The Truth About Jim

2024 American TV documentary series

Skye Borgman
Brian Grazer
Ron Howard
Sara Bernstein
Justin Wilkes
Igal Svet
Jonathan Goldman
Brent Henderson
Meredith Kaulfers
Liz Massie
Joseph Boyle

ProducerDani SloaneRunning time45-50 minutesProduction companies

Investigation Discovery
Imagine Documentaries
Freak Magnet

Original releaseNetworkMaxReleaseFebruary 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)

The Truth About Jim is an American documentary television series, directed and produced by Skye Borgman. It follows a young woman as she investigates if her step-grandfather was a serial killer.

It was released on February 15, 2024, on Max.

Premise

Sierra Barter confronts generations of trauma and secrets to investigate if her step-grandfather Jim Mordecai was a serial killer who committed the Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders.^[1]

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Original air date
1	"Bringing Up The Past"	Skye Borgman	February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)
2	"Eight Murdered Girls"	Skye Borgman	February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)
3	"The Devil and Jim Mordecai"	Skye Borgman	February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)
4	"Out of the Shadows"	Skye Borgman	February 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)

Production

In February 2023, it was announced Skye Borgman would direct a documentary series for Discovery+.^[2]^[3] Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Justin Wilkes, Sara Bernstein and Meredith Kaulfers served as executive producers under their Imagine Documentaries banner.^[4]

Reception

Critical reception

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast wrote: "The Truth About Jim falls a bit flat with its ultimate (lack of) revelations. In their place, it refocuses its attention on the therapeutic nature of Sierra's mission. Bringing together estranged mothers, children and siblings to air grievances, forgive, and face harrowing realities, Borgman's latest does its best to make itself less about its title subject than about the strong, courageous and united individuals who survived years of his cruelty."^[5] Chris Vognar of Rolling Stone wrote: "The series never really delves into a subtext that lingers around the edges: obsession, and what it can do to the obsessed. Barter is cast as the noble truth-seeker, which is fair enough. But a more complicated and potentially richer portrait could have gotten inside her head and explored what it feels like to be someone who turns a wall into a crime corkboard and tracks down a Zodiac Killer expert in San Francisco."^[6]

Daniel Kurland of Bloody Disgusting gave the series a three out of five stars, writing: "The Truth About Jim has good intentions and charts curious ground through its possible familial connection to a notorious serial killer. Not everything in this curious case study works and it sometimes feels as if it gets lost in the weeds. However, when it connects, it's powerful storytelling that proves that there's so much more to an investigation than simply results and proof."^[7]

References

^ Acosta, Nicole (February 1, 2024). "A Calif. Woman Searched for Answers About Abusive Step-Grandfather. Did She Uncover a Serial Killer?". People. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
^ Kaplan, Anna (February 17, 2023). "She's created viral true crime hits. But Skye Borgman never set out to be a pioneer in the genre". Today. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
^ Moorhouse, Drusilla (February 17, 2023). ""Abducted In Plain Sight" Director Skye Borgman Said She Tries To Unravel The Layers Of True Crime Cases In Her Documentaries". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
^ "Max Original Documentary Series The Truth About Jim Debuts February 15". Warner Bros. Discovery. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
^ Schager, Nick (February 12, 2024). "She Suspected Her Step-Grandfather Was the Zodiac Killer". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
^ Vognar, Chris (February 15, 2024). "Was Her Family Member the Zodiac Killer? 'The Truth About Jim' Follows One Woman's Quest for Answers". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
^ Kurland, Daniel (February 14, 2024). "'The Truth About Jim' Review – 'Abducted in Plain Sight' Director's New True Crime Docuseries for Max". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 18, 2024.

External links

The Truth About Jim at IMDb

Max original programming

Current

Original	Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (since 2023) And Just Like That... (since 2021) Bookie (since 2023) #BringBackAlice (since 2023) Conan O'Brien Must Go (since 2024) The Girls on the Bus (since 2024) Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (since 2023) Hacks (since 2021) Jellystone! (since 2021) Peacemaker (since 2022) Pretty Little Liars (since 2022) Project Greenlight: A New Generation (since 2023) The Sex Lives of College Girls (since 2021) Tokyo Vice (since 2022) Velma (since 2023) Young Love (since 2023)
Continuations	Clone High (since 2023) Harley Quinn (since 2022) Sesame Street (since 2020)

Original

Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake (since 2023)
And Just Like That... (since 2021)
Bookie (since 2023)
#BringBackAlice (since 2023)
Conan O'Brien Must Go (since 2024)
The Girls on the Bus (since 2024)
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai (since 2023)
Hacks (since 2021)
Jellystone! (since 2021)
Peacemaker (since 2022)
Pretty Little Liars (since 2022)
Project Greenlight: A New Generation (since 2023)
The Sex Lives of College Girls (since 2021)
Tokyo Vice (since 2022)
Velma (since 2023)
Young Love (since 2023)

Continuations

Clone High (since 2023)
Harley Quinn (since 2022)
Sesame Street (since 2020)

Upcoming

Original	Creature Commandos (2024) Dune: Prophecy (2024) Duster (2024) The Penguin (2024) Welcome to Derry (2025)

Ended

Original	Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020–21) Amarres (2021) Aquaman: King of Atlantis (2021) Baketopia (2021) Batman: The Audio Adventures (2021–22) The Big Brunch (2022) The Big Shot with Bethenny (2021) Close Enough (2020–22) Craftopia (2020–21) DMZ (2022) Equal (2020) Expecting Amy (2020) FBoy Island (2021–22) Fired on Mars (2023) The Flight Attendant (2020–22) Full Circle (2023) The Fungies! (2020–21) Gaming Wall Street (2022) The Garcias (2022) Generation (2021) Gordita Chronicles (2022) Gossip Girl (2021–23) Haute Dog (2020) Head of the Class (2021) Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020) House of Ho (2020–22) The Hype (2021–22) It's a Sin (2021) Julia (2022–23) Karma (2020) Legendary (2020–22) Looney Tunes Cartoons (2020–23) Love & Death (2023) Love Life (2020–21) The Last Movie Stars (2022) Little Ellen (2021–22) Made for Love (2021–22) Minx (2022) Not So Pretty (2022) The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (2020–21) Our Flag Means Death (2022–23) The Prince (2021) Raised by Wolves (2020–22) Rap Sh!t (2022–23) Santa Inc. (2021) Scavengers Reign (2023) Selena + Chef (2020–22) The Staircase (2022) Station Eleven (2021–22) Stylish with Jenna Lyons (2020) Sweet Life: Los Angeles (2021–22) Ten Year Old Tom (2021–23) That Damn Michael Che (2021–22) Tig n' Seek (2020–22) Tom and Jerry in New York (2021) The Truth About Jim (2024) Wahl Street (2021–22) The Way Down (2021–22) Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs (2021–22)
Continuations	Doom Patrol (2020–23) Esme & Roy (2020–21) Gen:Lock (2021) Infinity Train (2020–21) The Other Two (2021–23) Pennyworth (2022) Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2021) Search Party (2020–22) South Side (2021–22) Summer Camp Island (2020–21) Titans (2021–23) Warrior (2023) Young Justice (2021–22)

Original

Adventure Time: Distant Lands (2020–21)
Amarres (2021)
Aquaman: King of Atlantis (2021)
Baketopia (2021)
Batman: The Audio Adventures (2021–22)
The Big Brunch (2022)
The Big Shot with Bethenny (2021)
Close Enough (2020–22)
Craftopia (2020–21)
DMZ (2022)
Equal (2020)
Expecting Amy (2020)
FBoy Island (2021–22)
Fired on Mars (2023)
The Flight Attendant (2020–22)
Full Circle (2023)
The Fungies! (2020–21)
Gaming Wall Street (2022)
The Garcias (2022)
Generation (2021)
Gordita Chronicles (2022)
Gossip Girl (2021–23)
Haute Dog (2020)
Head of the Class (2021)
Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults (2020)
House of Ho (2020–22)
The Hype (2021–22)
It's a Sin (2021)
Julia (2022–23)
Karma (2020)
Legendary (2020–22)
Looney Tunes Cartoons (2020–23)
Love & Death (2023)
Love Life (2020–21)
The Last Movie Stars (2022)
Little Ellen (2021–22)
Made for Love (2021–22)
Minx (2022)
Not So Pretty (2022)
The Not-Too-Late Show with Elmo (2020–21)
Our Flag Means Death (2022–23)
The Prince (2021)
Raised by Wolves (2020–22)
Rap Sh!t (2022–23)
Santa Inc. (2021)
Scavengers Reign (2023)
Selena + Chef (2020–22)
The Staircase (2022)
Station Eleven (2021–22)
Stylish with Jenna Lyons (2020)
Sweet Life: Los Angeles (2021–22)
Ten Year Old Tom (2021–23)
That Damn Michael Che (2021–22)
Tig n' Seek (2020–22)
Tom and Jerry in New York (2021)
The Truth About Jim (2024)
Wahl Street (2021–22)
The Way Down (2021–22)
Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs (2021–22)

Continuations

Doom Patrol (2020–23)
Esme & Roy (2020–21)
Gen:Lock (2021)
Infinity Train (2020–21)
The Other Two (2021–23)
Pennyworth (2022)
Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2021)
Search Party (2020–22)
South Side (2021–22)
Summer Camp Island (2020–21)
Titans (2021–23)
Warrior (2023)
Young Justice (2021–22)

Films

Released	On the Record (2020) An American Pickle (2020) On the Trail: Inside the 2020 Primaries (2020) Class Action Park (2020) Unpregnant (2020) Charm City Kings (2020) The Witches (2020) Superintelligence (2020) Let Them All Talk (2020) Locked Down (2021) Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021) LFG (2021) Women Is Losers (2021) Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) Bama Rush (2023) Glitch: The Rise & Fall of HQ Trivia (2023) Turtles All the Way Down (2024)
Upcoming	Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024) Am I OK? (TBA) The Parenting (TBA)
Unreleased	Batgirl