Podcast Summary:

Murdaugh: Death in the Family Official Podcast
Episode: Director Kat Candler Brings Us Behind the Lens & Joseph La Corte Shares Threads of Truth
Date: November 12, 2025
Hosts: Mandy Matney, Liz Farrell
Guests: Kat Candler (Director, Episodes 6 & 7), Joseph Lacourt (Costume Designer)

Episode Overview

This episode takes listeners behind the scenes of Hulu’s Murdaugh: Death in the Family, focusing on two key creatives: director Kat Candler, responsible for the sensitive yet devastating final episodes depicting the Murdaugh tragedy, and Joseph Lacourt, whose costume design brings depth and authenticity to the dramatisation of true crime. Mandy Matney provides journalistic context, while the guests delve into their craft, the emotional impact of the project, and the responsibility they felt in telling this almost unbelievable true story.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Directing the Emotional Core of the Story (with Kat Candler)

• Sensitive Depiction of Violence and Trauma

  • Kat describes the pressure and anxiety of recreating the murders of Maggie and Paul:

    "You get to a point where, you know, your stomach's getting a little anxious because you're actually gonna have to shoot this experience... There was so much respect trying to be paid to everyone involved." (Kat Candler, 04:11)

  • Focus on portraying events from the victims’ perspectives, not sensationalising violence:

    "To see a gun as much as possible? You know, in this case, we see it again from their perspective and we don't see him and we don't have his POV in this, but I had nightmares for weeks." (Kat Candler, 07:25)

• Creating Space for Victims

  • Efforts were made throughout filming to honor victims, including moments of silence at key points on set:

    "We did throughout the course of the season as far as, like all of these, you know, horrific milestones throughout with all of these characters." (Kat Candler, 08:24)

• Humanization and Universal Themes

  • The show sought to show the complexity and humanity beyond headlines:

    "This opened that up. Instead of just getting that narrow window, you’re getting, like, more of a novel of a lived experience of these humans." (Kat Candler, 09:03)

    • Universal themes include addiction, alcoholism, shattered marriages, and the search for approval.

• Reclaiming Maggie’s Story

  • Kat felt honored to depict Maggie’s final hours and her struggle to find her own voice amidst her failing marriage:

    "I loved that I got to spend that time of reflection with her and trying to reclaim her story... give her the space and the time and the reflection." (Kat Candler, 11:18)

2. The Complexity of Paul Murdaugh

• Mandy reflects on her shifting perception as a journalist:

  "He did kill Mallory and... is responsible for her death and he has all these problems. But... he was the son of a narcissist and an addict and was dealing with so much in his life..." (Mandy Matney, 13:15)

• Sources close to Paul suggest he wanted to take accountability but was prevented by his father:

  "If he could have, he would have taken accountability for the boat crash, but his father would never let him do that." (Mandy Matney, 13:50)

3. The Anatomy of Manipulation and Family Dynamics

• Liz describes the chilling PR tactics during the jury’s visit to Moselle, the murder scene:

  • "There was a button up shirt hanging... as if this were the missing shirt... It was all a PR stunt and not a good one because it was nothing short of sad. Something evil had happened at the kennels..." (Liz Farrell, 05:33)

• The centrality of legacy and image in the Murdaugh family, and Alec’s willingness to do anything to 'protect' it:

  • "It’s Alec’s belief, almost a religious belief, in his legacy within the family... nothing was more important than being a Murdaugh, even when sacrifices had to be made." (Liz Farrell, 16:33)

4. Balancing Real-Life Respect with Dramatic Needs

• Kat on empathetic storytelling:

  "Good storytelling is human storytelling... there’s such a beautiful job and a haunting job of the human drama at the end of the day that we all connect to." (Kat Candler, 15:33)

• The show is lauded for capturing both the 'why' and the 'how' of the tragedy, both dismantling the “impossible to believe” myth and showing how bad choices, denial, and lack of accountability led to disaster.

5. Critical Scenes: Behind the Lens

• Kat shares how the target-shooting scene between Alec and Paul added subtext through competition and missed shots:

  "In the rehearsal, Jason, because he’s brilliant, was like, let's figure out when each one is hit, who hits it when... tell a story with that as well." (Kat Candler, 19:22)

• Final episode’s depiction of the botched roadside shooting:

  "There was this idea of like a carousel that you're getting flung off of and like the dizziness, the craziness of that..." (Kat Candler, 34:05)

6. Authenticity in Costume Design (with Joseph Lacourt)

• Joseph’s North Carolina roots and connections to the ‘Southern legacy’ archetypes shaped his approach; extensive research made the characters feel real:

  "After a while, it just started to feel like I was sitting down and looking at personal family photo albums." (Joseph Lacourt, 38:55)

• The power of clothing in performance and audience recognition:

  "There are many instances... where the clothing influenced the actor into becoming the character... The most impactful and the most weighted... was the first time I'd ever seen Jason step out of hair and makeup wearing the clothes Alec wore the night of the murder." (Joseph Lacourt, 42:50)

• Even details like Mandy’s trademark jean jacket brought authenticity and recognizable visual cues:

  "I think for Britney especially, it became a security blanket of who Mandy was for her." (Joseph Lacourt, 41:01)

• Collaboration between departments and with Mandy ensured authenticity at all levels:

  "You especially... brought so much important facts and knowledge to the project, which really honestly helped my job immensely." (Joseph Lacourt, 47:06)

• Challenges included finding replica garments for key scenes and mass outfitting local extras for realistic South Carolina events (e.g., Watermelon Festival).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Kat Candler on directing through trauma:

  "I've not had that experience with a show before or anything that I've done, and it really just kind of rattles you." (Kat Candler, 04:11)

• On the Murdaugh family’s manipulation:

  "It was all a PR stunt and not a good one because it was nothing short of sad." (Liz Farrell, 05:33)

• On universality of family trauma:

  "You are not me, you are not your father, you are not your mother. Like, make your own choices, build your own life, and don't, you know, fall prey to the things that we did." (Kat Candler, 21:22)

• Kat’s visceral reaction to visiting Hampton:

  "It just felt empty... It feels more economically depressed than I expected... my mind is kind of racing of like, oh, you have this prominent family that feels like they own this entire small, little space..." (Kat Candler, 28:13)

• Joseph Lacourt on the power of costuming:

  "The most impactful and the most weighted... was the first time I'd ever seen Jason step out of hair and makeup wearing the clothes Alec wore the night of the murder. And then watching him perform the 911 call, getting choked up about it, just thinking about it." (Joseph Lacourt, 42:50)

• On Mandy’s fight for truth:

  "Mandy Matney is to many people a hero. Breaking the story the way you did saved so many people's lives.” (Joseph Lacourt, 50:35)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 03:05 – Reenactment of Alec Murdaugh’s interview with SLED agent David Owen
• 04:11 – Kat Candler on the emotional burden of directing the murder scenes
• 07:25 – Nightmares and boundaries faced while depicting violence
• 11:18 – Reclaiming Maggie Murdoch's perspective
• 13:15 – Reflections on Paul Murdaugh’s complicated legacy
• 16:33 – Family legacy and manipulation
• 19:22 – Target-shooting scene; subtext in performance
• 28:13 – Shock of visiting Hampton and its socio-economic realities
• 34:05 – Creating the chaos of the staged roadside shooting
• 38:55 – Joseph Lacourt’s costume research and personal connection
• 42:50 – The chilling effect of costuming on set
• 47:06 – Collaboration for authenticity in every detail
• 50:35 – Emotional gratitude and acknowledgment of Mandy Matney

Episode Tone & Closing Thoughts

The episode is deeply empathetic, reflective, and earnest. Both Kat Candler and Joseph Lacourt express a profound sense of duty in honoring the truth and those affected, going well beyond superficial television tropes. Mandy, Liz, and their guests reject sensationalism in favor of nuanced, human storytelling rooted in painstaking research and authentic emotion.

As the hosts note, Murdaugh: Death in the Family not only dramatizes crime but broadens societal understanding, keeps pressure on local justice systems, and vividly reconstructs the lived experiences behind the headlines.

Next episode tease: An interview with Jason Clark, the actor who played Alec Murdaugh.