Series Review: "Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal" (2023).

From the director of The Pharmacist comes Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal. This true crime series directed by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason. The Murdaughs were one of South Carolina’s most prominent families, but the death of teenager Mallory Beach in a drunken boating accident began the unraveling of their legacy. When Paul Murdaugh – the alleged driver of the boat – and his mother Maggie are found brutally murdered, a century of corruption, power, and cover-ups in the Low Country is brought to light. The three-part series will feature first-hand accounts from those on the boat that fateful night, many of whom have not spoken about the crash or double homicide of Maggie and Paul until now, including: Paul Murdaugh’s longtime girlfriend, Morgan Doughty; Mallory Beach's childhood friends, Miley Altman and Connor Cook; Mallory's boyfriend, Anthony Cook; and, several others.

In the Lowcountry region of South Carolina, the Murdaugh family is prominent as three generations named Randolph Murdaugh served consecutively as circuit solicitor (the elected prosecuting attorney) for the state's 14th judicial district between 1920 and 2006; the family's status led locals to call the five-county district "Murdaugh Country". In 1910, Randolph Murdaugh Sr. founded the civil litigation firm that is now the Parker Law Group LLP in Hampton, South Carolina, which now specializes in personal injury litigation. Richard "Alex" Murdaugh and other members of the Murdaugh family have been the subject of investigations involving wrongful death, murder, corruption, fraud, witness intimidation, theft, and drug and alcohol-related charges. In 2019, Alex's son, Paul Murdaugh, and some of his close friends were implicated in a fatal boating accident, with later allegations of special treatment. In June 2021, Alex Murdaugh shot and killed his wife Maggie and their son Paul on the grounds of "Moselle," the Murdaugh hunting estate. Alex was subsequently charged with their murders. Alex was also accused of embezzlement from his law firm and resigned in September. After being incarcerated since October 2021, Murdaugh's murder trial began in January 2023 and ended in March with Murdaugh being found guilty of murdering his wife and son and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole.

The popularity of easily digestible true-crime narratives has led to a glut of stories such as this one, ambitious and rote and unable to indulge in the skepticism or the soul-searching that subjects as consuming as the opioid epidemic merit. The series shows how sheer abuse of power, fueled by greed and corruption, can drive one family to absolute ruin, even if it's in their absurd belief that they can hide behind the facade of justice. Although that could be the docuseries's fatal flaw, it isn't: What the series lacks in suspense and speed it makes up for in heart, emotional resonance, and ultimate gratification. What started as an effort to record a moment in history became, by the end, a documentary of the moment we're living now. If ever a series had enough material for a second season, sadly this is it.

Simon says Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal receives:

Also, see my review for LulaRich.