Here’s a bold statement: Murdaugh: Death in the Family isn’t just another retelling of Alex Murdaugh’s crimes—it’s a long-overdue spotlight on his wife, Maggie Murdaugh. And this is the part most people miss: while Alex’s story has dominated headlines, Maggie’s life has been reduced to a footnote—literally. Her Wikipedia entry? A single line. But Hulu’s new limited series aims to change that, and it’s about time.
If you’ve binged every documentary about the disgraced attorney—from Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal to HBO Max’s Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty—you’ll notice a pattern: Maggie is either the wife or the victim, but rarely anything more. But here’s where it gets controversial: Is it fair to define her solely by her relationship to Alex or her tragic death? Co-creators Erin Lee Carr and Michael D. Fuller think not. They’ve set out to humanize Maggie, to explore her as a woman, a mother, and a matriarch—not just a supporting character in Alex’s downfall.
Carr, known for documentaries like Britney vs Spears, admits Maggie’s story was a challenge. “What was her life like? What did she want?” she asked. These questions drove the series, which uses scripted storytelling to fill in the gaps documentaries can’t. “Scripted television adds new insight,” Carr explained. “It shows the spaces between people—the unspoken moments that define a life.”
Enter Patricia Arquette, whose portrayal of Maggie is both nuanced and powerful. Arquette didn’t just play a role; she embodied a type of woman often overlooked: the Southern wife who endures, who sacrifices, who stays in the background. “You’re happy being in the backseat,” Arquette told The Hollywood Reporter. “You’re the one taking the pictures, the one behind the scenes.” But here’s the hard truth: Maggie’s story is also a reminder that many women in dysfunctional marriages face domestic violence, and too often, it ends in tragedy. Arquette’s performance honors not just Maggie, but all women who’ve lived in her shadow.
By the third episode, Fuller promises, Maggie is no longer just “standing by her man.” Instead, she begins to question her life, her choices, and her identity. “It’s like a lightbulb flickering on,” Fuller said. “She starts to examine things in a way she hasn’t before.” And this is where it gets thought-provoking: How much agency did Maggie truly have? Could she have escaped her fate? Or was she, like so many women, trapped by circumstance?
Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family premieres its first three episodes this Wednesday, offering a fresh perspective on a story you thought you knew. But here’s the question we’re left with: Does Maggie’s story challenge our assumptions about marriage, power, and survival? Or does it simply reinforce them? Let’s discuss in the comments—because this isn’t just a series; it’s a conversation.
