It’s a well-trodden path by now. An outlandish crime story hits the local news, then gets picked up by an intrepid podcaster who’s willing and able to do some serious digging. It’s a big enough hit that the streamers decide to get in on the action, rolling out a documentary with as many talking heads, and as much grainy home video footage, as they can muster. Then, just as the story is about to reach saturation point, a ponderous drama gets announced.
That’s almost the precise life cycle of the circus of infamy surrounding South Carolina’s Murdaugh dynasty. The family (whose name is pronounced “Murdoch”) were a wealthy, powerful clan of lawyers whose legal prestige went back about a century. Their dramatic fall from grace, taking place over the course of half a decade or so, feels like a Southern Gothic tale come to life, with shades of William Faulkner, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote.
