''In Cold Blood'' is an American

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television miniseries directed by

Jonathan Kaplan Jonathan Kaplan (born November 25, 1947) is an American film producer and film director, director. His film ''The Accused (1988 film), The Accused'' (1988) earned actress Jodie Foster the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Actress ...

and written by Benedict Fitzgerald. It is based on the 1966 novel of the same name by

Truman Capote Truman Garcia Capote ( ; born Truman Streckfus Persons; September 30, 1924 – August 25, 1984) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. Several of his short stories, novels, and plays have been praised as literary classics ...

, which reconstructs the 1959 murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. The miniseries stars Anthony Edwards,

Eric Roberts Eric Anthony Roberts (born April 18, 1956) is an American actor. He has amassed more than 700 film and television credits since his debut in 1978, making him one of the most prolific English-speaking screen actors of all time. Roberts' career ...

, and Sam Neill, with Leo Rossi, Louise Latham, Gwen Verdon, Bethel Leslie, L. Q. Jones, Gillian Barber, and

Kevin Tighe Kevin Tighe (; born Jon Kevin Fishburn; August 13, 1944) is an American actor who has worked in television, film, and theater since the late 1960s. He is best known for portraying firefighter-paramedic Roy DeSoto, on the 1972–1977 NBC series ' ...

in supporting roles. The series aired on CBS from November 24 to November 26, 1996. ''In Cold Blood'' received critical acclaim and two

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries. Roberts was nominated for a

Golden Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

for his portrayal of mass murderer Perry Smith.

Plot

Prisoner Dick Hickock, 28, overhears a cellmate talking about a farmer who keeps $10,000 in cash in a home safe. When Hickock is paroled, he convinces 31-year-old ex-con Perry Smith to rob the safe with him. One night in November 1959, the two ex-cons break into Herbert Clutter's farmhouse in Holcomb, Kansas, a small town where people often leave their doors unlocked. Angered that no safe is to be found, they murder Clutter, his wife, and their two children. Friends of the Clutters who come by before church on Sunday find the bodies of the Clutters. The murders shock the town and baffle the investigative team led by Detective Alvin Dewey of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation because no clues can be found and no motive can be determined, thus preventing the team from identifying any suspects.

Cast

Release

The two-part miniseries aired on CBS on November 24 and 26, 1996.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* 1996 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings 1990s American crime drama television series 1990s American television miniseries Adaptations of works by Truman Capote American English-language television shows Sonar Entertainment miniseries Television shows based on American novels Television shows filmed in Alberta Television series set in 1959 Television shows about murder Television shows based on non-fiction books Television shows set in Kansas True crime television series CBS crime dramas {{US-drama-tv-prog-stub