New True-Crime Series Just Became the Network’s Most-Watched Documentary in 5 Years

A new true-crime series is breaking records.

Deadline reports that three-part docuseries The Mortician has become HBO’s most-watched documentary series in over five years.

Premiering on June 1, the series chronicles the inhumane practices at a Southern California funeral home. According to the network, The Mortician has brought in over 2.6 million cross-platform viewers in the U.S., beating out high-profile documentaries such as Pee-wee as Himself, Chimp Crazy, and Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God.

The strong performance is likely partly due to the fact that The Mortician nabbed HBO’s prime Sunday at 9 p.m. ET slot, which also belonged to The Last of Us, The White Lotus, and The Gilded Age. The series is directed and executive produced by Joshua Rofé. Steven J. Berger for Number 19 and Strong Baby’s Jonah Hill and Matt Dines also serve as executive producers.

Per HBO, The Mortician is a “darkly gripping series” that chronicles “a trusted family-owned funeral home that hid behind a façade of decency and propriety to take advantage of loved ones at their most vulnerable moments. In the early 1980s, David Sconce, scion of the Lamb family, took over the family business and sought to exploit the deceased in numerous ways to expand their earnings. Driven by profit, the Lamb Funeral Home in Pasadena, California engaged in years of morally questionable and inhumane practices.”

The series features an exclusive interview with newly released Sconce as it “examines the lucrative and unique multibillion-dollar mortuary industry and illuminates what can happen behind closed doors, away from public scrutiny. With emotional interviews with families of the victims of the Lamb Funeral Home and revelations from former employees, The Mortician unravels a dark, troubling story that involved mass cremations and stealing from the dead in a multitude of macabre ways.”

“The scandal shook Southern California, and as members of the Lamb family stood trial, the funeral industry took heed, bringing about tighter regulations and allowing for greater transparency into the business of death,” the synopsis continues. “A testimony from Sconce, who tells his side of the story with animated energy and candor, anchors the series.”

The final episode of The Mortician aired on Sunday, and it seemed to keep people on the edge of their seats. Considering America’s obsession with true-crime, it’s not surprising to see that another show has turned out to be a hit, and for those who have missed it can watch it on Max.