The Oland Murder · 60 Minutes · Gabriel Fernandez
Plus: Catching up with Robert Durst
the true crime that's worth your time
A doc on a high-profile Canadian patricide hits airwaves tomorrow. Richard Oland, the billionaire scion of the family behind Moosehead Brewing (per its site, its Canada’s oldest indie brewery and the producer of a slew of brands you likely recognize), was found beaten to death in his office. His son, Dennis, was convicted of the crime, and spent 10 months in prison before the conviction was overturned. (The BBC has a very solid recap of the entire saga.)
Speaking with TV, eh? (I know, I didn’t want to click through to a site with that name either — but it appears to be a solid publication!), Deborah Wainwright, the filmmaker behind The Oland Murder, says that she was sucked into the case by news coverage, then convinced Dennis and his mother to agree to participate in the project, which evolved into a four-episode show. Writing for the CBC, Wainwright says that despite the family’s involvement, they knew that “the series would report the facts — no matter how uncomfortable they may be for the people involved.”
The Globe And Mail has already given the series a glowing review, saying its “terrific true-crime storytelling,” dinging it only for its schedule: It’ll air at 9 PM for the next four Wednesdays, making it “impossible to binge-watch this twisting, tangled and well-told story.” The CBC has a rundown of those four episodes here, but, sadly, doesn’t offer any information on how one might watch the series if one lives outside of Canada. We’re all enterprising people, though. We can probably figure something out. — EB