Hulu’s latest true-crime swing, Murder Has Two Faces, arrives under the ABC News Studios banner with a deceptively simple promise: every sensational homicide that dominates cable news has a twin story you never heard about.
Hosted by Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, the three-part series places those forgotten cases side-by-side with the headline grabbers, forcing viewers to confront how race, class and media bias shape public empathy.
The result is a restrained, journalist-driven production that lands somewhere between 20/20 and Dateline—but with a sharper sociological edge.
Below, we break down format, highlights, caveats, and SEO-friendly takeaway points so you can decide whether to invest three hours in Hulu’s newest binge.
Premise: Two Crimes, One Spotlight
Each 50-minute episode pairs a famous disappearance with a nearly identical case that received a fraction of the airtime.
| Episode | Under-Covered Case | Mega-Publicized Twin | Core Parallels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Evelyn Hernandez & son Alex vanish in San Francisco (May 2002) | Laci Peterson disappearance (Dec 2002) | Pregnant women, bodies in SF Bay, boyfriend/husband scrutiny |
| 2 | Joyce Chiang disappears in Washington, DC (Jan 1999) | Chandra Levy disappearance (May 2001) | Young government workers, parkland remains, political intrigue |
| 3 | “Tagged Killer” Craigslist murders (2010) | “Craigslist Killer” Philip Markoff (2009) | Online classifieds, sex-work victims, investigative lag |
The hook: “Missing White Woman Syndrome.” Experts—including criminal justice professor Amara Cofer—unpack why Evelyn Hernandez (a Salvadoran immigrant) and Joyce Chiang (a Taiwanese-American lawyer) disappeared from nightly broadcasts while their white counterparts fueled 24/7 coverage.
What Works
- Robin Roberts’ Sit-Downs
Unlike many host-driven docs, Roberts appears only when it matters—interviewing a single stakeholder per episode (Evelyn’s best friend Mayra Escobar, Joyce’s brother Roger Chiang). Her empathetic but pointed questions give families overdue validation without veering into melodrama. - Balanced Reporting
Director Lisa Cortés (Oscar-nominee for All In: The Fight for Democracy) resists true-crime excess. No ominous reenactments; instead, archival news footage, case files, and matter-of-fact narration drive the storytelling. The tone says “investigative journalism,” not “murder-porn.” - Systemic Lens
Each hour pivots from whodunit to why didn’t we hear about it? That macro view distinguishes Murder Has Two Faces in a crowded genre. Viewers leave understanding not only the victims’ names but the media algorithms that buried them. - Concise Binge
Three episodes, under three hours total—perfect for a Sunday afternoon marathon without commitment fatigue.
Where It Falters
- Limited Closure
Hernandez’s disappearance remains unsolved; Chiang’s killer was eventually identified but details feel rushed. Viewers craving courtroom endings may feel short-changed. - Traditional Aesthetics
Despite Cortés’ credentials, the series still looks like prime-time 20/20: talking-head interviews, B-roll pan-overs, dramatic score swells. Stylish podcasts-turned-docs (The Jinx, The Staircase) set a higher visual bar that Hulu only partially meets. - Robin Lite
Roberts’ star power markets the show, yet she’s onscreen for less than 10 minutes across three episodes. Some viewers may want more of her journalistic presence.
| Question | Short Answer |
|---|---|
| Is Murder Has Two Faces based on a podcast? | No, it’s an original ABC News Studios production for Hulu. |
| How many episodes are in Murder Has Two Faces? | Three hour-long episodes. |
| Does Murder Has Two Faces solve the Evelyn Hernandez case? | Sadly, the case remains open; the series highlights ongoing leads. |
| Where to stream Murder Has Two Faces? | Exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. |
The Verdict
Stream It. While Murder Has Two Faces doesn’t reinvent true-crime TV, it does something more critical: correct the record.
By juxtaposing underserved victims against famous cases, the docuseries spotlights systemic media inequities without exploiting tragedy.
If you value social-justice context with your whodunits—or you simply devour anything related to Laci Peterson, Chandra Levy, or Craigslist horror stories—Hulu’s latest deserves a slot in your queue.
How Murder Has Two Faces Fits Hulu’s True-Crime Lineup
Hulu has quietly built a formidable true-crime bench (The Act, Dead Asleep, Candy). Murder Has Two Faces complements these by pushing beyond killer psychology into newsroom sociology.
Expect ABC News Studios to double down on this “two-sides” format; press materials hint at potential future seasons tackling under-reported hate crimes and cold cases overshadowed by mass-shooting coverage.
Final Takeaway for Searchers
If you Googled “Murder Has Two Faces review” hoping to learn whether Hulu’s docuseries adds anything new to the oversaturated true-crime market, the answer is yes.
It merges meticulous reporting with overdue cultural critique, yielding a binge that’s equal parts gripping and guilt-inducing. For fans of 20/20, Dateline, and Netflix’s Missing: Dead or Alive?, clicking “play” is a no-brainer.
Overall Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Murder Has Two Faces is now streaming exclusively on Hulu.
