If there’s a new true crime documentary with an interesting angle, I’m gonna find a way to watch it, and sure enough, I’ll be adding HBO’s four-part docuseriesMurder on Middle Beachto my list.
The series hails from first-time filmmakerMadison Hamburg, and it presents his complicated journey as a young man determined to solve an unspeakable crime and absolve the people he loves, while looking for answers within his fractured family and community.
On August 06, 2025, single motherBarbara Hamburgwas found violently murdered near her home in the upper middle class enclave of Madison, Connecticut. Investigators speculated her murder appeared to be a crime of passion, but without enough evidence, the case grew cold. Over the course of eight years, Barbara’s son, Madison Hamburg, interviewed his family members and many others, longing to learn more about his mother and gathering evidence in hopes of solving her murder, sending him into a deep web of buried familial secrets, connections to shadowy criminal figures, and the uncovering of years-old resentments in his deceptively serene hometown. While Madison wrestles with troubling revelations about his mother, the most unsettling conflict comes from his obligation to bring into question those inside his community and members of his own family.
“At 18 years old, my worst fears came true when my sister called to tell me that my mother had been murdered. As much as I fought it, her death became a part of my life. Her memory faded and her case went cold, but I couldn’t accept that. Even if it meant sacrificing my own safety and sanity, I made my mother a promise when I started this project, ‘I will never let you be forgotten.’ It is less than what she would have done for me," Madison said in a statement.
Murder on Middle Beachwas produced by Jigsaw Productions, Armian Pictures and Blue Days Films, and executive produced byRon Nyswaner,Neda Armian,Toby Oppenheimer,Stacey Offman,Richard Perelloand Madison Hamburg, as well as HBO’sLisa HellerandNancy Abraham.Evan Lernerserved as co-executive producer, whileWhitney Johnsonserved as supervising producer.Solomon Petchenikserved as producer andSara Rodriguezserved as senior producer for HBO, whereMurder on Middle Beachwill debut Nov. 15, the same day it will also begin streaming on HBO Max.
My own mother passed away three years ago next week, which also happens to be her birthday, and though she died of cancer, I can’t imagine how I would’ve felt had she been murdered and I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye, let alone ever know what happened. Watch the chilling trailer forMurder on Middle Beachbelow, and if you haven’t seen HBO’s devastating docuseriesI’ll Be Gone in the Darkyet,click hereto watch a trailer.
