Lifetime is releasing two new original movies this spring, Taken at a Basketball Game and Wife Stalker, both thrillers based on, or drawing from, real events.
Here’s the Lowdown: Taken at a Basketball Game, premiering Saturday, March 15 at 8/7c, stars D.B. Woodside (Lucifer) and Claire Qute (Star Trek: Discovery). It tells the story of a father (Woodside) frantically searching for his daughter (Qute) after she’s kidnapped during a basketball game. Wife Stalker, debuting March 29 at 8/7c, features Keshia Knight Pulliam, and real-life spouses Grace and Traí Byers. It follows a wife (Pulliam) whose husband leaves her for another woman (Grace Byers), who turns out to have a dangerous past.
What This Means Now: Lifetime continues its run of thriller movies, with these two new additions offering suspenseful stories. Taken at a Basketball Game plays on the very real fear of child abduction, while Wife Stalker builds on the popular “obsessed woman” trope, but with a twist of a dark, hidden history. Elisabeth Rohm (Girl in the Basement) directs and executive produces the latter.
The Bigger Picture: Both movies pull from established thriller formulas, but their connection to real-life events (or, in the case of Wife Stalker, a novel inspired by them) gives them an added level of impact. Taken at a Basketball Game is inspired by true events, while Wife Stalker is based on the book The Wife Stalker by Liv Constantine. The casting choices, including established TV actors and real-life couples, are likely to attract viewers to each one.
