What’s there left to say about the Murdaugh murders and ‘killer clown’ John Wayne Gacy? A lot

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Even if you don’t follow true crime, you probably remember the cases explored in two new drama series this week: Hulu’s “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” which starts streaming Wednesday, and Peacock’s “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy,” debuting Thursday.

Both of these limited series dramatize well-publicized and often-discussed true crime cases. One focuses on the 2021 Murdaugh murders, which revealed the downfall of a powerful South Carolina family with a long legal history. The other revisits the crimes of John Wayne Gacy, a notorious serial killer responsible for the deaths of at least 33 young men and boys between 1972 and 1978.

What more can be said about these kinds of stories? Actually, quite a lot, as shown by the exciting new TV shows starting this week.

Television

Lorraine Ali, a TV critic with a passion for true crime, has compiled a list of the 50 best true-crime documentaries available to stream on platforms like Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.

Both series, each with eight episodes, delve into the factors that led to terrible crimes—including excessive pride within powerful families, corruption, greed, societal biases, and failures in the justice system.

The new three-part documentary series, “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” details the story of Alex Murdaugh (played by Jason Clarke) and his conviction for the 2021 murders of his wife, Maggie (Patricia Arquette), and son, Paul (Johnny Berchtold).

The series, made by Michael D. Fuller and Erin Lee Carr, follows the unraveling of the Murdaugh family, a once-powerful family in Hampton, South Carolina. For decades, they used their influence and privilege to cover up wrongdoing, ultimately leading to the shocking actions of Alex Murdaugh, a lawyer carrying on the family business. He stole over $700,000 from his law firm and millions more intended for his clients, then tried to hide the truth about a 2019 boat crash that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. He even attempted a strange scheme to have himself murdered for the insurance money. In March 2023, Murdaugh was found guilty of murdering his wife and son and is now serving two life sentences. He also received an additional 40 years in federal prison and 27 years in state prison for his financial crimes.

Television

Hulu’s latest miniseries tells the story of the Murdaughs, a prominent South Carolina family with a legal background, and the shocking events they were caught up in – including a boat accident, two murders, and various financial wrongdoings.

Clarke and Arquette, inspired by the characters Mandy Matney (played by Brittany Snow in the series) created on the “Murdaugh Murders Podcast,” effectively show the problems and unwillingness to face facts that contributed to the terrible deaths.

Alex Murdaugh is portrayed as a troubled man, struggling with painkiller addiction and masking his problems with a charming, Southern facade. While the first episode of the documentary series, “Death in the Family,” starts slowly and relies a bit too heavily on folksy sayings, it ultimately unfolds into a compelling and revealing story about a well-known case, offering fresh perspectives and details.

The new documentary, “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy,” details the horrific crimes of Gacy, a dangerous man who appeared to be a respectable member of his Chicago community. He was known as a friendly and humorous contractor, involved in local politics, and even volunteered as a clown – Pogo – to cheer up sick children, masking his true nature.

I remember when they started looking for a missing teenager in Des Plaines, it turned into something truly horrifying. The search eventually led them to John Wayne Gacy’s house, and what they found in the crawl space – multiple bodies – was just shocking. It was a case that really stayed with me, and changed how people thought about suburban horror.

This series unravels the story of how John Wayne Gacy, known as “The Clown Killer,” committed numerous murders over a long period, while also honoring the victims, their families, and the detectives who ultimately solved the disturbing case. In his thirties, Gacy targeted vulnerable individuals already marginalized from society – primarily young men, including sex workers, runaways, and those struggling with difficult lives, many of whom were gay. Because of the circumstances surrounding these victims, their disappearances often went unnoticed or uninvestigated by the police.

Despite a living victim accusing Gacy of kidnapping and rape, prosecutors dismissed the incident as harmless sexual activity. This happened even though Gacy had faced multiple accusations of sexual assault, and had previously pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy in 1968. This series reveals how widespread failures and prejudice within the system allowed Gacy to continue his crimes for almost ten years. It shares the stories of some of his victims, reminding us of the people behind the shocking headlines and sensationalized true-crime coverage.

This series is based on the 2021 Peacock documentary about John Wayne Gacy. Michael Chernus (known from “Severance”) portrays Gacy, while Gabriel Luna (“The Last of Us”) plays Det. Rafael Tovar, the dedicated investigator who worked constantly to identify the victims found at Gacy’s property.

“Devil in Disguise” explores the life of John Wayne Gacy before he became a serial killer, revealing numerous warning signs that people around him ignored. Gacy received the death penalty in 1980 and was executed at Stateville Correctional Center in 1994.

While the show’s speed sometimes feels off and its points about how the media and police treated the victims of John Wayne Gacy get repeated a little too much, it’s still a gripping telling of a truly disturbing case in American criminal history.

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2025-10-16 00:01