The Mortician (TV series)
| The Mortician | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Directed by | Joshua Rofé |
| Music by | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Cinematography | Ronan Killeen |
| Editors |
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| Running time | 54-59 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | June 1 – June 15, 2025 |
The Mortician is a 2025 documentary series directed and produced by Joshua Rofé. It follows a family run funeral home, with cremation services led by son David Sconce, as they betray public trust exploiting families and deceased to maximize profits.
It premiered on June 1, 2025, on HBO.
Premise
The documentary series explores the Lamb Funeral Home, which betrayed public trust by exploiting families and the deceased in order to maximize profits. Sconce was convicted and sentenced to five years for mutilating corpses, holding mass cremations and hiring hitmen for rival morticians.[1] The series features interviews with Sconce, journalists Ashley Dunn and David Geary; and Lamb Funeral Home victims, among others.[2]
Episodes
| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode One" | Joshua Rofé | June 1, 2025 | 0.166[3] |
| 2 | "Episode Two" | Joshua Rofé | June 8, 2025 | 0.185[4] |
| 3 | "Episode Three" | Joshua Rofé | June 15, 2025 | 0.186[5] |
Production
Jonah Hill serves as an executive producer under his Strong Baby banner.[6]
Reception
Critical reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Mortician has an approval rating of 86% based on 7 critics' reviews.[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 68 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[8]
Joel Keller of Decider suggests viewing the series, writing: "The Mortician effectively shows just how ghoulish the things David Sconce did to people’s loved ones really was, and does so mostly through Sconce’s own words."[9] Peter Martin of ScreenAnarchy wrote: "No matter your personal feelings and beliefs about what happens after we die, The Mortician will touch you and provoke a visceral reaction. Because death awaits us all."[10]
Viewership
The series became HBO's most-watched documentary series in over five years, surpassing Chimp Crazy, Pee-wee as Himself and Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God.[11]
References
- ^ Saunders, Angel (May 19, 2025). "Convicted Mortician David Sconce Defends His Criminal Mass Cremations, 'Doesn't Put Any Value' in the Deceased". People. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "HBO Original Three-Part Documentary Series THE MORTICIAN Debuts June 1". Warner Bros. Discovery. May 19, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (June 4, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: Yankees-Dodgers on ESPN Delivers Largest MLB Regular Season Sunday Night Audience in Seven Years". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (June 11, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: Tony Awards on CBS Rise to Multi-Year Highs in Viewers and Demos". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Pucci, Douglas (June 18, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: U.S. Open Golf Final Round on NBC Leads All Telecasts". Programming Insider. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "The Mortician". HBO. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
- ^ "The Mortician". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
- ^ "The Mortician: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ Keller, Joel (June 1, 2025). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'The Mortician' On HBO, A Docuseries About A Funeral Home Owner Who Desecrated Customers' Loved Ones For Higher Profits". Decider. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Martin, Peter (May 30, 2025). "THE MORTICIAN Review: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust. But Whose Ashes?". ScreenAnarchy. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
- ^ Campione, Katie (June 17, 2025). "'The Mortician' Becomes HBO's Most-Watched Documentary Series In Over 5 Years". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 17, 2025.