Murdaugh: Death in the Family (Series)

Murdaugh: Death in the Family (Series)

Empathy Behind the Headlines

The Murdaugh murders, which have been explored in podcasts, documentaries, court livestreams and countless TikTok commentaries, now make their way into a streaming series, adding to Hulu’s mini ecosystem of dramatized true crime (The Dropout, Candy, Under the Bridge). Adapted from a podcast by Mandy Matney, who is also one of the series producers, the show aims to humanize what news and podcasts unavoidably flatten. Another one of those “we have all seen the headlines, now let’s really see the people.”

And on that approach, Murdaugh: Death in the Family is effective in showing the family before the murders. After a quick glimpse of what is to come, making the “murders” in the title destination very clear, the story moves back three years and explores the dynamic of the family when they were still at the height of their influence and reputation, working its way toward the present.

With that, we get a solid character study of the main couple and their two sons. Alex (Jason Clarke), surrounded by privilege and raised with a sense of untouchable authority, is charming, connected, and generous. Maggie (Patricia Arquette) is warm, social, and devoted to her family above all else. In the first episode, she mentions that she forgave her husband’s one-time fling as if it were nothing. The older son, Buster (Spencer Neville), is quiet and guarded, aspiring to become a lawyer without relying on family connections, while the youngest, Paul (Nick Berchtold), is reckless and unpredictable, especially when drinking.

The heart of the series is by far Arquette’s Maggie. The actress fully understands the show’s tone, aware that viewers are not looking for a grim investigation but to spend time inside a well-known murder case. She brings a touch of her exaggerated style from Severance, drawing out her delivery with deliberate drama, yet always grounding it with emotion. When she says she is the one holding the family together, you feel that conviction and the effort behind it. Jason Clarke disappears as Alex, letting the bleached hair and his physicality do much of the talking, hitting every note the script asks of him, even if he can feel one-note. On the supporting side, Berchtold builds the most engaging arc and convincingly charts Paul’s evolution, while small but pivotal performances from J. Smith-Cameron (Sucession) as Maggie’s sister and Gerald McRaney as Randolph “Rand” Murdaugh III, the respected family patriarch, shine in their few scenes. Some of the extras push too far, especially the group playing Mallory’s friends, whose reactions feel overstated.

One character that distracts is Brittany Snow as the podcaster Mandy Matney. Whenever the story focuses on her, the series becomes its least subtle, repeating points already expressed elsewhere. It also exposes one of the show’s limitations: in trying to remain respectable to the facts and sensitive toward those still living, it plays its criticism too safe. Through Matney, the show throws a few punches but makes sure none really land.

Visually, the series relies on the close-ups we have come to expect from this kind of Hulu production, which makes it feel smaller and less cinematic than it could be.

As a whole, the eight episodes move well. As a crime story, Murdaugh: Death in the Family keeps you hooked whether or not you know the outcome. It may not break new ground in its understanding of the people involved, yet it remains engaging and emotionally grounded throughout. By the final episode, the series has built its characters well, and the tragedy lands with more weight.