I followed the story of the Murdaughs closely when the news first broke in 2021. I was instantly hooked. A high-up lawyer murders his 22-year-old son and wife out of the blue? Another senseless tragedy.

But, there was an extra element of scandal, addiction, debt and connected crimes. When the trial began in early 2023, I listened every day, trying to piece together the puzzle like every other armchair detective in the country. Who is Alex Murdaugh? Did he really kill his family? These questions are brought to the small screen in Hulu’s latest series, “Murdaugh: Death In The Family.”

The show is quick to dive into scandal. In 2019, Paul Murdaugh, Alex’s youngest son, was involved in a drunken boat accident that resulted in the death of his friend, Mallory Beach. The show’s writers explore the trauma the accident (which was ultimately Paul’s fault) caused the young Playboy and the attempted cover-up that occurred once Alex got involved.

Some may argue that Paul Murdaugh (Johnny Berchtold) is portrayed in a more sympathetic light than he deserves. He is shown as a naive young man with a soft heart, unable to handle the publicity and consequences of his actions. While his role in the incident is confronted head-on, Paul is shown as teetering on taking responsibility and being a helpless victim on his own. Berchtold does an excellent job at portraying the youngest Murdaugh in a way not often seen in the media. He brings a new perspective to Paul, showing him as a real human being with depth, who is young and makes mistakes, with sensitivities and complex emotions. Berchtold takes this young man who has since been both demonized and martyrized by the media and finds a perfect balance in the narratives, something closer to the truth.

Centerpieces of the show, Patricia Arquette (Maggie Murdaugh) and Jason Clarke (Alex Murdaugh) take to portraying the real-life couple in a brutally honest and compelling way. The growing tensions between them and the wedge, the accident and Alex’s crippling drug addiction and debt has driven into their relationship, are well done. Arquette does a fantastic job of portraying the strong, but soft southern woman Maggie was known to be, while Clarke embodies Alex’s cocky and sure-fire personality perfectly.

The show follows the real story closely, using information from journalist Mandy Mattney’s podcast on the crime as the primary source. Mattney, having been active in reporting about the Murdaughs since the boat accident in 2019, dug deep into the secrets of the well-known family. Of course, as is Hollywood’s best skill, the show is dramatized and sensationalizes a lot of the story.

One glaring inaccuracy is the death of Gloria Satterfield. Satterfield was the longtime housekeeper of the Murdaughs and nearly a second mother figure to Paul. In the show, she is portrayed as an active ‘member’ of the family and dies shortly after Paul’s accident. However, in reality, Satterfield died in 2018, prior to anything happening with the family. Her death is often brought up in connection with Paul and Maggie’s 2021 murders, over speculation that it was not an accident. Despite the inaccuracy, Satterfield brings out an extra human side to Paul. Often in the media, he is portrayed as spoiled, selfish and stupid. Berchtold shows a softer side of the youngest Murdaugh that is oddly comforting and relatable.

Berchtold is just one of the many shining stars of this cast. Her chemistry with the rest of the cast is impeccable and brings out a true mother’s love and devotion to her son. In exploring their close relationship, Arquette gives Maggie a more real-life feel not just another face we read about in the news or see videos of after the crime.

The most recent episode goes into the death of Stephen Smith, a young man who was found dead down the road from Murdaughs’ home. Smith had gone to high school with the Murdaughs’ oldest son, Buster, who is often speculated by internet sleuths as the perpetrator in Smith’s hit-and-run death: yet another cover-up by Alex. While any potential connection between Smith and the Murdaughs has yet to be truly exposed and substantiated, the location of Smith’s death is suspicious. The show takes the route that Buster had something to do with his death, adding to the family scandal, rather than taking an impartial approach more accurate to reality.

The episode also fictionalizes Paul Murdaugh’s drinking habits and some of the relationship dynamics between Maggie and Alex. In real life, there are no substantiated claims that Maggie approached Alex asking for a divorce as she does in the show. While these are all to add ‘flair’ to the true story, I believe the reality of the Murdaughs is something that does not need any extra ‘pizzazz’ because it is dramatic and gripping enough on its own.

Despite the dramatizations, “Murdaugh: Death in the Family” is a fascinating show that does an excellent job of portraying the complex dynamic of the well-known dynasty and the conditions that led to the murders of Paul and Maggie. As the show continues, it will be interesting to see the angle taken concerning Alex’s guilt or innocence. Following his trial, Murdaugh was found guilty on two counts of murder for his wife and son and of two counts of possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a crime.