Apple TV+ has some of the best content out there. Since its inception in late 2019, the streamer has given fans hit shows like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, For All Mankind, and more. This year, on July 8, a new show was added to the list, and it’s already a hit with both critics and fans. Black Bird premiered its first episode with five more to follow over the next five weeks.

If the Black Bird trailer is anything to go by, the show is a high-stakes game of secrecy, trust, and redemption. Taron Egerton plays a convicted felon behind bars looking for a way out. His chance at freedom comes in the form of a killer by the name of Larry Hall, played by Paul Walter Hauser. It’s one of those shows that claim to be based on a true story, but how true is Black Bird?

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

What is Black Bird About?

     Apple TV+

James Keene was, at one time, a high school football hero. Rather than living a normal life, Keene became a drug dealer, a career that would end in his arrest. Faced with a ten-year sentence, he is given an opportunity to reclaim his freedom: he’s asked to transfer to a prison specializing in the criminally insane and befriend a suspected serial killer named Larry Hall. By eliciting a confession of the whereabouts of several missing girls, Keene can wipe the slate clean and earn an early release. Refusing the deal would see him play out the rest of his sentence with no chance for parole. But is Hall telling the truth about his crimes, or is he a serial liar?

Egerton and Hauser are not the only stars to feature in this gripping Apple TV+ series. Black Bird also features Ray Liotta’s final TV acting role as James “Big Jim” Keene. He is the father of James Keene and a driving force in his son’s decision to take the deal. Greg Kinnear is Brian Miller, a small-town detective tracking Hall’s crimes and is on a mission to find the remaining missing women. He works together with Agent Lauren McCauley, played by Sepideh Moafi, an FBI agent who was present for the raid on Keene’s home. She approaches Keene with the deal and also serves as his contact. Then, there’s Joe Williamson as the prison CO named Carter. Not much is known about this character, but the trailer suggests he is aware that Keene is a snitch. Finally, there’s Gary Hall, played by Jack McLaughlin. He is the non-identical twin brother of Larry and will do anything he can to see his brother released.

How True is the Story?

     Photo Credit - EMJAG Productions, Imperative Entertainment, Eden Productions, Crime Story, Hans Bubby

Black Bird does indeed follow true events and is based on the autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption, written by the real-life James Keene himself. Keene was a high school football star who could have had a career in the sport. Unfortunately, he started selling drugs to keep up with his wealthy friends. His operation was so successful that he was raking in $1 million per year by the time he was 20. Up until his arrest in 1996, he was living the high life and using his illicit funds to aid his struggling father. He received a decade-long sentence, but his chance for salvation came not from Lauren McCauley, but his prosecutor, Larry Beaumont. Keene was initially apprehensive about the offer to shorten his sentence, but he would accept once he learned that his father had suffered a stroke and may not have much time left.

Beaumont’s top priority was finding the body of college student Tricia Reitler, who had been missing since the spring of 1993. The suspect was Larry Hall who was serving a life sentence for the kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old Jessica Roach. What led authorities to suspect Hall of multiple other murders, Reitler’s included, was that he had confessed to murdering other missing women in a police interview, only to retract his statement later on, claiming he was only referring to the events of his dreams. Unable to tie any of the murders to Hall, Keene was their best chance to bring justice to the other victims. He was chosen because he was smart, articulate, and unafraid. Most importantly, he wanted out. With his father nearing death’s door, time was of the essence.

Does the Series Exploit True Events?

Because this series is based on true events, much of Black Bird will deal with sensitive subject matter. Larry Hall is a real-life serial killer, and his victims were real as well. They had hopes and dreams, and when they were killed, they had families who mourned them. When making Black Bird, series showrunner Dennis Lehane was not looking to exploit the deaths of these victims, but to honor them. Sepideh Moafi spoke with CinimaBlend about Black Bird’s handling of events and said it best:

Black Bird also honors individuals involved in the case through characters that are amalgamations of all those not featured. Moafi’s character is one of them. Many other biopics may reenact the violence of real individuals, but Black Bird acknowledges the responsibility of handling the story with respect for all those affected. It’s important to depict how real monsters were apprehended because it immortalizes those whose lives they destroyed and pays tribute to the men and women who put in the work and took the risks needed to capture them.