Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy

Synopsis

When a teenager goes missing, it becomes clear that many young men and boys have disappeared at the hands of John Wayne Gacy, the prime suspect.

First Air Date: 2025-10-16

Last Air Date: 2025-10-16

Number of Seasons: 1

Number of Episodes: 8

Created By: Patrick Macmanus

Networks: Peacock

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Top Cast

Michael Chernus as John Wayne Gacy
Gabriel Luna as Det. Rafael Tovar
James Badge Dale as Chief of Detectives Joe Kozenczak
Michael Angarano as Sam Amirante
Chris Sullivan as Lead Prosecutor Bill Kunkle
Marin Ireland as Elizabeth Piest
Greg Bryk as Harold Piest
Cricket Brown as Kerry Piest
Ted Dykstra as Det. Allen Fanholm
Thom Nyhuus as Kenneth Piest

Seasons

Miniseries (2025)

Season 1 peels back the twisted layers of John Wayne Gacy's life while weaving in heartrending stories of his victims; exploring the grief, guilt, and trauma of their families and friends; and exposing the systemic failures, missed opportunities and societal prejudices that fueled his reign of terror.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Ten Days (2025-10-16)

After a teenager disappears, officers track, interrogate and tail the man he was last seen with.
Ep. 2: Johnny (2025-10-16)

Officers excavate the crawl space beneath Gacy's home; Gacy shows where he disposed of Rob's body.
Ep. 3: Samuel and Randy (2025-10-16)

As police make a shocking discovery, the media circus begins; two teens navigate boyhood in Uptown.
Ep. 4: Billy (2025-10-16)

A psychiatrist interviews Gacy; Tovar and Kozenczak uncover systemic failures; teenage love unfolds.
Ep. 5: Billy and Dale (2025-10-16)

A blizzard buries Chicago; Kozenczak tracks down Gacy's surviving victims; a teen learns sex work.
Ep. 6: Tim, John and Rob (2025-10-16)

In the past, Gacy confesses to Sam how he groomed, sexually assaulted and killed boys and young men.
Ep. 7: David (2025-10-16)

Tovar drives Gacy to court hoping to uncover his kill count; Gacy's grooming of Cram is revealed.
Ep. 8: Jeffrey (2025-10-16)

Jeffrey Rignall's story is told; Gacy's execution day brings protests, reunions and moral debates.