Plot Synopsis

Narrated and executive produced by Peter Dinklage, HOW TO BECOME A CULT LEADER is a six-episode docuseries that reveals the playbook to achieving unconditional love, endless devotion, and the power to control people's minds, bodies and souls. Disguised as a guidebook for capturing a devoted cult following, this docuseries takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the rise of six famed flock leaders. All six episodes of the series dropped on Friday, July 28, 2023 on Netflix:

"Build Your Foundation": Embrace your calling and reinvent yourself by studying the life of petty criminal and folk rock troubadour-turned-murderous legend Charles Manson.

"Grow Your Flock": Build a fervent following by retracing the steps of Jim Jones, whose messiah complex turned a small healing grift into a dangerously loyal congregation.

"Reform Their Minds": Return to Buddhafield and unlock the mastery of manipulation with Jaimie Gomez, a failed actor who built an army of servants by promising enlightenment.

"Promise Eternity": Apocalypse, anyone? Create credible danger and consolidate power by studying the spiritual, sci-fi narrative of Heaven's Gate leader Marshall Applewhite.

"Control Your Image": Leverage media coverage to cultivate a pious image like Shoko Asahara, who built the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo on positive PR and deadly methods.

"Become Immortal": Avoid unhappy endings and cement your legacy by studying Sun Myung Moon, who transformed the Unification Church into a still-thriving economic machine.