Who doesn’t love a scintillating new true crime series to chill their spines and keep their finger on the “Next Episode” button?
In October, Hulu is dropping a brand new crime drama, Murdaugh: Death In The Family, that looks to be the next can’t-miss piece of television.
This limited series is based on the Murdaugh Murders podcast and centers on a real-life incident involving the powerful Murdaugh family, a legal dynasty in South Carolina and the tragic murders of two of its members at the hands of another back in 2021.
The Watch With Us team breaks down why Murdaugh: Death In The Family is one of our most anticipated series premiering next month.
The Real-Life Crime is Both Tragic and Shocking
In 2021, Alex Murdaugh allegedly killed his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul. He was convicted in 2023 and sentenced to two life sentences without the possibility of parole. The motive was found to be accumulating stress caused by a plethora of financial crimes and other schemes that the prominent attorney had been committing for years. However, the family was discovered to have some mysterious deaths linked to their name as well.
It was the 2019 boating accident death of Mallory Beach at the hands of a highly intoxicated Paul Murdaugh that ultimately led to the unraveling of Alex’s criminal activity. It will be fascinating to see how Murdaugh: Death In The Family depicts the gradual discovery of this wide-reaching criminal enterprise.
The Cast Includes Multiple Oscar and Emmy Winners
Murdaugh: Death In The Family has an elite-tier cast set to portray the titular family in addition to the law enforcement investigating their crimes. Maggie Murdaugh will be played by Patricia Arquette, who feels like the perfect fit for a hardened matriarch desperate to maintain the facade of perfection. Alex Murdaugh will be played by Jason Clarke, an Australian actor known for films like Oppenheimer and Pet Sematary.
Rounding out the rest of the lead cast includes J. Smith-Cameron (Succession), Brittany Snow (Pitch Perfect) and Johnny Berchtold (Reacher) as Paul Murdaugh.
Additionally, the series co-creator Erin Lee Carr is a veteran of hard-hitting documentaries. Her past directing credits include Mommy Dead and Dearest, Britney vs. Spears, Fanatical: The Catfishing of Tegan and Sara, and The Ringleader: The Case of the Bling Ring.
Its Controversial Subject Matter Is Still Relevant
With economic disparity an increasingly prevalent topic, Murdaugh: Death In The Family further highlights how wealthy people can live a completely different life from those with less.
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Using money, status, and influence, Alex Murdaugh was able to skirt the rule of law and evade justice for a litany of crimes for many years. When his son Paul was involved in the boating accident that resulted in the death of his friend, Paul received special treatment allegedly owing to his family connections. Murdaugh: Death In The Family will likely take a look at themes involving class dynamics in America.
Murdaugh: Death In The Family streams on Hulu October 15.
