Dirty John: Season 2 - The Betty Broderick Story

It is [good]... and then it isn't. You sense lawsuits being avoided in the flat portrayals of the Broderick children. ... Peet plays confused desperation to the hilt, but the awkward structure of this eight-part saga turns her rage repetitive.

Peet gives her all to a role that doesn’t respond in kind. The problem, here, may be that the Betty Broderick story — previously brought to TV in “A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story,” which got Meredith Baxter an Emmy nomination in 1992 — is both outsized and small.

If there's any real reason to recommend Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, it's to appreciate the sheer range and volume of characterizations Peet gets to offer.

Peet's career-best performance is perfectly paired with Slater's appropriately stoic and conniving portrayal, effortlessly delivering a grade-A depiction of gaslighting, sometimes to the beat of a fun Neil Diamond song.

What this scripted true-crime story may lack in surprise, it makes up for in its nuance, especially in the latter half of the season, as well as in its go-for-beyond-broke performance by Amanda Peet as Betty.

While Betty’s performance gets much less convincing, Peet’s just keeps getting better and better. There is not a moment wasted, not a single line or non-verbal reaction not fully explored for all its potential. It is, and in this case this is a compliment, utterly exhausting to watch.

The tragic consequences of Betty and Dan’s story hangs over Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story from the beginning, elevating the series from a possible Lifetime knockoff to a realistic and unforgettable portrayal of mental breakdown, casting Amanda Peet in a new dramatic light.