Get ready for a chilling deep dive into one of America’s most infamous serial killers. Peacock has ordered up its limited scripted series based on the serial killer John Wayne Gacy, titled “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy,” and an eerie new teaser trailer has just given us an unsettling first look.
Mark your calendars: “Devil in Disguise” premieres on Peacock on October 16, 2025, just in time for Halloween!
Unmasking a Monster
The official synopsis pulls back the curtain on the horrific true story: “From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered, and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, all-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown. Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy peels back the twisted layers of Gacy’s life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities, and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.”
John Wayne Gacy, along with his chilling “Pogo the Clown” alter ego, instilled a fear of clowns in America long before Stephen King’s Pennywise came along. No one would guess that a pillar of the community and a family man was a brutal killer. In all, he claimed 33 lives of young men before his arrest in 1978 and met his end on May 10, 1994, by lethal injection.
An All-Star Cast and Creative Team
This eight-episode limited series is helmed by showrunner, executive producer, and writer Patrick Macmanus, known for his work on Peacock’s “Dr. Death.” He’s assembled an impressive cast to bring this dark chapter to life.
Michael Chernus (Severance), Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us), James Badge Dale (The Empty Man), Michael Angarano (Oppenheimer, This Is Us), Chris Sullivan (This Is Us), and Marin Ireland (The Dark and the Wicked) are all set to star.
Coming Soon
The new teaser establishes a suitably eerie atmosphere, as it teases the horrors committed by this infamous killer. And the location where he buried most of his victims, under his house. Look for “Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy” to arrive this October, exclusively on Peacock.
