True crime is one of the fastest growing genres in television and it was only a matter of time before Showtime got involved in this type of program. One of their first documentaries of this kind is ‘Murder In The Bayou’, which aired on the 13th of September. The show is based on the book of the same name. There are several reasons why you should be watching this show and some of these are described in more detail below.
The Author Of The Book Is The Co-Producer
Ethan Brown wrote the book on which the season is based. He has had a lot of involvement with the production of the show in his role as co-producer. This has meant that he has been able to expand on the work that he did in the book to argue that this case should not just be dismissed as the work of an unknown serial killer. Brown is a very well respected investigative journalist and people generally know that he does not write about wild theories if he does not have the evidence to back it up.
Showtime Are Known For The Quality Of Their Shows
Some of the best TV shows of the last ten years or so have been produced by Showtime, including Ray Donovan, The Affair and Billions. This means that people who are interested in watching the show will already have high expectations about the quality of the production. The fact that they have these expectations means that they are likely to find the program trustworthy in presenting the facts about the case. Another advantage that Showtime has is that you are able to watch the episodes directly from the site and you can also sign up for emails with updates about any potential future seasons.
It Is A Gripping Story
The story of the murders is still something that has people talking. Even though it took place in a small town in Louisiana, the high body count in such a short space of time meant that it soon attracted the attention of the national media. It also highlights the social inequalities that are present in Jennings, a town that is literally split in two by a railroad track that runs through the middle of the town. The girls that were murdered all came from the ‘wrong side’ of the tracks and the show suggests that this is one of the main reasons why the murders were not as investigated as thoroughly as they might have been.
The Murders Were Fairly Recent
The murders of the eight women took place less than twenty years ago, and so they are in the living memory of a lot of people. This also means that there were a lot of people in Jennings that were willing to be part of the show. The people of the town all have their own theories about what happened to these women and they are not afraid to share these on camera. There is a lot of disbelief that such shocking events could take place in a small town and it is clear that people are keen to find out what really happened to the eight women.
The Show Interviews People Involved In The Case Extensively
According to Hollywood Reporter, one of the most striking things about the show is that the people who were involved in this case are very candid when they speak to the director of the show. One of the reasons that a serial killer theory seemed to stick is that all the women had connections to each other through the local drugs and prostitution network. The family members of some of the women who were killed speak honestly about the hold that the drugs had over them and some of the things that they were prepared to do in order to get money for drugs. It can be shocking to hear some of these stories but they help to give context into the reasons why it seems that these women were forgotten and why it took so long to realize they were missing in some of the cases.
It Has Been Compared To True Detective
There have been rumors that this case was the influence for the TV show True Detective long before making a documentary about the murders was even thought of. When this has been put to the makers of True Detective in the past it is something that they have denied. If you have ever seen True Detective, you may notice that the atmosphere of the documentary is very similar to the first series of the show, which also involved the death of a prostitute in rural Louisiana. Many of the promotions for Murder In The Bayou have recommended watching this show if you are a fan of True Detective and are missing the show now that season three is finished.
It Will Certainly Get You Thinking About The Case
The Daily Beast points out that the conclusions that the show makes are more along the lines of hearsay than concrete evidence. The show makes a number of suggestions about who the real culprit may have been. This lets people make up their own minds about who was really responsible for the murders. It is a show that will get people talking because people will form their own opinions about the case and this may differ from their friends and work colleagues. If you know a few people who are also watching it, then you may find yourself getting into some heated debates.
There are five episodes in the first season of Murder In The Bayou and a new episode will be broadcast on Showtime each week. Some people may prefer to wait until all the episodes are available on demand and then binge the series in one go. There are others that want to watch one episode a week so that they have time to digest the information from that episode before moving on to the next. However you decide to watch, it is definitely a show that is worth viewing.
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