Last fall, “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” entered a true crime landscape already saturated with documentaries, podcasts, and obsessive online discourse surrounding the twisted tragedy of Alex Murdaugh and his tattered family. Now, with Murdaugh’s two murder convictions recently overturned amid jury tampering allegations, the real-life saga is once again back in the headlines.
But during IndieWire’s recent Emmy-season panel discussion on the making of Hulu’s “Murdaugh: Death in the Family,” the creative team behind the acclaimed TV series described pursuing something far more textured and thematically timeless than just another ripped-from-the-news retelling.
Featuring co-creators Erin Lee Carr and Michael D. Fuller, as well as star Patricia Arquette and makeup department head Addison Foreman, our conversation explored how deeply collaborative craft transformed one of America’s most sensational crimes into an intimate South Carolinian character study — paying special attention to the perspective of the deceased Maggie Murdaugh (Arquette).
“Part of it was watching [Alex Murdaugh’s trial],” Arquette said of connecting to the case. “Watching him spin his lies in the world and charm people. It’s this reality of wealth and opportunity and excess, all of that. All the victims as the story unfolded, all the victims around him. You can see many layers to it.”
For Carr, whose background is in documentary filmmaking, the disturbing source material demanded a scripted approach. “I want to know what it’s like to live inside that house,” she explained, describing her desire to explore the emotional spaces no courtroom footage or reporting could access.
Fuller, who grew up roughly an hour from Hampton County, framed the project through a similarly personal lens, discussing the responsibility of portraying the region’s culture and social dynamics with specificity and care.
“Murdaugh: Death in the Family” achieves many of its best moments by centering Arquette’s quietly devastating performance. It’s a role that further solidifies the actress’ status as IndieWire’s reigning Most Powerful TV Actress in True Crime, and Arquette eloquently share how she built her interpretation of Maggie through an intense embodiment of the manipulation, codependency, and social expectation apparent in the Murdaughs’ infamous marriage.
Just as illuminating was the conversation around makeup and hair. Foreman detailed the production’s exhaustive research process, including references from the real family’s housekeeper identifying the exact products and colors the real Maggie regularly carried in her purse.
Alongside hair department head Katie Ballard’s work, those choices were foundational to the show’s realism as subtle but essential accents that helped Arquette and co-star Jason Clarke disappear into their intimate take on a nightmare that, in light of recent legal developments, feels like it won’t end.
The result is a television series more interested in psychological erosion than tabloid spectacle — and a production that smartly treated makeup, hair, and performance as storytelling tools in their own right.
“Murdaugh: Death in the Family” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. It is now streaming exclusively on Hulu.
IndieWire partnered with Universal Studio Group for USG University, a series of panels celebrating the outstanding artistry and artisans behind the 2025–2026 television season across NBCUniversal’s portfolio of shows. USG University, a Universal Studio Group program, is presented in partnership with the Motion Picture & Television Fund.
