Good American Family is returning for a second instalment, this time turning its attention to one of the most widely publicised criminal cases of the 1990s.
Hulu has greenlit a limited series centred on Lorena and John Bobbitt, according to Deadline. The project will serve as the second instalment of the anthology series created by Katie Robbins.
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The new season is inspired by the case of the Virginia couple whose story became an international media spectacle in 1993, prompting intense public debate about domestic violence, sexual assault and the way trauma was treated as entertainment.
Lorena Bobbitt made headlines after cutting off her then-husband John’s penis with a kitchen knife while he was sleeping. She later drove away and threw it from her car window before contacting authorities and telling them where it could be found.
The appendage was recovered and surgically reattached.
During the subsequent court proceedings, Lorena accused John of years of physical and sexual abuse, including raping her on the night of the incident. John denied the allegations.
Lorena was charged with malicious wounding but was found not guilty by reason of temporary insanity in 1994. John had separately been tried on a marital sexual assault charge and was acquitted.
According to Deadline, the second instalment will examine not only the couple and the events surrounding the case, but also the media frenzy it created.
The season’s logline describes the story as being inspired by a Virginia couple who “incited a media circus” that turned trauma into entertainment and fuelled a wider gender debate.
Ellen Pompeo, who starred in and executive produced the first season, will remain involved as an executive producer, but is not expected to appear on screen in the new instalment. Robbins will return as creator and writer.
The first season of Good American Family explored the controversial case of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian-born girl with a rare form of dwarfism who was adopted by an American family. The series examined conflicting accounts surrounding her age, adoption and treatment by her adoptive parents.
The eight-episode first instalment starred Pompeo alongside Mark Duplass and Imogen Faith Reid. Its finale drew 6.3 million global views across Hulu and Disney+ during its first six days.
Casting and a release date for the Lorena Bobbitt instalment have yet to be announced.
Source: Khaleej Times