Hulu is getting on the true crime bandwagon with its upcoming series called The Act, which is being described as a “seasonal anthology series that tells startling, stranger-than-fiction true crime stories.” And they picked one hell of a fascinating case to start out with.
In 2015, the community of Greene County, Missouri, was rocked by the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, the mother of a severely physically and mentally disabled teen girl named Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whose wheelchair was found at the scene of the crime and was initially believed to have been abducted.
As authorities pieced together the case, however, they learned that Gypsy Rose was the survivor of horrific abuse at the hands of her mother. In the same vein as HBO’s Sharp Objects, Dee Dee Blanchard had Munchausen syndrome by proxy — a factitious disorder imposed on another person, typically a child, in order for the abuser to seek attention or sympathy. Not only was Gypsy Rose no longer a teen but an adult woman, and she was also perfectly healthy.
The Act will explore the series of events leading up to the murder, as Gypsy Rose’s quest for independence opens a “Pandora’s box of secrets,” resulting in her attempts to escape the toxic relationship. It stars Joey King (Fargo, Summer ’03) as Gypsy Rose Blanchard and Patricia Arquette as Dee Dee Blanchard, and also features Chloë Sevigny, AnnaSophia Robb (The Carrie Diaries), and Calum Worthy (American Vandal).
The first two episodes of The Act will premiere March 20 on Hulu.
