Alex Murdaugh, a convicted murderer, has criticized a recent Hulu series focused on the deaths of his wife and son, labeling it as ‘inaccurate and misleading’.

The 56-year-old is currently serving two consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife, Maggie, and his son, Paul, events that are central to the new series titled ‘Murdaugh: Death in the Family’.

In a vehement statement released ‘on behalf of Alex after hearing reports about the Hulu series’, Murdaugh expressed being ‘deeply disappointed and disturbed’ by its portrayal.

It is unlikely that Murdaugh, while incarcerated, personally views Hulu, suggesting that the statement arose after he ‘received reports about the recent Hulu series’.

His legal team stated that ‘the series contains numerous inaccuracies and misleading portrayals that distort the truth of their lives’, and highlighted that the representation of Murdaugh’s family relationships was ‘particularly troubling.’

‘It totally mischaracterizes Alex’s relationships with his wife Maggie and his son Paul, both of whom Alex loves so dearly.’

The eight-part Hulu series, produced with input from journalist Mandy Matney, dramatizes the downfall of South Carolina’s once-powerful legal dynasty. 

Episode Six, ‘June 7,’ which airs this week, centers on the night in 2021 when Maggie and Paul were gunned down on the family’s Moselle estate – the murders that shattered the Murdaugh name and captivated audiences worldwide.

Murdaugh has condemned Hulu’s new true-crime drama accusing the streamer of spreading ‘inaccuracies and misleading portrayals’ about him and his slain wife and son

Jason Clarke stars as Murdaugh in the eight-part miniseries

While billed as a ‘dramatization inspired by true events,’ the show takes notable creative liberties. 

Viewers see actor Jason Clarke portray Alex as an unstable patriarch, alternately violent, manipulative, and self-destructive opposite Patricia Arquette as Maggie.

A controversial scene showing the couple in bed has drawn outrage online, described by commenters as ‘disturbing’ and ‘gratuitous.’

The production invents dialogue and condenses timelines.Some characters are renamed while others are composites. 

Murdaugh’s defense team says such changes cross ethical lines.

‘Any other portrayal of his feelings toward Paul and Maggie are baseless and false,’ the attorneys said. ‘Equally concerning is the lack of engagement by the producers or actors to understand the individuals portrayed.’ 

Murdaugh’s lawyers, Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin said neither Hulu nor the show’s creators sought input from Alex, his son Buster, or any relatives before airing the series. 

‘No one from Hulu ever reached out to Alex, his son Buster, anyone in the Murdaugh family, or Alex’s attorneys to hear their perspective or verify the facts,’ the statement continued. 

The real-life Murdaugh family are seen together, from left, brothers Buster and Paul Murdaugh, together with their parents Maggie and Alex Murdaugh

Jason Clarke stars as Murdaugh alongside Patricia Arquette as his wife, Maggie, seen left

Jason Clarke, left, who plays Alex and Johnny Berchtold, right, who stars as Paul Murdaught

Alex Murdaugh is pictured alongside his wife Maggie and two sons

‘Instead, the program appears to rely heavily on sensationalized accounts from secondary sources with no direct knowledge or relationship with him or his family.’ 

They urged viewers to approach the series ‘with the knowledge that it is not an accurate portrayal of Alex, his family, or the tragic events that it sensationalizes.’

Murdaugh was convicted on March 2, 2023, after a six-week televised trial in Walterboro, South Carolina, that drew global attention. 

Prosecutors argued he killed Maggie and Paul to distract from a web of financial crimes and drug addiction. Murdaugh testified that he loved his family and insisted on his innocence.

He is now serving two consecutive life terms but has appealed his convictions to the South Carolina Supreme Court. 

Meanwhile, he has admitted to stealing millions from his law firm and clients – crimes that also carry lengthy prison sentences.

The Hulu dramatization portrays Murdaugh’s relationship with his younger son Paul as volatile, even physical.

The family are seen in a Facebook photo from Thanksgiving 2018

Johnny Berchtold is seen in the Hulu miniseries as one of Alex’s sons, Paul

One scene shows him shoving Paul to the ground – a depiction his lawyers call fiction. 

The series also emphasizes Alex’s addictions, with scenes of him slurring, falling asleep mid-meal, and drooling on himself. 

Murdaugh acknowledged on the stand that he was abusing opioids during that time.

The Murdaugh family once reigned over South Carolina’s 14th Judicial Circuit for nearly a century, producing three generations of solicitors. 

That lineage collapsed with Alex’s arrest and conviction, leaving the family name synonymous with corruption, deceit, and death.