Will Peacock’s Casey Anthony docuseries cost them subscribers?

There have been other documentaries about the murder of Caylee Marie Anthony and the resulting trial against her mother, Casey Anthony. In 2017, Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery, a three-part documentary, premiered on Investigation Discovery (ID). In 2018, Oxygen released a five-episode season of The Case Of: Caylee Anthony. But none of those had what Peacock’s forthcoming three-part docuseries Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies has, which is Casey Anthony publicly sharing her side of the story for the first time.

But is it a gamble for Peacock? Will it cost them subscribers? Or will it have the opposite effect?

Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies starts streaming on Peacock on November 29. Before we examine early reactions to the news of the new docuseries, let’s see what it’s about.

Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies Synopsis

Here’s the synopsis from Peacock:

Considered one of the first “trials of the century” that polarized conversation in living rooms across America, the Casey Anthony case is one that still leaves more questions than answers. There have been several movies and documentaries made to fill in the gaps, and yet, the woman at the center of it all remains the biggest mystery. Throughout the exclusive three-part documentary series, Casey Anthony finally tells her side of the story and addresses the public that has made so many assumptions for the past 13 years.

Where the Truth Lies Rekindles Outrage, Prompts Disgust

I first learned about Peacock’s new Casey Anthony documentary when I saw “murderer” trending on Twitter. Out of curiosity (because I’m morbid like that), I clicked to see which murderer was trending and who had killed who now.

I don’t know who I was expecting to see, but if I’d been asked to pick someone I thought it might be, I never would’ve chosen Casey Anthony. And what was this about she was getting a documentary?

With all of Twitter’s leadership changeover troubles lately, I wondered if it was some sort of prank. So I Googled to see what came up, and sure enough. Peacock really had announced a Casey Anthony docuseries that would premiere near the end of November.

My reaction to the news was pretty much the same as 99% of what I saw on Twitter and then later in the comments on the doc’s teaser on YouTube, which was pure disgust. Seriously? Is that the way true crime is going to go now? Giving people like her a platform?

Yes. Technically a jury found her not guilty of murdering Caylee Marie, but the court of public opinion most assuredly found her guilty. She was viewed as a liar, an unfit mother, and the most hated woman in America at that time. A title she may still own, judging from the reactions to the news of this documentary.

Social Reactions

This tweet pretty much sums up how most people met the news of the docuseries on Twitter:

genuinely disgusted with @peacock giving casey anthony a platform and a docuseries. so many important and unsolved cases in the world. and you’re giving a woman who’s at BEST a sociopath and at worst a free child murderer a platform for ratings and because she’s hot. i just-

— grace (@gracieturnn) November 8, 2022

But it was the most liked comments on the YouTube teaser that resonated most deeply with me. Here are the user names followed by their comment

Alternate Universe42

The fact she waited a month to report her daughter missing is absolutely proof of guilt to me. Completely vile human.

melky dew

Are we just gonna give her another chance to tell us about how she’s really the victim in all this? There’s too much evidence for it to have been done by someone else. You won’t sway public opinion, Casey.

Jocelyn Padilla 

No one wants to hear Casey continue to lie about what happened to Caylee. The only thing we want to hear from her is an admission of guilt.

nicky

The only possible way this docuseries could be considered ethical and necessary is if she straight up confesses.

Crystal

Hope this isn’t gonna be the new trend. We shouldn’t allow monsters to profit off their murders and networks to make money off of victims gruesome killings.

Does it matter that Casey Anthony had no creative control?

Peacock, or rather NBCUniversal Television, knows a thing or two about true crime. NBC’s Dateline is one of the most popular and long-running investigative crime shows. So much so that the NBC powers that be recognized the true crime genre’s popularity, and thus Oxygen True Crime, a channel dedicated to such shows, was born.

Therefore, Peacock must suspect (or did viewer research) that Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies might be crossing a boundary. Because it’s curious that they released the teaser first, and right off the bat, the producer asks a very nervous-looking Casey, “Why talk to me now when you’re not getting creative control?”

Are producers banking on that helping the doc’s credibility and enticing people to watch?  They’re clearly aware of how vehemently people view Casey as an untrustworthy liar.

But will people watch?

In the trailer, Casey admits she lied. But she also states, “But no one asked why.”

According to People, she blames her father, George Anthony. More lies? Or is that where the truth really does lie?

Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies Trailer

Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies Teaser

Check-In

Does the fact Casey herself will be in Peacock’s Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies make you more likely to watch it or less?