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Michael Chernus will portray serial killer John Wayne Gacy in a new Peacock limited series titled Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy. 

Many attempts have been made to tell this disturbing story about the murderous Gacy. Perhaps the best of the bunch is To Catch a Killer (1992) starring Brian Dennehy as the real-life investigator Joe Kozenczak who goes head to head with the clown-loving maniac and eventually brings him down. 

Although Devil in Disguise will delve into the murders, it’s not the central point. 

“The direction that the writers are taking with this project is important, focusing on the victims and their families as well as those who finally brought John Wayne Gacy to justice,” said Chenus who also expressed that he’s excited and humbled to have booked the role. 

He adds: “While Gacy was the perpetrator of these horrific crimes, I’m relieved that he won’t be the main focus of the series. It’s heartbreaking for me to think of what his victims (all young men and boys) could have done with their lives had the system not failed them so tragically. I believe in the power of storytelling and hope that by telling this story, in a thoughtful way, we can play some part in preventing this from ever happening again.“

The last successful TV series to feature the life of a real serial killer was Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffery Dahmer Story starring Evan Peters as the deranged title character. 

That show also concentrated on the victims and their families with Niecy Nash winning an Emmy for her portrayal of Glenda Cleveland, the woman who lived next to Dahmer and eventually tipped off police resulting in his arrest. 

No word yet on when Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy will premiere.