Confronting a Serial Killer is an American documentary television miniseries directed and produced by Joe Berlinger. It explores Jillian Lauren, as she lures and investigates Sam Little, the most prolific serial killer in American history. It consists of 5 episodes and premiered on April 18, 2021, on Starz.[1]
| Confronting a Serial Killer | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by | Joe Berlinger |
| Composer | Joel Goodman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Cinematography |
|
| Editors |
|
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Starz |
| Release | April 18 – May 16, 2021 |
Plot
editThe series follows Jillian Lauren, as she lures and investigates Sam Little, the most prolific serial killer in American history.
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date [2] | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Getting Away with Murders" | Joe Berlinger | April 18, 2021 | 0.084[3] |
| 2 | "Deal with The Devil" | Joe Berlinger | April 25, 2021 | 0.071[4] |
| 3 | "Behold the Monster" | Joe Berlinger | May 2, 2021 | 0.052[5] |
| 4 | "Restoring Their Names" | Joe Berlinger | May 9, 2021 | 0.031[6] |
| 5 | "No Longer Jane Doe" | Joe Berlinger | May 16, 2021 | N/A |
Production
editJillian Lauren initially began writing a mystery novel, and while interviewing detective Mitzi Roberts of The Los Angeles Police Department she told Lauren: "Well, I’m proud of them all, but I did catch this serial killer Sam Little once. That was pretty cool."[7] Lauren began writing a non-fiction book about Little, and spent more than 40 hours interviewing him, where he confessed to multiple murders and sent her drawings of his victims.[8] In December 2018, Lauren wrote about her experiencing interviewing Little for The Cut.[9] Joe Berlinger read the article and thought it would be interesting for a feature-length film or documentary series and met with Lauren.[10]
Release
editThe series had its world premiere with the first two episodes debuting at South by Southwest on March 16, 2021.[11][12] It premiered in the United States on Starz on April 18, 2021.[13]
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 83% based on 6 reviews, with an average rating of 8.33/10.[14] On Metacritic, the series holds a rating of 55 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15]
References
edit- ^ "Video: Starz Unveils Trailer, Key Art and Premiere Date for Original Docuseries "Confronting a Serial Killer" from Oscar(R)-Nominated and Emmy(R)-Winning Filmmaker Joe Berlinger". The Futon Critic. March 16, 2021. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Confronting a Serial Killer". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 20, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.18.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (April 27, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 4.25.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
- ^ Metcalf, Mitch (May 4, 2021). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.2.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Metcalfe, Mitch (May 11, 2021). "ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 5.9.2021". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ^ Knake Johnson, Renee (April 19, 2021). "Cold Cases, Misogyny and Race in America: Q&A with Jillian Lauren, Host of Docuseries 'Confronting a Serial Killer' on STARZ". Ms. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ "Dutton To Publish Book On Most Prolific U.S. Serial Killer Sam Little". Mystery Tribune. 24 December 2018. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Lauren, Jillian (December 20, 2018). "The Serial Killer and the 'Less Dead' The only reporter who's talked to Samuel Little tells how he was caught — and why he almost got away". The Cut. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Lestre, Jorge (April 20, 2021). "Exclusive: Joe Berlinger and Jillian Lauren talk about Confronting a Serial Killer!". Cine Addiction. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
- ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (January 14, 2021). "Joe Berlinger to Direct Starz' True-Crime Series 'Confronting a Serial Killer' About Sam Little". TheWrap. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ Day-Ramos, Dino (February 10, 2021). "SXSW Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup; Charli XCX Quarantine Feature To Close Fest; Tom Petty Docu Set As Centerpiece". Deadline. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (March 16, 2021). "'Confronting a Serial Killer' Trailer: Joe Berlinger Shines a Light on Samuel Little". Collider. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
- ^ "Confronting a Serial Killer". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "Confronting a Serial Killer". Metacritic. Retrieved April 28, 2021.