Hulu true crime thriller 'Murdaugh: Death in the Family' gets a first trailer
The drama is based on the chilling true story of the Murdaugh murders

The so-called "Murdaugh murders" — the shocking June 2021 killings of Maggie Murdaugh and her younger son, Paul, on their family estate by husband-father Alex Murdaugh — have provided plenty of titillating page-and-screen fodder for true crime fans over the years, most recently in the form of the 2023 Netflix docuseries entitled "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" and the Lifetime two-part film "Murdaugh Murders: The Movie."
The latest adaptation of the horrific real-life case is a new Hulu limited series, "Murdaugh: Death in the Family," which will recount the familial tragedy across eight hourlong episodes. The first three episodes will debut on the streaming service on Wednesday, October 15, with the final five installments rolling out weekly on Wednesdays until the finale on November 19.
The streamer dropped an official trailer for the drama, which sees Oscar winner Patricia Arquette portray matriarch Maggie Murdaugh, "Oppenheimer" actor Jason Clarke as Alex Murdaugh and "Reacher's" Johnny Berchtold as son Paul Murdaugh.
Created by Michael D. Fuller ("Quarry," "Rectify") and Erin Lee Carr ("Britney vs Spears," "I Love You, Now Die") and inspired by the popular "Murdaugh Murders" Podcast, the drama zooms in on Maggie and Alex, who "enjoy a lavish life of privilege as members of one of South Carolina’s most powerful legal dynasties," reads the official logline, per Hulu. "But when their son Paul is involved in a deadly boat crash, the family is faced with a test unlike any they’ve ever encountered."
"As details come to light and new challenges emerge, the family’s connections to several mysterious deaths raise questions which threaten everything Maggie and Alex hold dear," the series description continues.
The cast also includes Will Harrison as Buster Murdaugh, Brittany Snow as Mandy Matney, J. Smith-Cameron as Marian Proctor, Gerald McRaney as Randolph Murdaugh and Noah Emmerich as Randy Murdaugh.
Arquette previously shared how delving into such a notorious American crime was "always" intriguing to her. “To be married to someone who turns out to basically be a malignant narcissist is so interesting to me,” Arquette told Variety at the “Severance” Season 2 FYC event in Los Angeles this May. “The way they have this kind of enchanted life together and how completely destroyed everything got. It was such a sad, rotten American tale.”
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Christina Izzo is a writer-editor covering culture, food and drink, travel and general lifestyle in New York City. She was previously the Deputy Editor at My Imperfect Life, the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York.
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