Here’s everything you need to know from the incredible 8-hour O.J. Simpson documentary

Sundance Film Festival

“O.J.: Made In America.”

ESPN’s new “30 for 30″ documentary “O.J.: Made in America” is an incredible achievement in nonfiction storytelling.

The look at the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson along with the strained race relations of the LAPD since the Civil Rights Movement has moving interviews and archival footage that keep you on the edge of your seat for close to eight hours. 

For those who don’t have the time to watch the entire documentary, or if you just want a refresher, here’s a breakdown of all the highlights from the five-part docuseries.

You can watch the entire documentary on the Watch ESPN app or on iTunes.

PART 1: O.J. Simpson was born and raised in the Potrero Hill projects of San Francisco.

Simpson was a star athlete but even at a young age knew how to get his way out of trouble. He once stole his best friend’s girlfriend.

In 1967, he entered USC and became an instant star.

He became an all-time great at USC when he scored the game-winning touchdown against city rival UCLA in ’67.

But around the same time, there was social unrest in Los Angeles. The Watts Riots showed the frustration the black community had with the LAPD.

The Civil Rights Movement was also in full swing. Greats like Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar voiced their displeasure.

Simpson was asked to join up with other athletes to get behind the movement, but he declined, saying, “I’m not black, I’m O.J.”

Simpson was starting to form his own brand. He had endorsement deals even before getting into the NFL.

Simpson was drafted No. 1 by the Buffalo Bills and after a few down seasons hit a landmark.

In 1973, he rushed for a record 2,000 yards, cementing his Hall of Fame career.

Simpson became a household name with his Hertz commercial. The landmark ad was the first time an African-American was featured for a major brand.

Simpson tried to get into movies, too. His big first role, “Capricorn One,” wasn’t a major hit.

Around this time, Simpson met 18-year-old Nicole Brown. He was still with his first wife, but he told a friend, “I’m going to marry that girl.”

PART 2: Simpson retired from the NFL in 1979 and began working on his acting career full-time.

Though he was charismatic, he couldn’t land any big roles.

LA wasn’t doing well either. The brutality from the LAPD within the black community was relentless.

Simpson married Nicole in 1985.

They lived in Brentwood, a ritzy area, and instantly became a celebrity sight for the neighborhood.

Simpson even found a movie role that suited him: the bumbling Nordberg in the “The Naked Gun” franchise.

But Simpson’s womanizing was becoming more public.

A friend of Nicole says in the documentary that Simpson’s reason for having an affair with actress Tawny Kitaen was because Nicole got “too fat” while she was pregnant.

One of the most chilling sections of part two is the 1989 911 call Nicole made during a domestic violence incident with Simpson. He pleaded no contest to spousal battery charges.

Nicole had bruises all over here when an officer arrived.

She told the officer of Simpson, “He’s going to kill me.”

This was not the first time officers had come to the Simpson house due to a 911 call.

Nicole finally separated from Simpson in the early 1990s. She carried on relationships with other men.

But Simpson kept tabs on Nicole. He even revealed to her that he would spy on her being romantic with other men.

Outside of the Simpson bubble, LA and the nation were transfixed by the beating of Rodney King at the hands of police, captured on camera.

And the riot that followed the acquittal of the officers who were shown beating King on camera.

PART 3: Nicole and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered in front of Nicole’s home on June 12, 1994. A bloody glove was found at the scene.

And a similar glove was found on Simpson’s property.

Simpson was questioned by police. His left middle finger was cut, he said from some glass after hearing the news of Nicole’s death.

Simpson hired Robert Shapiro to be his lawyer. He was known as a “fixer” for the rich in Hollywood.

But even Shapiro couldn’t cut a deal for Simpson. A warrant for his arrest was issued. But he didn’t immediately surrender to the LAPD.

Instead, Simpson was found on the freeway being driven in his friend Al Cowlings’ white Bronco. The epic chase was seen by the world.

Simpson finally surrendered to the police back at his house in Brentwood.

Simpson pleaded “not guilty” to the murders of Nicole and Goldman.

Simpson also hired Johnnie Cochran for his defense team in the lead-up to the “trial of the century.”

What sparked the nation’s interest was not just Simpson’s involvement, but the theory laid out by the defense team of a racially driven conspiracy in the LAPD.

Specifically, that a detective in the case, Mark Fuhrman, was a racist.

To show this, the defense presented comments and actions of Fuhrman in the past toward African-Americans.

PART 4: The prosecution attempted to combat the defense’s tactic by showing that Simpson was a wife-beater.

Simpson’s old friend even took the stand for the prosecution because he believed Simpson killed Nicole. He stated to the court that Simpson told him “he had dreams” of killing Nicole.

But one juror interviewed for the documentary said that the way she saw it, she couldn’t respect someone who stays with a man after getting “an a– whipping.”

While outside the courtroom, the nation was transfixed by everything about the case.

Even the personal life of lead prosecutor Marcia Clark.

And back inside the court, things weren’t any better for Clark and her team. The investigation of the crime scene was scrutinized.

There were questions about why one of the detectives brought blood to the crime scene, giving the jury the idea that the crime scene had been tampered with.

Then tapes of Fuhrman spewing racist comments about his police work surfaced and were played for the jury.

Causing the jury to look away from the specifics of the case.

The tapes helped drive home the defense’s theme: that the LAPD was racist at its core and that it was trying to bring down Simpson, a prominent African-American.

PART 5: After close to a year, the trial ended with Simpson found not guilty.

The divide between the reactions of African-Americans and whites was hard to ignore.

Simpson still didn’t find the complete freedom he was hoping for. The Goldmans filed a civil case and were awarded with $33.5 million from Simpson.

Simpson fled to Florida to protect his assets. That was the start of the most bizarre part of his life.

He became a hard partier and hung out with questionable characters.

He tried to launch a hidden-camera show called “Juiced.”

He even tried to cash in with a book titled “If I Did It.”

Simpson’s luck ran out in a hotel room in Las Vegas in September 2007.

In hopes of reclaiming personal items of Simpson’s that were supposedly sold off, Simpson and a group of men entered a hotel room, one with a gun, and robbed men of the materials they had.

None of the belongings included the personal items Simpson thought would be there.

Simpson was arrested the following day.

Simpson is currently serving a 33-year sentence for a number of felonies related to the incident, including criminal conspiracy and kidnapping.

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