There are stories of resilience and strength that inspire us all. The tale of Steven Stayner is one such extraordinary journey that captivates the imagination and touches the heart. From the depths of captivity to the heights of courage, Stayner’s story is a testament to the indomitable human spirit. It’s also a true crime story for the ages. Born on April 18, 1965, in Merced, California, Stayner’s life took an unexpected turn when he was just seven. He was abducted by a man named Kenneth Parnell and held captive for a whopping seven years. It’s safe to say that his...
- 9/6/2023
- by Ima Whyte
- TVovermind.com
The Hulu original unscripted series “Captive Audience” has lived up to its name, earning record-breaking viewership for the streamer.
Hulu documentary chief Belisa Balaban told Variety exclusively that the show — which explores the harrowing kidnapping of 7-year-old Steven Stayner and its resulting media frenzy — has set a record for most-viewed nonfiction TV program in its first month of release.
Launched on April 21, “Captive Audience” is also the second-most watched unscripted series in Hulu’s history. Directed by Jessica Dimmock and produced by Wonderburst, High Five Content and Joe and Anthony Russo’s Agbo, the program is second only to “The Kardashians” in total viewership for its category.
“This is really a huge credit to that team, whose bold creative choices and empathy brought it to life. This project is a great example of what a Hulu true crime story is — not just the story of a family and what they’ve endured over the years,...
Hulu documentary chief Belisa Balaban told Variety exclusively that the show — which explores the harrowing kidnapping of 7-year-old Steven Stayner and its resulting media frenzy — has set a record for most-viewed nonfiction TV program in its first month of release.
Launched on April 21, “Captive Audience” is also the second-most watched unscripted series in Hulu’s history. Directed by Jessica Dimmock and produced by Wonderburst, High Five Content and Joe and Anthony Russo’s Agbo, the program is second only to “The Kardashians” in total viewership for its category.
“This is really a huge credit to that team, whose bold creative choices and empathy brought it to life. This project is a great example of what a Hulu true crime story is — not just the story of a family and what they’ve endured over the years,...
- 7/6/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu's latest true-crime documentary, "Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story," traces the nearly unbelievable tale of the Stayner family. One brother, Steven, was the victim of a nationally publicized kidnapping and child-abuse case, while another, Cary, later became a serial killer. Steven Stayner's tragic story didn't end with his kidnapping, though. Here's what to know about the man whose life was upended so early on. Be warned: this story involves mentions of child abuse.
The Kidnapping of Steven Stayner
Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to pick Stayner up and bring him home. Stayner got in the car and wasn't seen again for eight years.
The kidnapper was convicted child rapist Kenneth Parnell along with his accomplice, Ervin Murphy. Parnell...
The Kidnapping of Steven Stayner
Steven Stayner was the middle child of five siblings living with their parents in Merced, CA. In 1972, when he was just 7 years old, a stranger convinced him that his mother had asked him to pick Stayner up and bring him home. Stayner got in the car and wasn't seen again for eight years.
The kidnapper was convicted child rapist Kenneth Parnell along with his accomplice, Ervin Murphy. Parnell...
- 4/23/2022
- by Amanda Prahl
- Popsugar.com
When 14-year-old Steven Stayner turned up at a police station, more than seven years after he was kidnapped while walking home from school, it felt like a miracle. "This is really so phenomenal, for a child to be gone seven years and to be found alive," the boy's mother, Kay Stayner, told the reporters who flocked to Merced, Calif., on March 2, 1980, to cover the joyous, unlikely conclusion to the family's ordeal. But as Kay also said that night, "We expected him to come back. We had hope, faith and kept busy." Added Steven's father, Del Stayner, "I never stopped looking, every time I saw a crowd on TV or a picture of a lot of people in a magazine. I always...
- 4/21/2022
- E! Online
Hulu has debuted the trailer for the upcoming docu-series ‘Captive Audience.’
This is the story of how a story gets told, and how the media’s magnifying glass impacts the characters caught in the narrative. Siblings Ashley and Steven Stayner Jr. never knew their famous father Steven, the child victim of a shocking California kidnapping, who tragically died in an accident when they were young. In 1972, seven-year-old Steven went to school – and never came home. His mother Kay struggles to keep the media interested in the case and to hold her family together. Then, after seven years, a miracle: Steven returns. The media can’t get enough of the story and frantically descend on the Stayner home – but this isn’t the Hollywood ending it appears to be.
Now fourteen years old, Steven struggles to adapt, and his family grapples with life under the media microscope. Steven’s older brother...
This is the story of how a story gets told, and how the media’s magnifying glass impacts the characters caught in the narrative. Siblings Ashley and Steven Stayner Jr. never knew their famous father Steven, the child victim of a shocking California kidnapping, who tragically died in an accident when they were young. In 1972, seven-year-old Steven went to school – and never came home. His mother Kay struggles to keep the media interested in the case and to hold her family together. Then, after seven years, a miracle: Steven returns. The media can’t get enough of the story and frantically descend on the Stayner home – but this isn’t the Hollywood ending it appears to be.
Now fourteen years old, Steven struggles to adapt, and his family grapples with life under the media microscope. Steven’s older brother...
- 4/7/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Today, during the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour, Hulu presented the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming.
Among those shows discussed were Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rosario Dawson and the second season of acclaimed, Emmy-nominated comedy series The Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult.
They also covered new comedy series Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, and Nine Perfect Strangers, the latest limited series from executive producer David E. Kelley and starring and executive produced by Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy.
All of these shows join the company’s collection of premium original content.
The company also announced a series order for the new Hulu Original comedy series This Fool, inspired by the life of up-and-coming comedian Chris Estrada, in which he will also write, star and executive produce.
Additionally, the highly successful Hulu Originals...
Among those shows discussed were Dopesick, starring Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg and Rosario Dawson and the second season of acclaimed, Emmy-nominated comedy series The Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult.
They also covered new comedy series Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, and Nine Perfect Strangers, the latest limited series from executive producer David E. Kelley and starring and executive produced by Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy.
All of these shows join the company’s collection of premium original content.
The company also announced a series order for the new Hulu Original comedy series This Fool, inspired by the life of up-and-coming comedian Chris Estrada, in which he will also write, star and executive produce.
Additionally, the highly successful Hulu Originals...
- 8/7/2021
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Hulu is expanding its true-crime collection with two new titles.
First, from Abducted In Plain Sight director Skye Borgman, the documentary Dead Asleep follows the case of Randy Herman Jr., a Florida man convicted of a murder he says he committed while sleepwalking in 2017. The film shares exclusive footage of Herman and his family, the defense and prosecution attorneys, journalists who covered the case, forensic psychiatrists, and world experts in violent parasomnia (sleepwalking).
Dead Asleep, which is produced by Pulse Films, is a co-production with British pay-tv broadcaster Sky, which will air it on its nascent network Sky Crime. It is exec produced by Pulse Films’ Marisa Clifford, Nelesh Dhand, and Sunshine Jackson and Sky’s Jack Oliver and Poppy Dixon.
Next, the docuseries Captive Audience, about what life was like for kidnapping victim Steven Stayner and his family after the 1989 miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven (starring Corin Nemec as Steven) aired.
First, from Abducted In Plain Sight director Skye Borgman, the documentary Dead Asleep follows the case of Randy Herman Jr., a Florida man convicted of a murder he says he committed while sleepwalking in 2017. The film shares exclusive footage of Herman and his family, the defense and prosecution attorneys, journalists who covered the case, forensic psychiatrists, and world experts in violent parasomnia (sleepwalking).
Dead Asleep, which is produced by Pulse Films, is a co-production with British pay-tv broadcaster Sky, which will air it on its nascent network Sky Crime. It is exec produced by Pulse Films’ Marisa Clifford, Nelesh Dhand, and Sunshine Jackson and Sky’s Jack Oliver and Poppy Dixon.
Next, the docuseries Captive Audience, about what life was like for kidnapping victim Steven Stayner and his family after the 1989 miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven (starring Corin Nemec as Steven) aired.
- 8/6/2021
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
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