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Dirty John

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews

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64

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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5.7

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5.7	Your Score
5.7	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 6 Ratings

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Dirty John

Series Details & Credits

USA | Bravo | USA Network | Release Date: November 25, 2018

Summary: The anthology series created by Alexandra Cunningham was based on the articles and true crime podcast by Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher Goffard.

Genre(s): Drama, Suspense

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Recent Episodes

tbd
S2:E8. Perception Is Reality
Air Date: July 14, 2020
tbd
S2:E7. The Shillelagh
Air Date: July 7, 2020
tbd
S2:E6. The Twelfth of Never
Air Date: June 30, 2020

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

64

Positive:

14

Mixed:

15

Negative:

1

Critic Reviews

91

Entertainment Weekly

Kristen Baldwin

Nov 12, 2018

Season 1 Review: A dazzling matchup of pulp and prestige. ... Britton is perfectly cast as Debra. ... As Meehan, the actor [Eric Bana] pivots from charming to chilling and back with astonishing ease. [16 Nov 2018, p.45] Read full review

83

IndieWire Ann Donahue

Oct 23, 2020

Season 2 Review: It’s a compassionate telling, one that teeters on the right side of empathy for a heinous convicted killer who was, also, a broken woman. Read full review

80

RogerEbert.com Allison Shoemaker

Jun 8, 2020

Season 2 Review: It’s too easy to say something like ‘the layers have layers,’ but there’s perhaps no better way of describing what Peet and Cunningham jointly accomplish here. ... While Betty’s performance gets much less convincing, Peet’s just keeps getting better and better. There is not a moment wasted, not a single line or non-verbal reaction not fully explored for all its potential. It is, and in this case this is a compliment, utterly exhausting to watch. The same isn’t necessarily true of the other characters. Read full review

60

Salon

Melanie McFarland

Nov 21, 2018

Season 1 Review: Dirty John doesn't hold any creative surprises for those familiar with the case, and it doesn't break any conventions amply established by, say, Investigation Discovery or Oxygen. That doesn't make it worthless, mind you. It has all the makings of a frivolous, ephemeral good time, a spiky bauble made to stand out among television's soft December offerings. Read full review

50

The Hollywood Reporter

Dan Fienberg

Jun 2, 2020

Season 2 Review: If there's any real reason to recommend Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, it's to appreciate the sheer range and volume of characterizations Peet gets to offer. ... I'm not sure how many viewers, especially viewers with no memories of the original case, are likely to be as tolerant in the search for meaning as I was. Read full review

50

Wall Street Journal

John Anderson

Nov 21, 2018

Season 1 Review: It may be that there’s simply too little life and too much Lifetime in this eight-parter, based on the highly popular podcast by Los Angeles Times reporter Christopher Goffard and played out at a formulaic crawl. Read full review

25

TVLine

Dave Nemetz

Nov 14, 2018

Season 1 Review: There’s not a lot of nuance to be found here, with any trace of psychological depth replaced by cheesy love montages and paint-by-numbers confrontations. We’re given no sense of why Debra is making these terrible decisions... over and over and over again. Read full review

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5.7

User Reviews

9

dean09199

Aug 18, 2020

It's a bit hard to rate this TV show wholly, because 1 & 2 season are quite different. First season was really great, very tense and interesting from the very first episode, while second season lacked those features. Second season isn't bad, but definitely not as interesting as first season.It's a bit hard to rate this TV show wholly, because 1 & 2 season are quite different. First season was really great, very tense and interesting from the very first episode, while second season lacked those features. Second season isn't bad, but definitely not as interesting as first season. It's more about husband and wife marriage/divorce and trial process with a few interesting parts, but overall a bit boring. I would rate first season 10/10, while 2nd season in my opinion is worth 6/10.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

7

UncleWillard

Jun 6, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I'm specifically talking season 2, and it was very well done. Amanda Peet is amazing. The only part that I find frustrating is the jury. They seriously thought it was understandable for her to murder two people in their sleep? That's not murder one? This is typical of the public and courts; a man's life is worth less. If a man had done this, he'd get the death penalty, and rightly so. What's even more puzzling is their lack of sympathy for Linda. Is she not a woman? Why is her life of less value than Betsy's? Seems like everyone went out of their way to come to the aid of this "poor woman," but could care less about her defenseless victims. She should have gotten the death penalty.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

3

JJJ

Jul 28, 2020

The Meredith Baxter version of this story is so much better. This USA version attempts to sympathize with a double murderer who tortured her own kids with her obsession. Amanda Peete does a good job but the writing is misleading and biased. First season was great. Second season - very weak.The Meredith Baxter version of this story is so much better. This USA version attempts to sympathize with a double murderer who tortured her own kids with her obsession. Amanda Peete does a good job but the writing is misleading and biased. First season was great. Second season - very weak. Does not present the truth. Was Betty treated unfairly? Yes. Does that justify double murder. NO. We learned almost nothing new. The marriage encounter was the only new piece of information. Disappointing. Does not even come close to the 1990’s Woman Scorned and Her Final Fury.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

64

Series Overview
Season 2

73
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: June 2, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E8. Perception Is Reality
  Air Date: July 14, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E7. The Shillelagh
  Air Date: July 7, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E6. The Twelfth of Never
  Air Date: June 30, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E5. Scream Therapy
  Air Date: June 23, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E4. More to It Than Fun
  Air Date: June 16, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E3. Marriage Encounter
  Air Date: June 9, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E2. The Turtle and the Alligator
  Air Date: June 2, 2020
- tbd
  S2:E1. No Fault
  Air Date: June 2, 2020
Season 1

58
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: November 25, 2018