In the not too distant past, NBC’s Saturday Night Live once spoofed our crippling obsession with true crime with a lively music video that connoisseurs of the subgenre will certainly find hysterical. “The struggle is real,” as they say, when it comes to resisting the urge to binge all the deliciously dark content that’s out there, especially since it’s real-life ordeals we’re talking about. Another television network, Lifetime, has also been capitalizing on the crime TV trend, especially as of late with a new slate of films this fall that are either based on or inspired by recent gritty stories about betrayal, murder, affairs and more. “Ripped from the Headlines” is what Lifetime is dubbing its latest lineup of “Truly Unbelievable” films, which include household names like Bill Pullman and Melissa Joan Hart.
In celebration of the added material, the network recently hosted a true-crime trivia night in Los Angeles, where MovieWeb was on-hand to show off our knowledge in this dark subgenre of TV. Our quiz team — cleverly named “The Ted Bundles of Fun” — won first place, for the record; they don’t call MovieWeb a “premiere destination” for nothing!
Hollywood: Obsessed with Darkness
Just in time for the spooky season, Lifetime is continuing to bring viewers more creepy but grounded content with seven new original films. The first one debuted in September, with new films airing through the end of this month. The added inventory includes:
- Murdaugh Murders: The Movie starring Bill Pullman as Alex Murdaugh. News junkies might already be well-versed in this saga, especially after an acclaimed docuseries dropped on Netflix not too long ago about the wealthy patriarch of a family who is found guilty of murdering his wife and son.
- How She Caught a Killer starring Sarah Drew and Delilah Hamlin, based on the true story of a police academy student who accidentally overhears her detective boss describing a local serial killer who is targeting sex workers.
- Stolen Baby: The Murder of Heidi Broussard starring Emily Osment and Anna Hopkins, which centers on the terrifying story of the titular character getting murdered by her best friend.
- Amish Stud: The Eli Weaver Story starring Luke MacFarlane and Kirsten Vangsness, about the titular Amish man who joins forces with mistress to murder his wife.
- Buying Back My Daughter starring Megan Good and Ariana Madix, which focuses on a strong-willed mom who fights for justice after discovering that her missing daughter was sex trafficked.
- Bad Romance: The Vicky White Story starring Wendi McLendon-Covey as the titular corrections officer who helps an inmate break out of prison.
- Would You Kill For Me? The Mary Bailey Story starring Melissa Joan Hart, about a grandmother, her daughter, and granddaughter joining forces to take down the man who has been abusing them for years.
Some of these tales may sound familiar, of course. Leave it to Lifetime to take the reins on covering the juiciest real-world headlines — and in record time! Wasn’t Alex Murdaugh just recently found guilty earlier this summer? Bravo Lifetime, bravo!
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Mug Shots, Themed Cocktails, and More
To celebrate the release of these deliciously dark TV feature films, Lifetime recently took over Bathtub Gin, a trendy bar and restaurant on the bustling Melrose Avenue in the heart of Los Angeles, for an epic trivia night. And yes, there is a “bathtub” inside, where guests are encouraged to take photos while sprawled out inside. The expertly curated event certainly tested our knowledge of all things true crime, and even delved into general celebrity factoids as well, so it was important that we brought our A-game. It was also important to know the passcode to enter this second-story venue (it was “truly unbelievable,” in case you’re curious). Upon arrival during the pre-trivia hour, there was a cleverly themed spread of food and cocktails for attendees to enjoy.
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Plus, have you ever had your booking photo taken? Hopefully not — but if so, it might not have been a fun experience. Luckily, Lifetime’s event made mug shots fun by setting up a special photo booth with accompanying props to hold in order to recreate that infamous moment of getting checked into a jail or prison. Then came time for the actual trivia portion, which is that much more challenging for a genre like true crime. It’s not exactly the kind of material you can sit through while distracted on Instagram or TikTok.
And let’s not forget which network sponsored this event, which means there was a wide variety of questions about the plethora of Lifetime films thus far. And if you’re a Lifetime fan, that probably means you’re a pop culture fanatic as well. One of the killer rounds was trying to guess a series of “face mashups,” where two famous actors’ faces are blended together and you have to guess both people. Overall, the night was filled with laughs, celebrations, and plenty of themed entertainment, a great preview for some gripping true crime movies you can watch soon.
More information about the “Truly Unbelievable” film slate can be found here.
You can view the original article HERE.
