Alex Murdaugh has expressed strong disapproval over Hulu’s new drama Murdaugh: Death in the Family, criticizing the show’s depiction of him and his relatives.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, his defense attorneys, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin, released a statement “on behalf of Alex after receiving reports about the recent Hulu program.”
According to the statement, “Alex is deeply disappointed and disturbed by the recent Hulu streaming series about him and the entire Murdaugh family. The program contains numerous inaccuracies and misleading portrayals that distort the truth of their lives.”
The Case That Shattered the Murdaugh Dynasty
On June 7, 2021, Murdaugh, once a powerful South Carolina attorney, called 911 to report that his wife, Maggie, and their youngest son, Paul, had been shot to death at the family’s hunting estate. That tragic night marked the beginning of the downfall of a family long associated with legal power and influence in the Lowcountry.
As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a web of secrets: Murdaugh’s opioid addiction, financial crimes, and even a failed assisted-suicide attempt.
In March 2023, he was convicted of murdering his wife and son and sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Later, he received an additional 40 years for pleading guilty to 22 financial crimes. Despite this, Murdaugh continues to insist on his innocence and is appealing his conviction.
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The Hulu Series and Murdaugh’s Objections
Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family, which premiered Oct. 15, dramatizes the events surrounding the family’s downfall. The series stars Jason Clarke as Alex and Patricia Arquette as Maggie.
Though Murdaugh has not seen the show, he reportedly heard about it and was upset by its content. “The depiction of their personal family dynamics is particularly troubling, as it totally mischaracterizes Alex’s relationships with his wife Maggie and his son Paul, both of whom Alex loves so dearly,” the statement reads.
“Alex was always extremely proud of Paul. Any other portrayal of his feelings toward Paul and Maggie are baseless and false.”
Criticism of the Production
The statement further accuses the production team of failing to seek the family’s input.
“Equally concerning is the lack of engagement by the producers or actors to understand the individuals portrayed,” it continues. “No one from Hulu ever reached out to Alex, his son Buster, anyone in the Murdaugh family, or Alex’s attorneys to hear their perspective or verify the facts. Instead, the program appears to rely heavily on sensationalized accounts from secondary sources with no direct knowledge or relationship with him or his family.
We urge viewers to approach this dramatization with the knowledge that it is not an accurate portrayal of Alex, his family, or the tragic events that it sensationalizes.”
The Actor’s Perspective
At the New York City premiere of Murdaugh: Death in the Family on Oct. 13, actor Jason Clarke shared that he did not communicate with Murdaugh while preparing for the role. He explained that his goal was to make the character feel authentic.
“I wanted to make him a real person,” Clarke said. “Someone you could believe had deceived not just his wife and children, but an entire community and the world at large. I wanted to flesh him out and show that he’s charming, loving, and caring — but also a drug addict, a liar, and deceitful. He was living this life until he made the decisions he made.”
