Season 1
I'll Be Gone in the Dark
Director Liz Garbus smartly centers I'll Be Gone in the Dark around the late Michelle McNamara's passionate efforts, weaving together a heavy, but important tapestry of trauma, obsession, and survival.
96%
TOMATOMETER
Critic Ratings: 4869%
Audience Score
User Ratings: 150Where to watch
You might also like


Rate And Review

Verified
-
Super Reviewer
Rate this season
Oof, that was Rotten.
Meh, it passed the time.
It’s good – I’d recommend it.
Awesome!
So Fresh: Absolute Must See!
What did you think of this tv season? (optional)
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Step 2 of 2
How did you buy your ticket?
Let's get your review verified.
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.
Super Reviewer
Rate this season
Oof, that was Rotten.
Meh, it passed the time.
It’s good – I’d recommend it.
Awesome!
So Fresh: Absolute Must See!
What did you think of this tv season? (optional)
How did you buy your ticket?
-
Fandango
-
AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew
-
Cinemark Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Regal Coming Soon
We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.
-
Theater box office or somewhere else
By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.
Episodes
Michelle McNamara becomes immersed in the graphic details of the Golden State Killer case, connecting with like-minded sleuths, trading facts, photos and leads.
Michelle McNamara reflects on the 1984 murder of her childhood neighbor Kathy Lombardo.
In 1979 the hunt for the perpetrator stalls due to lack of cooperation between jurisdictions; David Witthuhn, the husband of murder victim Manuela Witthuhn, is questioned as the sole person of interest.
Michelle pushes her book deadline but struggles with the graphic nature of the crimes she is investigating.
Paul Holes, who is the chief of forensics in Contra Costa County, reconstructs the killer's family tree with the help of genetic genealogist Barbara-Rae Venter.
As a former police officer's arrest unfolds in real time, chilling facts materialize to illuminate Michelle's foreshadowing of the events.
Featuring the late McNamara's own archival research and voice recordings, and interviews with residents of present-day Oak Park.
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: Season 1 Videos
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: Season 1 Photos
Tv Season Info
-
Genres:Documentary, Crime, Mystery thriller
-
Network:HBO
-
Premiere Date:Jun 28, 2020
Cast & Crew

Director
News & Interviews for I'll Be Gone in the Dark
Episodes
Michelle McNamara becomes immersed in the graphic details of the Golden State Killer case, connecting with like-minded sleuths, trading facts, photos and leads.
Michelle McNamara reflects on the 1984 murder of her childhood neighbor Kathy Lombardo.
In 1979 the hunt for the perpetrator stalls due to lack of cooperation between jurisdictions; David Witthuhn, the husband of murder victim Manuela Witthuhn, is questioned as the sole person of interest.
Michelle pushes her book deadline but struggles with the graphic nature of the crimes she is investigating.
Paul Holes, who is the chief of forensics in Contra Costa County, reconstructs the killer's family tree with the help of genetic genealogist Barbara-Rae Venter.
As a former police officer's arrest unfolds in real time, chilling facts materialize to illuminate Michelle's foreshadowing of the events.
Featuring the late McNamara's own archival research and voice recordings, and interviews with residents of present-day Oak Park.
Critic Reviews for I'll Be Gone in the Dark: Season 1
Audience Reviews for I'll Be Gone in the Dark: Season 1
-
Aug 27, 2022Was hoping this was actually about the Golden State killer. It wasn't. Exceedingly stupid documentary.
-
Aug 19, 2022This series' choice to focus on Michelle McNamara was a mistake and very self-indulgent. Nobody cares about this celebrity's wife. 🙄
-
Mar 13, 2022Brilliant. Poignant and terrifying. Now how many shows/movies could claim to be both of those.
-
Feb 27, 2022The subject of ONS/EARS is a fascinating one. Unfortunately, this docu-series insists on focusing on the author Michelle McNamara and her life, which is integrated into the story in an awkward / ham-fisted way. Also, this series is too long / very bloated.
-
Oct 14, 2021The victims, police investigators, and even the serial killer are secondary characters to the true star of this documentary - the internet detective celebrity wife. Disrespectful, distasteful, and totally lacking perspective or critical analysis.
-
Sep 07, 2021This was more a story of an unknown writer called Michelle McNamara rather than a story of the East Coast Rapist. I was sad to hear of her early death; however, a more fitting tribute would be to present her work rather than a story of somebody few have heard of. The writer IMHO also made a few insensitive statements; the worst being that she was also a victim of the rapist as her research cost her time with her children! I'm sure the real victims of this monster plus the families of those he murdered felt great hearing that. The writer's story of her wedding and her abusive mother caused me to throw a cushion at the TV in disgust. I lost count of how many narrators repeated that Michelle was the greatest writer who ever lived, I'm sure Mr Shakespeare was spinning in his grave. I'm afraid this is another case of Hollywood missing the mark of what the public want from a TV programme. The series should be called ‘A tribute to Michelle McNamara' rather than its actual name. I also suspect that the victims narrative was heavily edited to put the police in a bad light, almost in support of the current Hollywood narrative to defund the police. This was the 1970s, and there were clear mistakes, but let's not forget who the true criminal was here. There is a French saying ‘Autres temps, autres moeurs' – ‘another time, other manners'. I can understand her actor husband Patton Oswalt wanting a tribute to his deceased wife, but this just felt like a very deceptive way of doing it.
-
Aug 24, 2021Damn, I missed the time when crime documentaries were about the killers & not about a random lady who investigated the cases. Honestly who cares when she took a shit and what she drunk?! HBO is going down these past years, or need better filler between big licences
-
Jul 08, 2021Half biopic about the author, who no one has heard of, or cares about, and half barely-passable true crime docu. Not good at all, and I'm confident the score is only as high as it is bc the author was a Hollywood insider who died recently, and they're pity votes. Only thing that makes sense.
-
Jun 22, 2021While this is not great documentary filmmaking it is an important one. This is really two documentaries in one: the story of the Golden State Killer and the parallel story of Michelle McNamara, the women obsessed with uncovering his identity. The series, for the most part is based on McNamara's book, finished by husband, Patton Oswald, after her passing. The story goes further because McNamara, sadly, never lived to see the case resolved. The passion of McNamara, and the Citizen Detectives is a truly amazing aspect of this film, but it is also an indictment of the bureaucratic entanglements that derail modern police investigations. It took an impassioned Citizen Detective to tie it all together. This was sad and infuriating. The series is filled with interviews from family and victims, as well as footage. It is a fascinating story but a mediocre film. I had very mixed feelings of sympathy and anger towards McNamara who was as much a victim of herself as she was a collateral victim of the Golden State Killer. I really felt for her daughter in so many ways. Crime lovers should add a star.
-
Jun 20, 2021This is a very well told and compelling cautionary tale. So sad to see someone so talented, intelligent, driven, and with so much passion for the work she was almost desperate to complete fall just short of realizing her goal. Inspiring to see the community Joseph D'Angelo left in his wake pull together to support one another. And amazing to see him caught. There can be no justice, nothing the law can do can compensate the damage he inflicted on so many, but there can be some accountability.
Movie & TV guides
View AllAbout Tomatometer
The percentage of approved Tomatometer critics who have given this title a positive review. When individual episodes have scores, they will influence the final season score.
About Audience Score
There is no Audience Score because there are not enough user ratings at this time.
Verified