Given the popularity of the first season of American Crime Story, there is much interest in the show's return but it has already been hit with controversy as the Versace family issued a series of statements condemning the production.

Back in 2016, TV producer Ryan Murphy had another hit on his hands when American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson aired on US network FX. The show was based on the infamous murder case, which saw the former NFL player stand trial for the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman. The series won 9 Emmys and 3 Golden Globes, as well as vast critical acclaim.

American Crime Story will return to US television on January 17th, with the second season focusing on the 1997 murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace. The cast includes Penelope Cruz, Darren Criss, Edgar Ramírez and Ricky Martin.

The Versace family issued their first statement on Monday, ahead of the show's LA premiere.

Harper's Bazaar published the statement, reading "The Versace family has neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever in the forthcoming TV series about the death of Mr. Gianni Versace. Since Versace did not authorize the book on which it is partly based nor has it taken part in the writing of the screenplay, this TV series should only be considered as a work of fiction."

On Wednesday, the family released a longer statement that can be read here. It began by calling out the author of the book that the show is based on, "As we have said, the Versace family has neither authorized nor had any involvement whatsoever in the forthcoming TV series about the death of Mr. Gianni Versace, which should only be considered as a work of fiction. The company producing the series claims it is relying on a book by Maureen Orth, but the Orth book itself is full of gossip and speculation. Orth never received any information from the Versace family and she has no basis to make claims about the intimate personal life of Gianni Versace or other family members. Instead, in her effort to create a sensational story, she presents second-hand hearsay that is full of contradictions."

FX issued their own statement, saying "Like the original American Crime Story series The People vs. OJ Simpson, which was based on Jeffrey Toobin's nonfiction bestseller The Run of His Life, FX’s follow-up The Assassination Of Gianni Versace is based on Maureen Orth's heavily researched and authenticated nonfiction best-seller Vulgar Favors, which examined the true life crime spree of Andrew Cunanan. We stand by the meticulous reporting of Ms. Orth."

We're not sure who to believe, but it sounds like the show will be worth tuning it to.