Waco is a television miniseries, based on A Place Called Waco: A Survivors Story by David Thibodeau & Leon Whiteson, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator by Gary Noesner, it was developed by John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle, and it premiered on January 24, 2018 and ran as a six part event airing on Paramount Network that ended on February 28, 2018. The six-episode series dramatizes the the 51-day 1993 standoff between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and David Koresh‘s religious faction, the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas that culminated in a fatal fire. The miniseries investigates the tragedy before and during the standoff, from a variety of viewpoints of those most personally associated with the two sides of the dispute.

The miniseries stars  Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Andrea Riseborough, Paul Sparks, Rory Culkin, Shea Whigham, Melissa Benoist, John Leguizamo, Julia Garner, and Glenn Fleshler. Waco received a mixed response from critics who praised the performances and tension, but criticized the show’s sympathetic approach to Branch Davidian leader David Koresh. A sequel titled Waco: The Aftermath is premiering on April 16, 2023, on Showtime.

The events of the siege and attack, particularly the origin of the fire, are disputed by various sources. Department of Justice reports from October 1993 and July 2000 conclude that although incendiary tear gas canisters were used by the FBI, it was the Branch Davidians who started the fire, this was considered proven by evidence from audio surveillance recordings of very specific discussions between Koresh and others about pouring more fuel on piles of hay as the fires started, and from aerial footage showing at least three simultaneous ignition points at different locations in the building complex. The FBI contends that none of their agents fired any live rounds on the day of the fire. Critics contend that live rounds were indeed fired by law enforcement, and suggest that a combination of gunshots and flammable tear gas was the true cause of the fire.

The Waco siege was cited by Timothy McVeigh as the main reason for his and Terry Nichols‘s plan to execute the Oklahoma City bombing exactly two years later, on April 19, 1995, as well as the modern-day American militia movement and a rise in opposition to firearm regulation.

Waco is the Featured Television Blog of the Month for March and with that comes a Critique that will look that the 1993 standoff, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. You can also expect a Recommendation for the two books that the miniseries is based on by Waco survivor David Thibodeau & novelist Leon Whiteson, and the other book by FBI negotiator from that standoff, Gary Noesner. There will also be a Review of the 2018 Paramount Network miniseries, along with the cast of Waco, and an episode critique of all six episodes. As usual there is also an Interview included in the Featured Television Blog section so you will find a promotional interview from the Paramount Network with Taylor Kitsch, Rory Culkin, Paul Sparks, Melissa Benoist, and Julia Garner where they describe their complicated roles as members of a religious cult. There is also a Top Ten List included with every Featured Television Blog and to commemorate the miniseries Waco you will find in the Featured Television Blog section My Top Ten FBI Series. And as always there is an Official Trailer for the Featured Blog section choice film or Television series!

So finally I give you the Paramount Network miniseries, Waco…

Waco is available now to stream on Showtime…