MGM+, the linear channel and streaming service, has ordered the the true-crime docuseries The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood (working title), based on Michael Connelly’s (Bosch; The Lincoln Lawyer) podcast of the same name. The four-part series, directed by Alison Ellwood (San Francisco Sounds, Laurel Canyon), is described as “the definitive examination of the infamous Wonderland murder case in 1980s Los Angeles.”
The background: On July 1, 1981, four people were discovered severely beaten to death in a suburban home in Laurel Canyon on Wonderland Avenue. The murders’ aftermath spans two decades and reaches into present day with details, subplots, and investigative twists that prove the old adage that truth is stranger than fiction. From a bought-off juror to the biggest porn actor of his generation, an alleged corrupt federal agent and a kind of Zelig of Hollywood’s dark underbelly, much about the case remains unresolved, and there are people who got away with murder.
Included in The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood will be testimony from Scott Thorson (best known as Liberace’s boyfriend and the writer of the the book Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace).
“Wonderland Murders joins MGM+’s growing stable of smart, insightful, and thought-provoking true-crime docuseries,” said Michael Wright, head of MGM+ in a statement. “Michael Connelly is a renowned and tenacious crime writer, and Alison Ellwood is a visionary director, so there is no better team to explore one of Hollywood’s most notorious crimes.”
“I love Alison’s work and look forward to working with her and MGM+,” said Michael Connelly in a statement. “The Wonderland murders left an indelible impact on Hollywood, and exploring it with the original detectives and witnesses is exciting, and is going to help us answer many of the questions that are still out there.”
The Wonderland Murders & The Secret History of Hollywood is produced by Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) and Miziker Content, and executive produced by Michael Connelly, Alison Ellwood, Jen Casey and Nick Gilhool, Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for IPC, and Rick Jackson. No official premiere date has been announced.
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