Shows and Podcasts Breaking Down the Murdaugh Family, Murder Investigation and Trial
The sentencing of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh for the murders of his wife and son is unlikely to end the public’s fascination with the family: There are already TV specials, docuseries and podcasts about the slayings and at least two scripted shows on the way.
Murdaugh was sentenced to life in prison on Friday after being convicted a day earlier of killing his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, and their youngest son, Paul. He was found guilty on all charges, including two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon in the commitment of a violent crime.
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In June 2021, Maggie and Paul were found shot to death on the family’s estate in Colleton County, South Carolina. But the prominent family’s legacy began unraveling years earlier when questions arose following the death of Mallory Beach in a boating accident involving Paul, the unsolved 2015 death of Stephen Smith (a former classmate of the Murdaugh’s eldest son) and the 2018 death of Gloria Satterfield, the family’s longtime housekeeper. Other allegations against Alex Murdaugh, who denied killing his family, include drug trafficking, bank fraud, an insurance scheme and a botched suicide plot.
Below are shows and podcasts covering the Murdaugh family, the murder trial and everything in between.
Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal
The three-part docuseries, directed by Julia Willoughby Nason and Jenner Furst, follows the Murdaugh family scandal early on — beginning with Beach’s death in February 2019, where Paul Murdaugh was the alleged boat driver, to when Paul and his mother Maggie were found shot to death in 2021. The series also includes first-hand accounts from those involved in the boating tragedy and covers a century of corruption, power and cover-ups in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina that the murder investigation brought to light.
Murdaugh Murders Podcast
Award-winning journalist Mandy Matney hosts the podcast, with co-host Liz Farrell, which follows all the deaths, investigations, corruption and secrets surrounding the Murdaugh family. Listeners can follow along in real time as the podcast’s exclusive sources help guide the dark journey.
The podcast is also being developed into a scripted series at Hulu, with Erin Lee Carr directing and Michael D. Fuller producing. The true-crime drama was first picked up by UCP in April 2022. A release date has not been set.
ABC’s 20/20 – “Murdaugh Family Murders”
An episode of 20/20, which debuted Friday night, takes a deep dive into the murder trial and features new interviews surrounding the high-profile case.
Unsolved South Carolina’s The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery podcast
For a more local perspective on the investigation, The Murdaugh Murders, Money & Mystery is part of the Unsolved South Carolina series of podcasts from WCIV-TV in Charleston. The podcast from the news station, based less than two hours away from the Murdaugh family’s hunting lodge in Islandton, South Carolina, where Paul and Maggie were found murdered, gives an in-depth look at the unfolding criminal saga. It’s hosted by journalist Anne Emerson, former South Carolina Attorney General Charlie Condon and producer Drew Tripp.
HBO Max’s Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty
The three-part HBO Max docuseries, directed by Mor Loushy and Daniel Sivan, was released in November 2022, months before Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial began. The network said the series explores the legacy of the once-prominent South Carolina family as their decades of powerful influence over the South Carolina Lowcountry’s legal system starts to unravel amid accusations of fraud, deception and murder.
True Crime Today’s The Trial of Alex Murdaugh podcast
When the murder trial started on Jan. 25, True Crime Today’s podcast started covering all the developments coming out of the courtroom. The podcast recaps the shocking and intense moments every hour of each day of the trial.
Discovery Plus’ Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty
The three-part series, released in June 2022, covers the Murdaugh family saga from corruption to the murders and suspicious death. The show includes “never-before-seen” footage surrounding all the headline-making tragedies connected to the family.
Understand Murdaugh podcast
One of South Carolina’s largest newspapers, The Post and Courier, gives listeners local insights into the Murdaugh family investigations. Award-winning reporters bring the latest news and in-depth analysis of the once-powerful Lowcountry family.
The Murdaugh Family Murders: Impact of Influence podcast
The true-crime podcast, hosted by Matt Harris and Seton Tucker, takes a look at the tragic story of the Murdaughs – a family connected to power, mysterious deaths and murders.
The Murdaugh Murders (In Development)
A scripted drama series is also in the works at Lionsgate TV. The studio has optioned rights to a book proposal by journalist and author Matthew Lysiak called Money, Mayhem and Murder in South Carolina: The Murdaugh Family Saga and a TV project going by the title The Murdaugh Murders.