Waco: American Apocalypse on Netflix: Release date, time, trailer, what to expect, and more

Netflix is set to release Waco: American Apocalypse on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Tiller Russell, known for true crime documentaries like Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer and The Last Narc, is at the helm of the upcoming documentary series.

Waco: American Apocalypse is set to chronicle the 51-day-long siege/raid/fire that took place in the titular Texan county seat in 1993 when cult leader David Koresh (born Vernon Wayne Howell) battled against agents of the federal government from February 28 to April 19.

As per Netflix, Waco: American Apocalypse will be an “immersive three-part” docuseries intended to give a “definitive account” of the bloody incident.

The release of the upcoming docuseries has been planned “to coincide with the 30th anniversary of this national tragedy,” the streamer added.

The team of executive producers backing Waco: American Apocalypse includes Russell, Greg Tillman, Jeff Hasler, Brian Lovett, and William Green. Aaron Ginsburg, Edwin Zane, and Dane C. Reiley round up the team of executive producers.

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The trailer for Waco: American Apocalypse sends chill down the spine

The siege shown in Waco: American Apocalypse happened at the Mount Carmel Center in Elk, a building used by Branch Davidians. Religious leader Benjamin Roden established the cult in 1959, while Branch Davidians was a breakaway sect led by Koresh in the 1980s.

After allegations of stockpiling illegal weapons surfaced, the U.S. federal government, the U.S. military, and Texas state law enforcement carried out the raid in February 1993, resulting in an intense gunfight.

The siege continued till the FBI attacked using tear gas on April 19, 1993, which started an inferno engulfing the Mount Carmel Center. The fire killed close to 80 Branch Davidians, including two pregnant women, 25 children, and Koresh.

Netflix dropped the trailer for the three-part docuseries last month, which showcased the tragic event. Lasting close to three minutes, the clip starts with a woman sharing that it was a “very caring environment,” and there was a “bunch of people” who “really loved each other” in the cult.

The ominous background music and the equally gloomy tone of the female interviewee, however, establish that all is not as it seems.

The following frames show how Koresh’s believers considered him the “son of God,” “the key to their eternal salvation,” and that they were taught that the “end of the world was coming soon,” for which they were supposed to “battle with the federal government.”

Soon, the trailer welcomes viewers to real-time footage of the war that ensued and the commotion that followed. The conflicting depictions of what happened and who started the shooting make it difficult to draw any firm conclusions.

Gary Noesner, who led the FBI’s Crisis Negotiation Unit, details the operation in question, while Davidians Steve Schneider and Wayne Martin attack the law enforcement agency for the raid in the promotional video.

Further, snippets of Koresh’s pedophilic crimes are shared, while Kathy Schroeder, who was one of his “spiritual wives,” chillingly shares that during their intimacy, “it was a Bible study.”

The 2:27-minute-long trailer ends with a worrying dialog where a man asks Koresh, “Do you put your trust in the Lord?” and he replies:

“I am the Lord.”

To make Waco: American Apocalypse, Russell took help from several recently unearthed videotapes that have been lensed inside the Hostage Negotiation Command Post of the FBI.

The docuseries will also feature raw news footage that was never released for public consumption and numerous FBI wiretap recordings.

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The release date for Waco: American Apocalypse series has been set for Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at 3 a.m. ET/12 a.m on Netflix.