THE STORY – Maggie and Alex enjoy a lavish life of privilege as members of one of South Carolina’s most powerful legal dynasties; 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.
THE CAST – Jason Clarke, Patricia Arquette, Johnny Berchtold, Will Harrison & Gerald McRaney
THE TEAM – Erin Lee Carr & Michael D. Fuller (Creators)
When a story like the Murdaugh saga captures the public imagination, the media inevitably exhausts every angle. Podcasts proliferate, documentaries multiply, and dramatized series follow, all mining a case that defies belief. With its convergence of dynastic power, generational wealth, mysterious deaths, and cold-blooded murder, the Murdaugh story practically resists sensationalism. Yet even the most fascinating true crime narrative has its limits, and we may be reaching them here. While “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” offers no new information, experienced documentary filmmaker Erin Lee Carr seamlessly weaves together the intricacies of societal pressures and legacy, with compelling performances from the leads, keeping this overdone story fresh.
By this point, you all know the story. Prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh and his family are connected to five deaths over a span of six years: 19-year-old Stephen Smith is found dead on the road in 2015, housekeeper Gloria Satterfield suffers from an alleged accident at the Murdaugh family home in 2018, 19-year-old Mallory Beach dies after a boat crash at the helm of Paul Murdaugh in 2019, and Paul and Maggie Murdaugh are murdered on the family’s hunting estate in 2021, the latter two unraveling Alex’s house of lies and taking down one of the most prominent southern aristocracies of today. “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” doesn’t pretend to break new ground, instead relying on the intrigue of the source material and formidable talents of Patricia Arquette and Jason Clarke to tell a story that’s almost hard to believe. And for the most part, it works.
Beginning the series with the most direct connection to Alex’s downfall, we see a mysterious person murder 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh and his mother, 52-year-old Maggie Murdaugh, on the family property. What unfolds over the next eight hours is a look back at the decisions of Alex, Paul, Maggie, and Buster that led to financial crimes, drug abuse, lying, cheating, and multiple deaths, intentional or collaterally, by one man and his family. Creators Erin Lee Carr (“I Love You, Now Die” and “Mommy Dead and Dearest”) and Michael D. Fuller (“Locke & Key” and “Quarry”) are experienced storytellers, focusing on psychological complexity and the long road that shapes family annihilators. Carr does what Carr does best: methodical investigation on the subject matter paired with emotional depth, asking not just “what happened” but “why was this allowed to happen?” Pacing can be sluggish at times, especially in the first few episodes. Still, the gripping material and the characters’ constant scheming counterbalance the languid, good-ole-boys rhythms of Southern power brokering. There’s an attempt to angle the investigation through the reporting of journalist Mandy Matney (played by Brittany Snow), but even with Snow’s relentless curiosity, the series works best when it focuses on the psychology of the crimes themselves rather than the investigation.
Alex is played by an all-encompassing and unforgettable Jason Clarke. Having gained 40 pounds for the role, Clarke embodies Alex’s physical dominance while wielding the effortless charm that made him so disarming. He successfully captures the deceit and mysterious quality that fooled even those closest to Murdaugh. Clarke masters the particular cadences and Low Country drawl of his real-life subject with such precision that he becomes utterly unrecognizable; a complete transformation that anchors the entire production. Clarke’s portrayal of Alex is matched by Patricia Arquette’s remarkable performance as Maggie Murdaugh. Portraying Maggie with quiet intensity, Arquette favors subtlety over showiness. Her commanding restraint is a testament to the actress’s ability to ground her characters in authenticity, keeping the human core intact and showing how denial, pride, and survival instincts twist people into morally compromised shapes. This series could easily have fallen into cartoonishly villainy and victimized portrayals of the leads in other hands, but Clarke and Arquette masterfully play these real-life, nuanced characters with a quiet magnetism that’s both unsettling and endearing.
The featured characters, Buster (Will Harrison) and Paul (Johnny Berchtold), are brought to life with fine performances, but the standout of the supporting ensemble is Gerald McRaney’s portrayal of Randolph Murdaugh III. The archetypal patriarch of the southern legal dynasty, the elder Murdaugh, is a gentleman with deeply rooted power and privilege. McRaney conveys quiet authority and legacy in limited yet scene-stealing appearances throughout the series. Rounding out the cast is J. Smith-Cameron as Marian Proctor, Maggie’s suspicious yet supportive sister. Smith-Cameron isn’t used as more than a footnote to her sister’s tale, but the texture she brings to the role serves as the family’s moral compass. With more room in the storytelling, her presence could’ve elevated it in a different light than the rinse-and-repeat tale that’s been told before.
Ultimately, this story isn’t about Alex Murdaugh and all the crimes he committed. It’s about the psychological effects of societal pressure, the complexities of familial relationships, the inner conflicts of privilege, and grappling with the knowledge of trying to understand those we think we know best. While “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” doesn’t tell a new tale, it feels fresh thanks to sensationalized material and the leads’ captivating performances. Just please let it be the last time this story is told.
THE GOOD – All-encompassing performances by Patricia Arquette and Jason Clarke bring fresh intrigue to an overexposed narrative.
THE BAD – No new information is presented to a sensationalized and overdone story. Sluggish pacing drags on throughout the series.
THE EMMY PROSPECTSÂ – Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series &Â Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series
THE FINAL SCORE – 7/10
