“Hyper aware of the truth”: How Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family stays true to the real case explained by showrunners 

Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family takes you back to one of the most horrifying true crime stories in recent American history. The limited series, debuting on October 15th, dramatises true events that rocked South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh and the murders of his wife, Maggie, and son, Paul.

Inspired by journalist Mandy Matney’s Murdaugh Murders Podcast, the series journeys through multiple tragedies. It begins with the 2019 boating crash that killed Mallory Beach. It then examines the death of the family’s longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield — each strand drawing viewers deeper into the web of deceit and privilege that the Murdaugh family represented.

How Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family stays true to the real case explained by the showrunners

In an interview with Town & Country, Carr discussed her experience of watching Alex Murdaugh recite Sir Walter Scott at his 2023 trial. Their partnership with journalist and executive producer Mandy Matney grounded the project, Murdaugh: Death in the Family, in truth. Matney stressed that the focus was on selecting creators who would not sensationalise the crime. She revealed:

“You could make this story very icky in a million different ways and make it exploitative and focus on the worst parts—and probably also make it entertaining if you wanted to. But Michael and Erin were never interested in that.”

Combining courtroom accuracy with emotionally gripping storytelling, Murdaugh: Death in the Family presents itself as more than a recounting of crime. It’s a depiction of corruption, influence, and repercussion in the Southern United States.

Creators Erin Lee Carr and Michael D. Fuller approached the dramatisation in Murdaugh: Death in the Family with a profound sense of moral duty. Talking about how they made sure to stay true to the events, Fuller shared:

"That’s the difference between if you’re doing a documentary, if you’re doing journalism, obviously the facts are the facts, and that’s what matters. And the truth is the truth. We are, by virtue of the medium, we’re a dramatization. We’re a drama series, so we’re adapting it. So, let’s always be aware of the truth-truth, let’s be hyper aware of the truth-truth because there is a responsibility to the real people involved."

Fuller attributed Matney’s real-world investigation and relationships to allowing the team to connect with those at the centre of the Murdaugh saga. He continued:

“The connections, genuine connections, they have with people who were impacted by this real story were just invaluable,” he said. “It allowed us to get at something… stories that you don’t get when you only hear about the end of someone’s life or the crimes they committed.”

Murdaugh: Death in the Family follows the rise and fall of a family once regarded as untouchable in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. The series opens with the 2019 boating accident that killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach. The incident tore apart the Murdaugh family’s glossy image and revealed a host of secret transgressions.

It then investigates the suspicious deaths of the household helper, Gloria Satterfield, and local teen Stephen Smith. The series also tracks Alex Murdaugh’s financial crimes and his eventual conviction for killing his wife and child.

As the showrunners told Town & Country, the creative team wants audiences to consider the moral decay of power but also see those whose lives were ended along the way. Matney added:

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“The show adds so many amazing details about the victims that I don’t think a lot of people will know. There’s little things like that sprinkled throughout the series that will make people remember the victims for who they were and how they lived and not how they died.”

The mix of narrative intimacy and journalistic rigour lends Murdaugh: Death in the Family a haunting portrait of truth, deception, and the pursuit of justice. It’s a story that refuses to be reduced to another headline. Murdaugh: Death in the Family is a compelling exploration of how truth can splinter under power, money, and manipulation.

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