Although it’s always been a consistently popular genre, the world of true crime has boomed since the early days of the pandemic, when Tiger King became the most-talked-about series. The years since have seen various streamers aiming to get in on the genre, with docuseries like HBO’s The Vow to dramatizations of real events, like Peacock’s A Friend of the Family.
The most popular to come from this boom has been Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy’s behemothan anthology chronicling the lives of various infamous killers, including Jeffrey Dahmer and, most recently, Hollywood’s favorite serial killer Ed Gein. butt behemoth is inconsistent in its depictions of its central figures and, combined with an arguable glorification of their violence, has proven more disgusting than insightful. Which is why Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is such a refreshing entry in the genre.
Hailing from Patrick McManus (Dr. Death and The Girl from Plainville), the miniseries begins near the end for its titular serial killer, in which Des Plaines family, the Piests, turn to the police when their teenage son, Robert, goes missing. This investigation quickly leads to Gacy, a local contractor who, as the police come to discover, is actually behind the disappearance and murders of over 30 young men and boys.
Led by Severance own Michael Chernus as Gacy, the series takes a non-chronological approach to its story, jumping back and forth between the police’s efforts to uncover the extent of his killings and the lives of his victims before their deaths. The show also explores some of the fallout from the revelations about Gacy, including defense attorney Sam Amirante, detective Rafael Tovar, and the various families of his victims.
In a world in which audiences are maybe expecting too much from a show like this, it’s truly amazing how much Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy can balance a sense of restraint with matter-of-fact. Primarily relying on the unseen and the performances of its cast, the series is one that many other true-crime dramatizations should learn from going forward.
Devil in Disguise Doesn’t Let John Wayne Gacy Be Anything Other Than A Monster
One of the big reasons why Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy works is in the way it tells its story. For starters, the actual tone and direction of the series is pretty straightforward, avoiding any overstylized direction or glamorized looks at his victims, even when it does turn to showing how he killed a few of them.
From the moment we meet him, we are not meant to feel anything for Gacy beyond suspicion, with his efforts to dodge police questioning and put on an affable outward personality coming off as concerning.
Even when the show looks to deliver some of Gacy’s backstory, particularly his relationship with his verbally and physically abusive father, there’s never a sense of sympathy for him. I didn’t look at his occasional moments of vulnerability as a reason to want to feel bad for him, because the show doesn’t let up long enough to make us think that he was anything more than a monster.
There is also an episode later in Devil in Disguise‘s run in which we get an entire flashback of Gacy’s crime span, which left me feeling a bit more mixed.
Now, that’s not to say that the show’s story structure is entirely perfect, as it does have a few flaws. The first few episodes continually end in a way that suggests it could just stop there, which wouldn’t have been a bad thing, as they feel conclusive enough. But this makes the start of the next few episodes a bit rocky.
There is also an episode later in which we get an entire flashback of Gacy’s crime span, which doesn’t fully work. It’s the show’s biggest mixture of somber and energetic storytelling, the latter of which pushes right against the line of inappropriateness as we get a montage of how Gacy became a more confident killer.
We’re Reminded That The Victims Aren’t The Only Ones Gacy’s Killings Hurt
One of the most fascinating elements of Devil in Disguise is the way the show explores how Gacy’s killings affected the community around him. From the start, we obviously get looks at the Piest family, who attempt to process Robert’s disappearance in a variety of ways, from grief to rejection to moving on entirely.
But the show doesn’t stop there, as it branches out its scope to the detectives investigating the case and Gacy’s lawyer, Amirante. Gabriel Luna’s Rafael Tovar is more than just a general tough-man detective, appearing thoroughly haunted by what he uncovers, while Michael Angarano’s Amirante is an attorney trying to make a name for himself, but is similarly conflicted by whether to represent the titular killer after an overnight confession session.
In keeping the spotlight planted just as firmly on these characters as much as Gacy himself, Devil in Disguise maintains its grim tone and objective to tell the story of its titular killer and his victims in a respectful fashion, as much as an entertaining one.
Michael Chernus Is Compellingly Haunting As Gacy
Michael Chernus is perfectly cast as Gacy Devil in Disguise. The Werewolves Within and Severance star expertly balances the killer’s outward-facing affability with the more menacing personality bubbling under the surface, making him a truly compelling figure to watch.
Chernus is further bolstered by a downright stellar supporting cast. Luna so nicely sheds the macho persona he’s well-known for in many of his roles to tackle Tovar’s growing sense of dread and disgust with the case; Angarano is just as believable as the go-for-broke attorney as he is the ethics-driven attorney; and Hightown‘s James Badge Dale is magnetic as Lieutenant and Chief Investigator Joseph R. Kozenczak, who is just as driven to close the case as he is to genuinely make things right for Gacy’s victims and their families after many prior accusations were ignored.
All in all, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is simultaneously a fantastic series that’s hard to recommend. Much like David Fincher’s Zodiacthe miniseries is fully honest with its depictions in a way that can be emotionally draining to process. But if one can get past that and is engaged enough with the writing and excellent performances to stick with it, they’ll find a magnificent adaptation of one of America’s biggest monsters.
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy begins streaming on Peacock on October 16.
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