she'll return for another season.
But despite big names and promising ratings, the format hasn't exactly caught fire.
IFC's "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret" toyed with the concept this past season (as simply "Todd Margaret"), with David Cross transforming himself from a nerdy Jerry Lewis type to a smug Jerry Lewis type. Few people outside of Cross' immediately family tuned in.
The second season of ABC's "American Crime" didn't fare much better in the ratings, but the drama has gotten great reviews, in large part because a stellar cast came back in challenging, complex roles.
"Since the Greeks were doing theater, actors have played lots of different parts, so it comes very naturally to us," said "American Crime" regular Lili Taylor, who went from victims rights advocate to a mother who lets her emotions trump rational thinking when her son says he has been raped. "It's a win for us because we get to go deeper with writers who now know us, and it's a win for the audience because it's just much more layered."
Viewers may appreciate the chance to see familiar faces escort them on unexpected journeys, much in the way the Guthrie Theater used to keep ticket holders on their toes with a repertory company who would present William Shakespeare and Arthur Miller in the same season.
But adjustments are still necessary. "American Crime's" Felicity Huffman changed her hair color during the show's hiatus, if only so viewers wouldn't confuse her politically savvy administrator from the prejudiced mother she played in 2015.
"You don't want the audience to have a residue of what you've done before," said Huffman, who didn't have nearly as much of a chance to stretch during her run on the prime-time ABC soap "Desperate Housewives."
Hard to say goodbye
Some producers believe a dye job isn't enough. Barbie Kligman, creator of "Secrets & Lies," will be bringing back her star Juliette Lewis in the role of no-nonsense detective Andrea Cornell, even though she'll be investigating an entirely different case.
"For me, it might have been too confusing," said Kligman, when asked about whether she considered rejiggering the cast from Season 1 to Season 2, which is expected to start this year on ABC. "I just wanted to go with all brand-new stories with the same detective. That's easier to remember."
As an actor, Paulson understands the temptation to return to a role and have the chance to go deeper.
"Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye to a character I really loved," she said. "But over the past five years, I have never been bored. And if audiences get bored with one character, maybe I'll get lucky and they'll love me next year."
Paulson hasn't announced what's next on her docket, but the next season of "American Crime Story" will focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
She might want to start working on her New Orleans accent.
Neal Justin • 612-673-7431 •
Njustin@startribune.com Twitter: @nealjustin