The Murdaugh family murders: A list of documentaries and podcasts on the SC case
Former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh was found guilty this week of murdering his wife, Margaret “Maggie” Murdaugh, 52, and son Paul, 22, and sentenced to life in prison.
It took a jury less than three hours to determine that Murdaugh shot his wife and son multiple times and left them dead in the yard of his family’s Colleton County hunting lodge in June 2021. The trial, in Walterboro, S.C., lasted for 28 days.
But there’s much more to the Murdaugh story beyond the murders of Maggie and Paul.
The powerful Murdaugh family has been connected to three other mysterious deaths in that part of South Carolina:
the death of the Murdaughs’ housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.
the death of Mallory Beach in a boating accident, with Paul Murdaugh in control of the boat.
the death of Stephen Smith, found dead in the middle of a highway with blunt force trauma to his head. (Smith’s death has long been rumored in Hampton County to be connected to the Murdaughs, but there have been no charges.)
Not long after his wife and son were murdered, Alex Murdaugh resigned from his prestigious law firm, claimed to have been shot in the head while changing a tire, checked into rehab and was arrested for insurance fraud.
The sordid saga quickly gained national attention and became the subject of true-crime documentaries and podcasts.
If you haven’t already taken a deep dive into the Murdaugh case, here’s a roundup of TV docuseries and specials available to stream (or coming soon) and a list of podcasts on the case.
Documentary series about the Murdaugh case
▪ “Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (Netflix) — Released Feb. 22, 2023, this three-part documentary series includes a lot more about Paul Murdaugh through his friend group, including the young people on the boat the night of the Feb. 19 accident that killed Mallory Beach. The series takes a deeper dive into the boat crash, but also looks at the murders of Paul and Maggie, as well as the deaths of Gloria Satterfield and Stephen Smith. Of note in this series is the presence of Paul’s former girlfriend and the parents of Mallory Beach.
Watch now: This series is available to stream on Netflix. Go to netflix.com for details.
▪ “Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty” (HBO Max) — This three-part HBO Max documentary series is the granddaddy of all Murdaugh documentaries. It explores Alex Murdaugh and his family’s legacy of power, corruption, entitlement and murder, with some fresh details not included in other specials. It includes interviews with attorneys, Murdaugh friends and family members of his victims. It debuted on Nov. 3, 2022.
Watch now: This series is available to stream on HBO Max. Go to hbomax.com for details.
▪ “Murdaugh Murders: Deadly Dynasty” (Investigation Discovery / Discovery+) — This three-part series premiered on Investigation Discovery in June 2022. The first part focuses mostly on the boat crash that claimed the life of Mallory Beach. Part 2 goes into the murders of Maggie and Paul Murdaugh, and the final part traces the mounting legal troubles of Alex Murdaugh. The series claims to have never-before-seen video related to the boat crash.
Watch now: You can watch on the Discovery+ streaming service or on the Investigation Discovery website, investigationdiscovery.com (you’ll need to log in with your cable or streaming service username and password). If you have Hulu Live TV (not the same as regular Hulu), you can also watch there.
TV news specials about Alex Murdaugh family, murders
▪ “Dateline: Murdaugh: Power, Privilege & Scandal” (NBC) — The Oct. 29, 2021 episode of “Dateline” tackled the Murdaugh case, but also looked at the disappearance of Kristin Smart.
Watch now: You’ll be looking for Season 30, Episode 6 and you can watch on NBC.com or on the NBC app (log in with your TV provider ID & password). You can also watch on the Peacock streaming service.
▪ “Alex Murdaugh: Death. Deception. Power.” (Oxygen) — Released in December 2021, this 90-minute documentary special, hosted by Troy Roberts, looks into the boat crash, the murders, the insurance fraud and more.
Watch now: You can watch this on the Oxygen website (oxygen.com) or on the NBC website (nbc.com). In each case you’ll need to log in through your cable/satellite/streaming provider. You can also watch through Hulu Live TV (not the same as regular Hulu).
▪ “20/20: The House of Murdaugh” (ABC) — The ABC News magazine documented the developing Murdaugh story for a January 14, 2022 episode.
Watch now: You’re looking for Season 44, Episode 11 and you can watch it on Hulu (search for Murdaugh or for the “20/20” page). You can also watch on the ABC.com website, but you’ll have to log in with your TV provider info.
▪ “48 HOURS: The Murdaugh Mysteries” (CBS) — Released July 16, 2022, is this CBS News look at the deaths of Maggie Murdaugh Paul, at Mallory Beach’s fatal boating crash and at two other mysterious deaths all connect to the family of disgraced South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh.
Watch now: The new episode airs at 10 p.m. Saturday, July 16, on CBS. After Saturday, you can watch online at CBS (cbs.com/shows/48_hours) or on Paramount+ streaming service.
▪ “The Murdaugh Murders: A Twisted Tale of Power and Money” (CNN) — This CNN special, which aired on Oct. 23, 2022, is a roundtable discussion of the case led by Randi Kaye, featuring local South Carolina reporters, local attorneys and others with connections to the case.
Watch now: Pay TV subscribers can watch on demand or on CNN mobile apps.
▪ “Inside the Murdaugh Murder Trial” (CNN) — On March 1, 2023, during the middle of closing arguments in the case, CNN aired a special featuring prominent defense and prosecution analysts discussing evidence and witness testimony.
Watch now: Pay TV subscribers can watch on demand or on CNN mobile apps.
▪ “Dateline: The Trial of Alex Murdaugh” (NBC) — A new “Dateline” special with the latest on the trial and guilty verdict, airing just one day after the verdict and on the day of sentencing. In the special, correspondent Craig Melvin talks to Murdaugh’s former longtime friend, Chris Wilson, and others.
Watch now: This airs on NBC at 9 p.m. Friday, March 3, 2023. The day after it airs, pay TV customers can watch on demand, at NBC.com or on the NBC app (log in with your TV provider ID & password). You can also watch on the Peacock streaming service.
▪ “20/20: Murdaugh Family Murders” (ABC) — “20/20” also has an updated report on the Murdaugh trial and guilty verdict, with interviews and insights from those close to the case.
Watch now: This episode airs at 9 p.m. on Friday, March 3, 2023 on ABC. The day after, you can watch it on Hulu (search for Murdaugh or for the “20/20” page). You can also watch on the ABC.com website, but you’ll have to log in with your TV provider info.
“48 HOURS: The Trial of Alex Murdaugh” (CBS) — “48 HOURS” correspondent Nikki Battiste explores the double life of the once prominent lawyer with updates from his double-murder trial and guilty verdict. Lead prosecutor Creighton Waters gives his first one-on-one interview since the sentencing, says CBS.
Watch now: This airs at 10 p.m. on March 4, 2023. The day after, you can watch online at CBS (cbs.com/shows/48_hours) or on Paramount+ streaming service.
Murdaugh TV / streaming projects in the works
▪ “Murdaugh Murders” — Deadline reported in April 2022 that the “Murdaugh Murders” podcast by former FITS News reporter Mandy Matney is being adapted into a scripted dramatic series that “aims to be the definitive account of Alex Murdaugh’s stranger-than-fiction family drama.” The latest news indicates this may stream on Hulu.
Podcasts about the Murdaugh family murders
Find the following podcasts through Apple, Stitcher, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts.
▪ “The Murdaugh Murders” — This podcast by former FITS News reporter Mandy Matney is the most popular Murdaugh podcast, with more than 50 episodes currently available to download or stream.
▪ “The Murdaugh Family Murders: The Impact of Influence” — This podcast is from Matt Harris and Seton Tucker, and has more than 65 episodes available to date.
▪ “The Murdaugh Murders, Money and Mystery: Unsolved South Carolina” — This podcast, produced by WCIV ABC News 4 in Charleston, looks at cold cases and true crime stories in South Carolina.
