'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story': Fans compare Amanda Peet with Meredith Baxter's role in 1992 movie
USA Network's 'Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story' sees Amanda Peet and Christian Slater reprising the two people who went through the messiest of divorces ever — Betty and Dan Broderick. Telling the tale of the shocking domestic tension between the once-married couple that eventually led to their divorce and everything after that. The series, created by Alexandra Cunningham, chronicles their story from the very beginning — their meeting, falling in love, Betty supporting Dan through both medical and law school until he exploded into the San Diego legal community as a superstar, and then a deadly, ghastly divorce following that.
With the show airing its pilot episode earlier tonight, women across the country have already taken Betty's side — as opposed to decades ago when she was immediately deemed to be a psychopath. Today, the conversation around women's rights in a relationship/ marriage has advanced to a level (although there is still a long way to go) where the emotional labor women invest in their relationships is also taken into consideration. And this is exactly where Cunningham's series treats it differently.
Although Betty's story had been told several times in the past, it has always been tinted with a fair share of misogyny and sexism. For instance, the 1992 movie 'A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story' traced her story too — with Meredith Baxter in the titular role — and offered an extremely contrasting look at the Betty Broderick story than today.
According to the official synopsis, "Betty torments her husband with childish vandalism and verbal threats after he leaves her for another woman, but nobody anticipates what ends up happening as the games escalate." The language clearly suggests Betty being portrayed as a woman off her hinges. When Meredith Baxter played the role of Betty Broderick on the 1992 hit television movie 'A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story', she immediately made fans out of her viewership. So much was her performance appreciated by that she was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a special.
Needless to say, comparisons between the actresses are already doing the rounds. "This is no good. The TV movie about Betty Broderick from the 90s with Meredith Baxter was better. #dirtyjohn" tweeted a fan. "Not sure that anyone can do a better job of 'A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story', like #MeredithBaxterBernie could. #DirtyJohn" added another.
"The Betty Broderick story with Meredith Baxter was better," said another. "Look, I’m all in on Amanda Peet, great actress. But as a child of the 90s I must stand and defend - MEREDITH BAXTER IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE BETTY BRODERICK #areyouwithhernowdan," added a viewer. So much so that even 28 years later, audiences cannot forget her. "I remember watching, 'A Woman Scorned: The #Betty Broderick Story' & 'Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter' when I was a kid. Maybe I was too young to be watching it. But shout out to Meredith Baxter, she played the hell out of that character. #DirtyJohn."
Perhaps the reason why some audiences are having a hard time accepting Peet replacing Baxter is that perhaps for the first time, Betty's story is being told as it should it — sans any sensationalism.