Plot Synopsis

Each series in the TRUE CRIME STORY franchise focuses on telling a wide variety of true crime stories from a unique perspective. The first installment, IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE, is a series of six one-hour episodes that spotlight small-town American crime stories that demonstrate how crime impacts these tight-knit communities. The second installment, INDEFENSIBLE, is comprised of six half-hour episodes that look into cases where the outcome is shaped by more than what initially meets the eye, and in the process brings something new and entirely unexpected to the genre.

Hosted and executive produced by Hilarie Burton Morgan, TRUE CRIME STORY: IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE shines a much-needed light on the unique ways in which crime impacts rural communities and their judicial systems. Too often the heartbreaking events in these towns are largely overlooked because they lack the national media platforms and advocacy resources found in larger cities. In each episode, Hilarie hears the facts of the case from family members and local insiders in an attempt to understand the challenges the community faced investigating the crime, learn the lasting impact the crime has had on the fabric of the town, and ultimately call attention to where justice currently stands.

The sophomore season of TRUE CRIME STORY: IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE premiered on Thursday, September 1, 2022, with the first episode debuting at 10pm ET/PT on SundanceTV and the first two episodes dropping on AMC+ earlier in the day. For the rest of the eight-episode season, new episodes rollout weekly on Thursdays and are available one week early on AMC+. In each episode, Hilarie meets with family members and local insiders to explore each unique story and the impact and challenges of small-town justice. In the season opener, "Dallas, GA," after a woman is found shot in her bathroom, officials launch a death investigation to determine if it was suicide -- as her husband claimed -- or murder. Years later, the case remains open, and the town still has questions.

Season 3 of TRUE CRIME STORY: IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE debuted on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT on SundanceTV and earlier in the day on AMC+. In the six-episode season, Hilarie Burton Morgan travels to Missouri, North Dakota, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Maine, and in each episode, meets with family members and local insiders as she explores the twists and turns of each case and uncovers the unique challenges of small-town justice. Burton Morgan lends empathy and advocacy to small-town American crime stories to explore how major crimes impact these tight-knit communities and sheds light on previously adjudicated cases where doubt about the existing verdict lingers. The series' first season provided crucial awareness to overlooked cases that helped secure freedom for Devonia Inman, who had been wrongfully imprisoned for 23 years.
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On Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 10pm ET/PT, SundanceTV premiered "Vinalhaven, Maine," the Season 3 finale of TRUE CRIME STORY: IT COULDN'T HAPPEN HERE. On a remote island, a dispute between two lobstermen is settled the way islanders do: face-to-face; the conflict turns deadly when one swings an ax -- leaving locals to dispute whether the death was self-defense or murder.