Most true crime documentaries sadly don't have a hopeful ending, but a new series premiering tonight on Investigation Discovery spotlights the real-life tales of not victims, but survivors, of shocking serial killer attacks.
The new six-episode docuseries People Magazine Investigates: Surviving A Serial Killer kicks off on ID tonight, May 4 at 9pm ET and “takes back the narrative of [survivors'] lives by sharing the disturbing yet empowering accounts of how they escaped the clutches of a serial killer," reads a press release by Investigation Discovery. Each episode includes interviews with the survivors, their family members and law enforcement, and shows how they all “piece together the emotional, shocking, and exclusive stories that finally brought serial killers to justice.”
The first edition, "Surviving the Dating Game Killer," spotlights the previously untold story of survivor Morgan Rowan, who was attacked multiple times by serial killer Rodney Alcala while she was a teenager in the 1960s. Alcala, a former photographer and typesetter for the Los Angeles Times, had appeared on a popular television dating series in the midst of his murder spree, earning him the nickname of "The Dating Game Killer."
There was one other survivor who Rowan spent decades trying to track down: Tali Shapiro, who was just eight years old when she was abducted, physically abused and sexually assaulted by the criminal. Per the synopsis of the episode, the young Rowan "feels guilty when she discovers he assaulted another girl soon after—but they are merely two of this man's countless victims." In all, Alcala was conclusively linked to eight murders, though law enforcement believe he may have killed up to 130 people stretching from California to New Hampshire.
To tune in tonight's premiere of People Magazine Investigates: Surviving A Serial Killer, as well as subsequent episodes, you're going to need access to Investigation Discovery. Handily, ID is available with most cable TV subscriptions. However, if you've cut the cord, you have several live TV streaming service options so that you can catch the weekly action. Some of your options include Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV, Philo TV, Sling TV and YouTube TV. Folks with a Max subscription will also be able to stream the docuseries.
Check out the trailer for People Magazine Investigates: Surviving A Serial Killer before watching the true-crime premiere tonight on ID.
