'Murder On Middle Beach': Release date, plot, trailer and all you need to know about HBO true-crime docuseries

The HBO docuseries is from first-time filmmaker Madison Hamburg who investigates his mother's murder from March 2010

BY NEETHA K

PUBLISHED OCT 16, 2020

True-crime series are often known for being in-depth looks into either the victims or the perpetrators of horrific crimes. But what happens when the subject of a true-crime documentary or docuseries is closely related to the person making it? Will that help viewers view it with a different lens or is the creator perhaps too close to the subject?

With HBO's upcoming docuseries, viewers might be able to answer that question themselves. In March 2010, Barbara Hamburg was found violently murdered near her home in Madison, Connecticut, forever altering her 18-year-old son, Madison Hamburg's life. Investigators thought it might be a crime of passion, but somehow things did not add up. 'Murder On Middle Beach' is a son's desperate attempt to reconcile with his mother's murder. Read on to know more details about the docuseries.

Release date

'Murder On Middle Beach' will premiere on HBO on Sunday, November 15. The time slot will be updated later so keep watching this space for future updates on the schedule.

Plot

The official synopsis for 'Murder On Middle Beach' follows:

On March 3, 2010, single mother Barbara Hamburg was found violently murdered near her home in the upper-middle-class enclave of Madison, Connecticut. Investigators speculated her murder appeared to be a crime of passion, but without enough evidence, the case grew cold.

Over the course of 8 years, Barbara's son, Madison Hamburg, interviewed his family members and many others, longing to learn more about his mother and gathering evidence in hopes of solving her murder, sending him into a deep web of buried familial secrets, connections to shadowy criminal figures, and the uncovering of years-old resentments in his deceptively serene hometown. While Madison wrestles with troubling revelations about his mother, the most unsettling conflict comes from Madison's obligation to bring into question those inside his community and members of his own family.

"At 18 years old, my worst fears came true when my sister called to tell me that my mother had been murdered," said director Madison Hamburg in a statement. "As much as I fought it, her death became a part of my life. Her memory faded and her case went cold, but I couldn't accept that. Even if it meant sacrificing my own safety and sanity, I made my mother a promise when I started this project, 'I will never let you be forgotten.' It is less than what she would have done for me."

Director

Madison Hamburg

'Murder On Middle Beach' is Madison Hamburg's first directorial venture. He is a Connecticut-born, Texas-based filmmaker and graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design. His work deals heavily with introspective, psychological character studies, and extremely personal documentaries. His past work has aired on regional television and circuited international film festivals. In October, he was awarded the Silver Screen award and the Best SCAD Film award at the Savannah Film Festival for his short narrative piece, 'South Southwest'.

Producers

'Murder On Middle Beach' is produced by Jigsaw Productions, Armian Pictures, and Blue Days Films. Directed by Madison Hamburg, the executive producers are Ron Nyswaner, Neda Armian, Toby Oppenheimer, Madison Hamburg, Stacey Offman and Richard Perello, the co-executive producer is Evan Lerner; the supervising producer is Whitney Johnson; the producer is Solomon Petchenik. For HBO, the executive producers are Lisa Heller and Nancy Abraham, and the senior producer is Sara Rodriguez.