Paramount Network is going back to the ’90s true-crime well with Waco: a six-part scripted miniseries chronicling the infamous 1993 standoff between David Koresh’s Branch Davidian cult and U.S. law enforcement that ended in tragic fashion. Wednesday’s premiere was a scene-setter, but a compelling one, as we got to know the characters whose lives will soon collide… with the world watching.
We start with the opening moments of the standoff, with helicopters converging on Koresh’s religious compound and him telling his followers not to panic. He comes out with his hands up, pleading for peace, when a single gunshot rings out — but from which side? Then Waco flashes back nine months to show us how we got there, with Koresh (Friday Night Lights‘ Taylor Kitsch) jogging alongside his young son and preaching to his followers about finding joy without material possessions. Kitsch’s Koresh is a charismatic speaker armed with a serene smile, and one of Waco‘s strengths is showing us the man behind the scary “cult leader” headlines.
