The Truth About Jim is an American documentary television series, directed and produced by Skye Borgman. It follows a young woman as she investigates if her step-grandfather was a serial killer.
| The Truth About Jim | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Skye Borgman |
| Music by | Jimmy Stofer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Dani Sloane |
| Running time | 45-50 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Max |
| Release | February 15, 2024 |
It was released on February 15, 2024, on Max.
Premise
editSierra Barter confronts generations of trauma and secrets to investigate if her step-grandfather Jim Mordecai was a serial killer who committed the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders.[1]
Episodes
edit| No. | Title | Directed by | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Bringing Up The Past" | Skye Borgman | February 15, 2024 |
| 2 | "Eight Murdered Girls" | Skye Borgman | February 15, 2024 |
| 3 | "The Devil and Jim Mordecai" | Skye Borgman | February 15, 2024 |
| 4 | "Out of the Shadows" | Skye Borgman | February 15, 2024 |
Production
editIn February 2023, it was announced Skye Borgman would direct a documentary series for Discovery+.[2][3] Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers served as executive producers under their Imagine Documentaries banner.[4]
Reception
editCritical reception
editNick Schager of The Daily Beast wrote: "The Truth About Jim falls a bit flat with its ultimate (lack of) revelations. In their place, it refocuses its attention on the therapeutic nature of Sierra's mission. Bringing together estranged mothers, children and siblings to air grievances, forgive, and face harrowing realities, Borgman's latest does its best to make itself less about its title subject than about the strong, courageous and united individuals who survived years of his cruelty."[5] Chris Vognar of Rolling Stone wrote: "The series never really delves into a subtext that lingers around the edges: obsession, and what it can do to the obsessed. Barter is cast as the noble truth-seeker, which is fair enough. But a more complicated and potentially richer portrait could have gotten inside her head and explored what it feels like to be someone who turns a wall into a crime corkboard and tracks down a Zodiac Killer expert in San Francisco."[6]
Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting gave the series a three out of five stars, writing: "The Truth About Jim has good intentions and charts curious ground through its possible familial connection to a notorious serial killer. Not everything in this curious case study works and it sometimes feels as if it gets lost in the weeds. However, when it connects, it's powerful storytelling that proves that there's so much more to an investigation than simply results and proof."[7]
References
edit- ^ Acosta, Nicole (February 1, 2024). "A Calif. Woman Searched for Answers About Abusive Step-Grandfather. Did She Uncover a Serial Killer?". People. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Kaplan, Anna (February 17, 2023). "She's created viral true crime hits. But Skye Borgman never set out to be a pioneer in the genre". Today. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Moorhouse, Drusilla (February 17, 2023). ""Abducted In Plain Sight" Director Skye Borgman Said She Tries To Unravel The Layers Of True Crime Cases In Her Documentaries". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ "Max Original Documentary Series The Truth About Jim Debuts February 15". Warner Bros. Discovery. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Schager, Nick (February 12, 2024). "She Suspected Her Step-Grandfather Was the Zodiac Killer". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Vognar, Chris (February 15, 2024). "Was Her Family Member the Zodiac Killer? 'The Truth About Jim' Follows One Woman's Quest for Answers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ Kurland, Daniel (February 14, 2024). "'The Truth About Jim' Review – 'Abducted in Plain Sight' Director's New True Crime Docuseries for Max". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 18, 2024.