Peacock orders miniseries about killer clown John Wayne Gacy
The new miniseries "Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy" about the serial killer is based on the six-part documentary series of the same name, which was released in 2021. Patrick Macmanus ("Dr Death") will act as showrunner.
True crime formats have enjoyed great popularity for years. Whether as a fictional series ("Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" and "When They See Us") or as a documentary series ("Making A Murderer" and "Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer") - the fascination is unbroken. So it's no wonder that Peacock, the streaming service from NBCUniversal, has commissioned a new drama series, "Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy". The mini-series centres on John Wayne Gacy, the killer clown. Patrick Macmanus ("Dr Death" and "The Girl from Plainville") will act as showrunner. The series is based on the six-part documentary series of the same name, which appeared on the streaming platform in 2021. You can watch the trailer for this documentary here.
John Wayne Gacy is probably one of the USA's most notorious and best-known serial killers. In 1980, he was sentenced to a total of 21 life sentences and 12 death sentences for the rape and murder of 33 boys and young men. He committed his terrible deeds between 1972 and 1978. He was executed in 1994 at the Stateville Correctional Centre in Illinois. His last words, which he was allowed to address to the audience, were "Kiss my ass".
Facade of harmlessness or shoddy investigative work
Over the years, Gacy tried to put on a facade of harmlessness. He was a well-known local businessman, a member of the Jaycees (a non-profit organisation that contributes to social and economic progress in its community through its activities) and a Democratic district leader. Among other things, he performed as a clown at children's parties. Through his social commitment, he even met the wife of then US President Jimmy Carter in May 1978. For years, his image as a righteous citizen enabled him to evade suspicion from the authorities - probably also due to sloppy investigative work.
Because there were clear indications early on that he was not the harmless businessman he claimed to be. As early as 1968, Gacy was found guilty of child abuse by a court and sentenced to ten years in prison. However, he was released early after 18 months for good behaviour. Many of the victims worked for Gacy. The police even questioned the serial killer several times, but did not raise any further suspicion and did not check Gacy for possible previous convictions.
Up-to-date information on the series
According to Peacock, the series will not only focus on Gacy's murders, but also on their consequences and the victims, almost all of whom were young gay men. The series will also look at the trauma suffered by the victims' families, as well as the mistakes, prejudices and systemic failures in the investigation that allowed Gacy to murder for so long.
A release date is not yet known. Nor is it known in what form the series will be shown in German-speaking countries. The project is currently in the pre-production and development phase. The twist in the title compared to the documentary series could indicate that Peacock is planning the format as an anthology series. This means that a different criminal case could be dealt with in each season.
Possible controversy
The treatment of the victims and their families will be exciting to watch. For example, the makers of "Dahmer" received serious accusations from several relatives of real-life Dahmer victims. They stated that they had not been contacted by Netflix during the production. Co-creator Ryan Murphy and director Paris Barclay contradicted these statements at the time. Barclay explained: "It's about white privilege. It's about systemic racism. It's about homophobia. We really want it to be about honouring these victims." At the same time, it is always a fine line when the horrific acts are so prominently staged. There has also been increasing criticism that the portrayal of the events could have a traumatising effect.
The first criticism of the series came from Lorie Sisterman, the sister of James Haakenson, as TMZ reports. Haakenson was only identified as Gacy's 24th victim in 2017, a total of 40 years after his disappearance. Sisterman does not support the project in any way. She told the US tabloid magazine that she did not understand why old wounds had to be reopened and a hurtful past revisited in this way. No one had contacted her yet. She was also concerned that Gacy, like Dahmer, was being portrayed too positively in his series and put on a pedestal. <p
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