It is based on Maureen Orth's book Vulgar Favors: Andrew Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History,[1][2] and was developed by Tom Rob Smith, after the departure of series creators Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

[1] The story about Katrina was eventually cancelled and The Assassination of Gianni Versace took over as second season, with filming taking place from May to November 2017.

[17] On October 2, 2017, American Horror Story actor Matt Bomer was announced as the director of the eighth episode, making it his directorial debut.

[26] On June 21, 2017, it was announced through Entertainment Weekly that Ashford's role in the series would be as Elizabeth Cote, a friend of Cunanan's since high school, while Nico Evers-Swindell would play her husband, Philip Merrill.

[28] On June 21, 2017, it was announced that Finn Wittrock will star in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, playing Jeffrey Trail, Cunanan's first victim.

[30][31] In December 2017, the official webpage for the series released cast and character bios revealing that Max Greenfield would play Ronnie, whilst confirming the casting of Judith Light as Marilyn Miglin, Dascha Polanco as Detective Lori Wieder, Jon Jon Briones as Modesto Cunanan, Cody Fern as David Madson, and Mike Farrell as Lee Miglin.

[36] In October, a third teaser was released, depicting some police radio communications as a black clothes cover, with the name Versace on it, is being closed.

[38] On Halloween day, FX aired a new promotional video during a commercial break of the ninth episode of American Horror Story: Cult, which announced that the season would premiere on January 17, 2018.

[45] The second featured a Versace fashion show where models start crying, as news reports about the designer's death are heard.

The site's critical consensus reads, "The Assassination of Versace starts with a bang and unfurls slowly, moving backward through an intricate (and occasionally convoluted) murder mystery anchored by a career-defining performance from Darren Criss.

[58] Following this answer, the Versace family released a second statement, still slamming the series as "a work of fiction" because "the Orth book itself is full of gossip and speculation."

They also heavily criticized Orth's work, calling it an "effort to create a sensational story" with "second-hand hearsay that is full of contradictions."

He also revealed that, while Cruz was representing the series at the 75th Golden Globe Awards, Versace "very graciously sent [her] a lovely and huge flower arrangement saying 'good luck.