Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy – Series Review | Peacock

DEVIL IN DISGUISE: JOHN WAYNE GACY on Peacock is a new True Crime series with eight episodes. It’s all about the infamous serial killer, portrayed by Michael Chernus in this Peacock Original. Read our Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy series review here!

DEVIL IN DISGUISE: JOHN WAYNE GACY is a new Peacock Original series about the infamous serial killer. This is a true crime series, but it’s made in a distinctly different way than the Netflix serial killer anthology Monster.

It’s still a very tough watch, but also an important one that highlights how John Wayne Gacy was able to evade justice for as long as he did despite his despicable and heinous actions. The series has eight episodes – as there are plenty of crimes to cover, it works well.

Continue reading our Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy review below. Find all eight episodes on Peacock now.

A very direct and honest approach

With Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, we get eight episodes that focus on the infamous serial killer, while also leaving room for his victims, and (fortunately) his ultimate downfall.

Michael Chernus is both amazing and absolutely terrifying (the two are obviously connected) as John Wayne Gacy. One second, he’s the charming man that everyone would talk nicely about, but he can never keep it up for long.

The true, and extremely dark and violent, nature of this brutal criminal wants to come out. And it does. Over and over again.

Michael Chernus (Birthrite, Severance, Dead Ringers) creates a portrait that doesn’t seek to excuse or explain, but simply show who this man was and what he did. I can certainly appreciate this more direct and honest approach.

This is almost the direct opposite of the movie Gacy: The Serial Killer Next Door, which I cannot recommend, except as a study of how not to make a movie.

Impressive casting all around

While Michael Chernus plays the all-important role as the title character and real-life serial killer, this Peacock Original series also features an impressive supporting cast. It’s full of familiar faces as well as a few newer ones.

In key roles, we get Gabriel Luna (The Last of Us, The Astronaut), Marin Ireland (Birth/Rebirth, Eileen), Chris Sullivan (Presence), Michael Angarano (Oppenheimer), James Badge Dale (The Empty Man), Greg Bryk (Saw V), and Ted Dykstra (Hell Motel).

Also in the series are Cricket Brown (The Unholy), Thom Nyhuus (Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities), Augustus Prew (Dear David), Hamish Allan-Headley (The Madness), Michael Esper (The Outsider), Jake Horowitz (Agnes), and Kristine Nielsen (Son).

The opposite of Monster

If you’re not a fan of Monster, then maybe this will be more to your liking. However, if you like the Monster anthology, then I still think you’ll enjoy this one as well.

While I do like Ryan Murphy’s take on storytelling with Monster, for what it offers, I also like that Devil in Disguise opts for a more direct and linear style. It feels almost impossible not to compare the two series when their releases are this close to one another.

While Monster: The Ed Gein Story was focused on the impact of the serial killer’s crimes on horror movies and pop culture later, Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is about the actual person, the crimes he committed, and the victims who suffered from those actions.

And by victims, I mean both the ones that died by his hands and those who lost their loved ones when John Wayne Gacy took yet another life.

Watch Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy on Peacock now!

Patrick Macmanus is the creator of the new Peacock Original series. He previously created the true crime series The Girl from Plainville (2022) and Dr. Death (2021), so creating shows based on – or inspired by – true stories is very familiar to this writer.

He also serves as showrunner on Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy, just as he did on the two previous productions he created. Finally, he also directed an episode of this latest Peacock series.

Other episodes are directed by Maggie Kiley (Keep Breathing), Larysa Kondracki (The Whistleblower), Bille Woodruff (Yellowjackets), and Ashley Michel Hoban.

You can find the new true crime series on Peacock, where all eight episodes are out now. I found this Peacock Original to be a direct and dark portrait of the infamous serial killer, while also leaving room to focus on the victims, which is always important.

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy is on Peacock from October 16, 2025.

Details

Creator: Patrick Macmanus
Cast: Michael Chernus, Gabriel Luna, Marin Ireland, Greg Bryk, James Badge Dale, Michael Angarano, Chris Sullivan, Cricket Brown, Thom Nyhuus, Nina Kiri, Augustus Prew, Hamish Allan-Headley, Michael Esper, Jake Horowitz, Ted Dykstra, Chloe Avakian, Ryker Baloun, Kristine Nielsen, Jim Annan, Christian Bako, Desmond Sivan