John Wayne Gacy Limited Series Ordered at Peacock From ‘Dr. Death’ Creator Patrick Macmanus
Peacock has ordered a limited scripted series about notorious serial killer John Wayne Gacy, Variety has learned.
The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association winter press tour in Pasadena. The series is inspired by the 2021 Peacock/NBC News Studios docuseries “John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise,” with the scripted series sharing the same name.
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Patrick Macmanus will serve as writer, showrunner, and executive producer on the show. Macmanus previously created the first season of the Peacock true crime series “Dr. Death” and the Hulu true crime limited series “The Girl From Plainville,” with Macmanus also serving as showrunner on both shows.
Macmanus will executive produce via Littleton Road Productions along with Kelly Funke, with Noah Oppenheim and Liz Cole of NBC News Studios also executive producing. UCP, where Macmanus is currently under an overall deal, will serve as the studio.
Macmanus is repped by UTA and Cartel Entertainment.
The official description of the series states, “From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown. ‘Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy’ peels back the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”
This will be the latest true crime series to come to Peacock. In addition to “Dr. Death,” which recently debuted its second season, the streamer also previously aired the series “A Friend of the Family,” which dealt with the kidnappings of Jan Broberg. Peacock also had the limited series “Joe vs. Carole,” which detailed the rivalry — and eventual murder-for-hire case — involving Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin.
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