Waco (Paramount 2018, Melissa Benoist, Julia Garner)

Featuring an all-star cast including Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Andrea Riseborough, John Leguizamo, Melissa Benoist, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, Rory Culkin, Julia Garner and Camryn Manheim, Paramount Network’s Waco chronicles this true story told from perspectives of those who were intimately involved.

In February 1993, the eyes of the world converged on Mount Carmel, a small religious community located just outside Waco, TX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had just conducted a massive raid on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians. After what became the longest gun battle in U.S. law enforcement history, four ATF agents and six civilians were dead and dozens more were wounded. A 51-day standoff ensued, and the conflict ended after an FBI assault led to a fire that engulfed Mount Carmel, killing 76 men, women, and children.

What precipitated the ATF raid, and what transpired over the ensuing standoff, remains one of the most misunderstood stories in American history.

Based on two biographies, Waco: A Survivor’s Story, by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the final fire on April 19, 1993, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, written by the FBI’s Head of Crisis Negotiation Unit Gary Noesner, the six-part scripted television series ‘Waco’ will forever change the way the dramatic siege will be viewed.

production details
USA / Paramount – The Weinstein Company / 42 minutes / 2018

Bob Weinstein as Executive Producer
David Glasser as Executive Producer
David Thibodeau as Original Author Drew Dowdle as Creator/Executive Producer
Gary Noesner as Original Author Harvey Weinstein as Executive Producer
Jennifer Malloy as Executive Producer
John Erick Dowdle as Creator/Executive Producer and Director of Pilot
Megan Spanjian as Executive Producer
Michael Shannon as Executive Producer
Taylor Kitsch as Executive Producer

cast
Taylor Kitsch as David Koresh
Andrea Riseborough as Judy Schneider
Rory Culkin as David Thibodeau
Melissa Benoist as Rachel Koresh
Paul Sparks as Steve Schneider
Julia Garner as Michele Jones
Camryn Manheim as Balenda Thibodeau
Steven Culp as Peter Hardwick
Michael Shannon as Gary Noesner
John Leguizamo as Robert Rodriguez
Shea Whigham as Mitch Decker