Melissa Joan Hart to Star in Lifetime's BLACK WIDOW KILLER Movie

Melissa Joan Hart (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Melissa & Joey) returns to Lifetime to executive produce and star in the new true crime movie, Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story (wt), as part of the network's upcoming Winter Ripped from the Headlines slate. Hart takes on the role as the real-life Judy Buenoano who was dubbed 'the black widow' after the mysterious deaths of many around her. The film also stars Chris Bauer (True Blood, The Wire) as Detective Chamberlain and Matthew Settle (Gossip Girl, Band of Brothers) as Judy's fiancé, John Gentry. Black Widow Killer will debut Saturday, January 23, 2027 at 8/7c on Lifetime.

Set in the 1970s and 1980s, Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story (wt) is based on the true story of Judy Buenoano (Hart), a successful Florida salon owner and mother whose carefully cultivated image begins to crack after her latest fiancé, John Gentry (Settle), survives a car bombing. As Detective Chamberlain (Bauer) and his partner, Detective Steele (Cronin Cullen, The Equalizer), investigate the attempted murder, they uncover a disturbing pattern surrounding the deaths of those closest to Judy. As the investigation delves deeper into her past, mounting evidence raises a troubling question: are these tragedies simply a series of coincidences—or part of a calculated plan?

Credits

Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story (wt) is directed by Agam Darshi from a script by Taylor Martin. The film is produced by Hartbreak Films, Inc., Tiny Riot, and FOX Entertainment Studios (FES) and distributed internationally by FOX Entertainment Global. Executive producers include Melissa Joan Hart and Paula Hart for Hartbreak Films, Inc., Jason Egenberg for Tiny Riot, Fernando Szew, Hannah Pillemer, Larry Grimaldi, and Julianna Hays for FES; and Gordon Gilbertson.

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