Summary
- John Wayne Gacy’s infamous story brought to life in new Peacock series starring Michael Chernus as the serial killer.
-
Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy
focuses on victims, families, and those who brought Gacy to justice. - Peacock continues true-crime focus with Gacy series, adding to library including
Joe vs. Carole
and
A Friend of the Family.
John Wayne Gacy, one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, will be the subject of a new limited series coming to Peacock. Michael Chernus will star as the infamous murderer in the forthcoming series that has yet to receive a release date.
John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise
The chilling story of one of the world’s most notorious serial killers told through the words of Gacy himself, those who were forever changed by his unspeakable deeds and those who believe that the full truth remains concealed to this day.
John Wayne Gacy murdered many men in the 70s and was also a children’s party clown named Pogo. All of this and more will be covered in the upcoming series entitled Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. You can see a synopsis for the upcoming series released by Peacock below:
From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered, and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown. ‘Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy’ peels back the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy’s life while weaving in the heartrending stories of his mostly gay victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.
Michael Chernus, perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale in the Apple+ series Severance, has stated that he’s humbled to take on the role of John Wayne Gacy, explaining more in a statement to Deadline.
The direction that the writers are taking with this project is important, focusing on the victims and their families as well as those who finally brought John Wayne Gacy to justice. While Gacy was the perpetrator of these horrific crimes, I’m relieved that he won’t be the main focus of the series. It’s heartbreaking for me to think of what his victims (all young men and boys) could have done with their lives had the system not failed them so tragically. I believe in the power of storytelling and hope that by telling this story, in a thoughtful way, we can play some part in preventing this from ever happening again.
Peacock’s Continued Interest in True-Crime Series
Not only does Peacock have a documentary series on John Wayne Gacy available to watch right now, but the streaming service has also previously spotlighted other true crime stories including the story of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin as retold through the limited series Joe vs. Carole, following the Tiger King boom in popularity during the global pandemic of 2020. Peacock also previously aired A Friend of the Family, a series surrounding the kidnappings of Jan Broberg.
The second season of Severance is on its way and the first footage was recently shown. Fans of the series are eagerly awaiting a release date for the upcoming season as well.
