John Wayne Gacy may be known as one of America’s most prolific serial killers, but there’s one thing viewers of Peacock’s upcoming limited scripted series focusing on the convicted murderer won’t see: the killings themselves.

Peacock’s Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, premiering Oct. 16, will follow as a man once thought of as a respected member of his Norwood Park, Illinois community is revealed as the disturbed killer of at least 33 people, mostly young men and boys. 

The eight-part dramatized series — which will see Michael Chernus take on the lead role of Gacy — will view the notorious killer through the lens of others who play a critical role in Gacy’s story, whether it’s the detectives who investigated the crimes, the grieving mother of one his final victims, or Gacy’s conflicted defense attorney, according to Vanity Fair, which offered an exclusive first look at the series.

Devil in Disguise is distinctive from other popular true crime series bringing serial killer’s crimes to life, however, because viewers won’t see any actual murders take place, showrunner, writer, and executive producer Patrick Macmanus told the outlet. 

Why Peacock’s Devil in Disguise is taking a victim-focused approach

Macmanus told the magazine that the reason viewers won’t see the victims’ final moments is because he wanted to take a novel story-telling approach that would focus more on the victims themselves rather than their harrowing last breath.

“We really, truly were trying to figure out a way to focus on the victims — what their lives were like and who they truly were, with no connective tissue to John Wayne Gacy at all,” Macmanus explained. “The ultimate goal was to ensure that when people left our show, they saw more than a name. They saw more than a number. They saw more than a life associated with this horrendous tragedy, with this absolutely evil man.”

As a result, each episode will focus through flashbacks on one of Gacy’s victims, showing who these men and teens were before their paths crossed with Gacy. To learn more about their lives, the creative team delved into the news archives, researched, and reached out to the victims’ families in the hopes of returning the spotlight to the victims’ themselves, something Macmanus feels was lost at the time due to “rampant systemic homophobia” in the country in the 1970s.

The series also seeks inspiration from Peacock’s earlier docuseries on Gacy’s crimes, John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, available now on the streaming network.

Macmanus, who is known for his previous work on series like Dr. Death and The Girl From Plainville, purposefully avoided showing any scenes of the victims interacting directly with Gacy in the scripted new tale.

“There’s plenty of googling that can go on in order to do a deeper dive into how these victims interacted with John Wayne Gacy,” Macmanus told the outlet. “I had absolutely no interest in directly connecting the victims to him.”

He’s hoping the new approach to the series — which he described as more of “a drama inspired by real events” rather than a true crime series — can reshape some of the way these killers are seen in history. 

“It’s going to be a little bit of a testing ground, a proving ground,” he admitted. “Will people be not just comfortable, but engaged enough to allow their foot to come off the accelerator — and really live in these people’s lives?”

Michael Chernus intentionally avoided method acting during Gacy role

The focus may be more victim-centered, but Gacy himself will still play a central role in the story. 

Chernus, who fans will likely recognize from his roles in Severance and Orange is the New Black, will embody the charismatic killer. 

Gacy, who was ultimately convicted and executed for his crimes, was once considered a respected member of his community, performing as a clown at charitable events and owning his own construction company before his dark side was exposed. 

Chernus admitted to Vanity Fair that he initially didn’t know much about Gacy, a man he now considers a “true psychopath,” before he took on the role.

“He was trying to blend in, in a way that’s different from other serial killers we know about, where they were loners,” he said. “He really was hiding in plain sight.” 

Chernus found a way to appear affable and approachable while hiding the much darker undercurrent of a manipulative killer on film, but once filming stopped he was quick to shed the persona. He told Vanity Fair that he purposefully chose not to use a method-acting approach. “I didn’t want anyone having to deal with John Gacy more than they had to,” he said. 

The strategy may have been best for the cast, but it did take it’s toll on Chernus, who had to slip in and and out of character.

“I chose the mental health of the group over maybe my own individual experience,” he admitted. “I was prioritizing that we all came out of this feeling okay.” 

Once an avid true crime fan himself, Chernus said playing Gacy has changed how he sees the genre.

“Going through this experience, I don’t know that I will be consuming much true crime ever again,” he admitted, adding that he now has a deeper understanding of “what it might mean to the families” if it isn’t done well.