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HBO Orders Five‑Episode Limited Series The Trial of Louise Woodward

Reuniting Meghann Fahy with showrunner Matthew Barry, Susanne Bier will direct the limited series to dramatize the 1997 case, probing questions about childcare, class and 24‑hour media.

Overview

  • This week HBO announced a five‑episode limited series titled The Trial of Louise Woodward with Meghann Fahy attached to star.
  • Creator Matthew Barry will serve as showrunner, writer and executive producer while Susanne Bier will direct all episodes and also executive produce.
  • Production is scheduled to begin in August 2026 and HBO is targeting a 2027 premiere for the series.
  • The drama will retell the 1997 Newton, Massachusetts trial of 18‑year‑old au pair Louise Woodward and will revisit the case’s contested medical evidence and the judge’s later reduction of a murder conviction to involuntary manslaughter.
  • Big Light Productions is producing alongside HBO with executive producers Frank Spotnitz, Emily Feller, Tobi de Graaff and Antoine Douaihy, and the show aims to use the trial to examine social issues around childcare, working mothers, class and the rise of round‑the‑clock news coverage.