With their secretive ways, strange beliefs, and conspiracies, it's no wonder that pop culture has a bit of a fascination with cults [1]. In both fiction and the real world, these groups and their leaders are often the centre of major scandals and even tragedies. If you're looking for a new true crime niche [2] or just an eerie fictional series, these TV shows about cults are for you.
Uncover the secret histories of some of the most infamous cults, from groups you've heard of in history books to some of the most recent groups to hit the news [3]. Or, if fiction is more your speed, you can dive into carefully constructed mysteries penned by writers who were inspired by all sorts of secretive societies. Keep reading for a full rundown of some of the most intriguing cult-themed programming you can stream now.
American Horror Story: Cult
It's all right there in the title! The seventh season of the horror anthology takes place in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election, with some alarming twists. Everything from political and racial violence to a murder spree involving clowns show up, all tied to a powerful man who slowly and effectively launches a misogynistic cult [4].
Aquarius
This semi-fictionalized series is set in 1960s Los Angeles, where LAPD detectives investigate a missing person case and find themselves going up against Charles Manson. While many of the characters and details are fictional, Manson and some of the stories surrounding his horrifying cult [5] are very real indeed.
The Following
A former English professor with an obsession with Edgar Allen Poe becomes a cult leader with followers willing to do anything he says, even murder. After he escapes from prison, a determined FBI agent with a personal stake in the case tries to track him down and stop him and his followers.
The Leftovers
After two percent of the world's population disappears suddenly, the resulting social upheaval leads to the rise of several different cults in this sci-fi drama. Different people join different cults, seeking answers in a world that has changed rapidly, but each group has its own terrifying secrets that tear apart friends, neighbours, and families.
Marvel's Runaways
One of Marvel [6]'s more underrated shows, this series revolves around a group of six teenagers who discover that their parents might be part of a creepy cult that performs ritual sacrifices to appease a strange alien life force. It's a blend of teen drama, superhero tropes, and all the creepiness that comes from a bizarre, secretive cult hiding right under everyone's noses.
Orphan Black
When a petty criminal steals the identity of a dead woman who looks just like her, she unwittingly starts to unravel a conspiracy that involves a whole array of identical clones. While it's mostly a sci-fi show, the story's bioengineering conspiracies and shady organisations hew more closely to cults than your standard-issue sci-fi villains.
The Path
While on a spiritual retreat meant to strengthen his faith in a cult-like spiritual movement, a man has a vision that instead leads him to start questioning the group and its beliefs. As he struggles with his newfound realisations, the cult's leaders attempt to spread their influence, and the FBI becomes suspicious of what's really happening behind closed doors.
Sacred Lies
Based on a novel, this eerie drama series follows a teenager who escapes from a cult, only to end up in prison and suspected of knowing the truth about the murder of the cult leader. As an FBI cult expert investigates, the story takes plenty of twists and turns as it reveals more about the cult members and how they came to be true believers.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
This one isn't exactly about a cult, but more about a comedic, exaggerated look at the aftermath of one. After being rescued from a (tiny) cult devoted to a bizarre but charismatic man, Kimmy Schmidt has to learn what the real world is like, from finding an apartment to getting a job and discovering just how much she has to discover.
Waco
Somewhat fictionalized but based on a true story [7], this miniseries follows the infamous 1993 standoff between the US government and the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, TX [8]. Run by an eerie and charismatic leader, the cult enters a weeks-long standoff with federal agents at its compound, with deadly results.
Cults and Extreme Belief
Part of the A&E Investigates series, this documentary miniseries covers a wide variety of cults, fringe religious movements, and other similar organisations. Seven episodes are dedicated to investigating individual groups, from NXIVM to the Twelve Tribes and more. The other two episodes share the stories of survivors, as told directly by them.
Deadly Cults
Over the course of two seasons, Deadly Cults investigates a number of cults, all linked to violent crimes, disappearances, and even murders. From well-recognised groups to bizarre fringe cults, they're all linked by unusual beliefs, charismatic leaders, and devotion that leads to violence.
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
The Emmy-winning documentary investigates the history of Scientology, its founder, and its exploitations. Over the course of two hours, the filmmakers interview former members to learn how and why they joined (and left), reveal some of the true history behind the organisation's founding, and uncover allegations of misconduct, abuse, blackmail, and exploitation that former members say are par for the course in the secretive group.
Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults
From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Heaven's Gate cult attracted followers with promises of spiritual ascension and an assortment of alien and UFO-related beliefs. HBO Max's docuseries investigates the cult's origins, its leaders, and how its followers were eventually led to an infamously tragic end.
Holy Hell
This documentary is a firsthand account of one man's experiences within the Buddhafield cult. After rising up through the ranks and becoming the cult's official documentarian, he left it all behind. Now, he and other former members share their experiences and reveal the odd and often abusive practices of the cult and its leader.
Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle
Produced in 2018, to mark 40 years since the tragic events of Jonestown in Guyana, this four-part miniseries investigates how the cult came to be so powerful and what led to the mass tragedy. It follows the rise of cult leader Jim Jones, traces the path to disaster, and directly interviews several survivors, all of whom have complicated feelings about their pasts.
Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath
Leah Remini is among the most recognisable celebrities to leave Scientology, and she's focussed much of her efforts in the years since on uncovering what really happens in that secretive organisation [9]. A&E's multi-season docuseries dives into the beliefs and practices of Scientology, as well as its hidden abuses and the stories of people who have left or who have lost loved ones to the organisation.
Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult
India Oxenberg, one of the more high-profile victims of the NXIVM cult [10], is at the centre of this documentary miniseries. Throughout the series, she offers a firsthand perspective on how recruits became enmeshed in the organisation and its abuses, while also coming to terms with her own sense of responsibility and fractured relationships as a result of her actions while in the cult.
The Vow
Perhaps one of the most high-profile entries on this list, The Vow [11] is a comprehensive investigation of NXIVM, the abusive cult that masqueraded as a self-empowerment group. The series includes investigations into founder Keith Raniere and celebrity member Allison Mack [12], plus interviews with former members detailing exactly what went on at each level of the cult.
Wild Wild Country
The Netflix docuseries traces the Rajneeshpuram movement [13], a town in Oregon entirely settled by followers of the controversial guru Rajneesh. In the 1980s, conflicts erupted between the cult and the surrounding community (as well as power struggles within the cult itself), culminating in a series of crimes and even a massive bioterror attack.
