For all its sensationalism, Aaron Hernandez’s story is a sad one—first and foremost for his victims, who were callously murdered and injured for no reason, and also for Hernandez himself, who squandered enormous talent and opportunity because he couldn’t conquer his demons.

American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, the first installment of Ryan Murphy’s spin-off from American Crime Story, recounts the University of Florida and New England Patriots tight end’s rise from humble origins and fall from the athletic mountaintop, dramatizing the many factors that conspired to doom him. Devoid of stars but featuring a strong lead performance from Josh Rivera, it’s compulsively watchable and detailed, if—per Murphy tradition—about as subtle as a gridiron gang tackle.

Despite a couple of framing device flash-forwards in its first two episodes, American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, which premieres Sept. 17 on FX, is a straightforward recap of Hernandez’s life, beginning in Bristol, CT where, as a kid, he and his brother DJ (Ean Castellanos) were trained to be footballers by their dad Dennis (Vincent Laresca), a domineering former UConn star who sabotaged his dreams by getting involved in a robbery that resulted in the death of a police officer.

Dennis is hostile to his wife Terry (Tammy Blanchard) and controlling with his kids, although part of the latter is driven by his desire to see DJ and, especially, Aaron avoid the mistakes he made. To do that, he demands that Aaron follow in his footsteps and join DJ, an aspiring quarterback, at his alma mater. However, when Dennis suddenly passes away, Aaron........

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