Love & Death Trailer: Elizabeth Olsen Is An Ax Murderer In This Series Inspired By A True Story

True crime media seemingly won't go away, and with the sheer quantity of films and television shows in the subgenre, it feels as if there are more low-quality programs than those of higher quality. However, if the trailer for HBO Max's upcoming limited series "Love & Death" is anything to go by, we could have a very high-quality and suspenseful series coming soon to our screens.

While this may be a story some of you may be familiar with, allow us to walk through the tragic tale being adapted by David E. Kelley for the streamer. Candy Montgomery (Elizabeth Olsen) was considered the perfect housewife in 1980s Texas until the charming Allan Gore (Jesse Plemons) entered her life. The two begin an affair, which threatens her friendship with his wife Betty (Lily Rabe). As tensions and secrets build, Candy reaches a brutal breaking point, resulting in one of the state's most infamous crimes.

Kelley, who wrote "Big Little Lies" for HBO, wrote the seven-episode limited series, while Leslie Linka Glatter served as the series' director. While the Candy Montgomery case was examined in 2022's Hulu series "Candy," this iteration has a particular advantage over that one, and that is its source material. "Love & Death" is adapted from the reporting of Jim Atkinson and John Bloom (also known as the cult horror host Joe Bob Briggs), particularly their book "Evidence of Love: A True Story of Passion and Death in the Suburbs." This collection, along with their reporting in the Texas Monthly, is widely considered the definitive account of the Montgomery case, so expect a lot of sordid and unexpected details to be brought to the small screen.

Joining Olsen and the other aforementioned names will be Patrick Fugit, who will portray Candy's husband Pat. Krysten Ritter, Keir Gilchrist, Elizabeth Marvel, Beth Broderick, Brian d'Arcy James, Mackenzie Astin, and Bruce McGill will also star in the series.

"Love & Death" will premiere at the SXSW Film & TV Festival on March 11, 2023. Three episodes will then be released on HBO Max on April 27, with each subsequent episode releasing weekly until May 25. Read the show's official logline below:

"This riveting drama, written by David E. Kelley and directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, tells the true story of Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore – two churchgoing couples enjoying their smalltown Texas life... until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe."