Murdaugh: Death in the Family

Last updated

Murdaugh: Death in the Family
Murdaugh Death in the Family poster.png
Promotional poster
Genre True crime drama
Created by
Based on Murdaugh Murders Podcast by Mandy Matney
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Michael D. Fuller
  • Erin Lee Carr
  • Nick Antosca
  • Alex Hedlund
  • Mandy Matney
  • Steven Piet
  • Patricia Arquette
  • Jason Clarke
  • David Moses
  • Bill Johnson
Production companies
  • Eat the Cat
  • UCP
Original release
Network Hulu
ReleaseOctober 15 (2025-10-15) –
November 19, 2025 (2025-11-19)

Murdaugh: Death in the Family is a true crime drama television miniseries created by Michael D. Fuller and Erin Lee Carr for Hulu. [1] It stars Jason Clarke, Patricia Arquette, J. Smith-Cameron, Johnny Berchtold, and Brittany Snow. The series is based on the Murdaugh Murders Podcast by Mandy Matney, who investigated and blogged about the unfolding case of Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of the murders of his wife, Maggie, and their son, Paul, on June 7, 2021; she is played by Brittany Snow in the series. The series depicts the events leading up to the double murder.

Contents

Murdaugh: Death in the Family premiered on Hulu on October 15, 2025. [2] The series received generally positive reviews from critics. [3] While critics praised the performances, some were divided on its storytelling and tone. [4]

Cast and characters

Main

Recurring

Co-stars

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Family Tradition"Steven PietTeleplay by : Michael D. Fuller
Story by : Michael D. Fuller & Erin Lee Carr 		October 15, 2025 (2025-10-15)
2"One is Missing"Steven PietMichael D. FullerOctober 15, 2025 (2025-10-15)
3"Kokomo" Ingrid Jungermann Anna FishkoOctober 15, 2025 (2025-10-15)
4"Controlled Burn" Jennifer Lynch David Gabriel & Tika PetersonOctober 22, 2025 (2025-10-22)
5"The Prince"Erin Lee CarrAlana B. LytleOctober 29, 2025 (2025-10-29)
6"June 7th" Kat Candler Michael D. Fuller & Anna FishkoNovember 5, 2025 (2025-11-05)
7"On the Road You Take to Avoid it"Kat CandlerBashir GavrielNovember 12, 2025 (2025-11-12)
8"The Man in the Glass"Steven PietMichael D. Fuller & Gabrielle CostaNovember 19, 2025 (2025-11-19)

Production

Development

In November 2022, it was announced a series revolving around the Murdaugh murders was in development at Hulu, with Universal Content Productions producing, Michael D. Fuller and Erin Lee Carr serving as creators and executive producers alongside Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund for Eat the Cat, David Moses and Bill Johnson. [5] [6] Steven Piet executive produced and directed episodes 101, 102, and 108. [5]

Casting

In September 2024, Patricia Arquette joined the cast. [7] In December 2024, Jason Clarke joined the cast. [8] Arquette and Clarke also served as executive producers of the series. [5] In March 2025, J. Smith-Cameron, Johnny Berchtold and Will Harrison joined the cast in series regular and recurring capacity respectively. [9] [10] In April 2025, Brittany Snow, Noah Emmerich, Kathleen Wilhoite, Tommy Dewey, Madeline Popovich, Jessi Case, Jim O'Heir, Mark Pellegrino, Nicholas Cirillo, Patch Darragh, Ryan Paynter, Gerald McRaney and Mina Sundwall joined the cast in series regular and recurring capacities, respectively. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] In May 2025, Tyner Rushing joined the cast in recurring capacity. [16]

Filming

Principal photography commenced by March 2025 in Atlanta and surrounding areas. [17] [18] [19]

Release

The trailer of Murdaugh: Death in the Family was released on September 11, 2025. [20] The series premiered on Hulu on October 15, with the first three episodes and the rest debuting on a weekly basis until the series finale on November 19. [21] Internationally, the series was made available to stream on Disney+. [22]

Reception

Viewership

Murdaugh: Death in the Family entered Hulu's "Top 15 Today" list—a daily ranking of the platform's most-watched titles—following its premiere on October 15. [23] TVision, which tracks viewer attention, reach, and engagement across more than 1,000 connected TV applications, reported the series among the most-streamed programs in the United States, ranking it within the top five streaming programs for part of October 2025. [24] The series was the fifth most-streamed program in the United States between October 13 and 26 and remained among the fifteenth most-streamed programs through the week ending November 9, according to TVision. [25] Murdaugh: Death in the Family remained on Hulu's "Top 15 Today" list from its debut on October 15 through December 4. [26]

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 69% approval rating based on 26 critic reviews. [27] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 63 out of 100 based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable." [28]

Variety 's Aramide Tinubu called Murdaugh: Death in the Family an "engaging portrait of greed, cruelty and arrogance," complimenting the series for capturing "what is so compelling about this particular family and why, ultimately, they self-immolated." Tinubu highlighted the depiction of the Murdaughs' dysfunction, privilege, and criminal activity, praising Patricia Arquette's portrayal of Maggie Murdaugh, a woman "trapped in a life she thought she wanted." She appreciated the series for immersing viewers in the Murdaugh "ecosystem" and depicting the consequences of the family's abuse of wealth and influence. Tinubu further described the series as a "profoundly compelling character study" of a man whose long-standing authority collapses. [29] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter described Murdaugh: Death in the Family as "thoughtful without being terribly insightful," noting that the series largely remains within familiar territory over its eight episodes. She praised the performances of Jason Clarke, Patricia Arquette, and Johnny Berchtold, highlighting the series' ability to ground the family's actions in "recognizable humanity" while avoiding sensationalism. Han criticized its narrow focus on the Murdaughs, observing that non-Murdaugh victims and those affected by the family's misconduct are largely reduced to "symbols." She added that the series underscores the limits of understanding the psychology behind tragic events, emphasizing the "violent external reality of the shootings rather than dwell[ing] on the twisted internal logic underlying them." [30]

References

  1. ↑ "Murdaugh: Death in the Family". Hulu.com . Archived from the original on September 8, 2025. Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  2. ↑ Palmer, Katie (October 6, 2025). "Murdaugh Death in the Family release date, cast and episodes for 'wild' series". Manchester Evening News . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ Malhotra, Rahul (October 19, 2025). "'Severance' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' Stars Unite in This Southern True Crime Mystery Taking Streaming by Storm". Collider . Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  4. ↑ Davidson, Denton (October 15, 2025). "Golden Globe buzz or overkill? Critics clash over Hulu's 'Murdaugh: Death in the Family'". Gold Derby. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  5. 1 2 3 Rice, Lynette (September 10, 2025). "'Murdaugh: Death In The Family' Trailer Shows Jason Clarke As A Diabolical Dad Who Claims "It's Only Cheating If You Get Caught"". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  6. ↑ Otterson, Joe (November 11, 2022). "'Murdaugh Murders' Scripted Series in Development at Hulu From Michael D. Fuller, Erin Lee Carr, Nick Antosca". Variety . Archived from the original on May 31, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  7. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (September 6, 2024). "Patricia Arquette To Star In Hulu Limited Series Based On Murdaugh Murders". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 28, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  8. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (December 2, 2024). "Jason Clarke Cast As Alex Murdaugh In Hulu Limited Series Based On Real-Life Murder Case". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on December 14, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  9. ↑ Otterson, Joe (March 19, 2025). "'Succession' Alum J. Smith-Cameron Joins Murdaugh Murders Hulu Series (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on April 28, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  10. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (March 31, 2025). "Will Harrison & Johnny Berchtold Join Hulu's Limited Series Based On Murdaugh Murders". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 3, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  11. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (April 10, 2025). "Brittany Snow Joins Hulu's Murdaugh Murders Limited Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 28, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  12. ↑ Otterson, Joe (April 18, 2025). "Murdaugh Murders Series at Hulu Casts Noah Emmerich, Kathleen Wilhoite, Tommy Dewey". Variety. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  13. ↑ Petski, Denise (April 22, 2025). "Murdaugh Murders Hulu Series Adds 7 To Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 28, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  14. ↑ Otterson, Joe (April 25, 2025). "Gerald McRaney Joins Murdaugh Murders Series at Hulu (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 2, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  15. ↑ Petski, Denise (April 30, 2025). "Murdaugh Murders Hulu Series Casts Mina Sundwall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 1, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  16. ↑ Otterson, Joe (May 30, 2025). "Murdaugh Murders Hulu Series Casts Tyner Rushing (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on May 31, 2025. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
  17. ↑ Ho, Rodney (December 9, 2024). "Hulu's scripted series about Murdaugh murders will be produced in Atlanta". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Archived from the original on May 4, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  18. ↑ Linder, Jack (April 22, 2025). "Marietta Church Serves as Filming Location for Hulu's 'Murdaugh Murders' Show". Marietta Daily Journal . Archived from the original on July 21, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  19. ↑ Legoas, Miguel (May 5, 2025). "New Hulu show 'Murdaugh Murders' is filming in Georgia. Here are the locations, who is in it". Savannah Morning News . Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  20. ↑ Maglio, Tony (September 10, 2025). "There Are a Lot of Deaths in the Family in Hulu's 'Murdaugh: Death in the Family' Trailer". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  21. ↑ Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 3, 2025). "First look at Murdaugh: Death In the Family shows Patricia Arquette in true crime 'cautionary tale' (exclusive)". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 3, 2025.
  22. ↑ Thornton, Isabella (October 15, 2025). "How to watch Murdaugh: Death in the Family outside the US". UpNext by Reelgood. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  23. ↑ Bunch, Rebecca (October 18, 2025). "The TV Ratings Guide: What's Trending on Streaming: Daily Trending Lists for Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, Paramount+ and HBO Max from October 12-October 18". The TV Ratings Guide. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  24. ↑ Tahleel, Sahiba (November 20, 2025). "Will there be a Murdaugh: Death in the Family Season 2? Here's what we know". Soap Central. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  25. ↑
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ "Murdaugh: Death in the Family: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Murdaugh: Death in the Family: Season 1". Metacritic . Retrieved October 29, 2025.
  29. ↑ Tinubu, Aramide (October 15, 2025). "Hulu's 'Murdaugh: Death in the Family' Is an Engaging Tapestry of Privilege, Greed and Lies: TV Review". Variety . Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  30. ↑ Han, Angie (October 14, 2025). "'Murdaugh: Death in the Family' Review: Jason Clarke and Patricia Arquette in Hulu's Latest Persuasive, if Unrevealing, True Crime Offering". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 3, 2026.
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