HBO has just announced a new crime series about 1980s serial killer Dorothea Puente, with Oscar-winning star Geena Davis cast in the lead role. Titled Dorothea, the series will see the Thelma & Louise star play Puente, who also known as the Killer Landlady and the Death House Landlady after being given the nicknames by the press.
Davis, who more recently starred in Netflix's prematurely axed sci-fi series The Boroughs, is also set to executive produce together with showrunner Joshua Michael Stern, writers Michael Rosenbaum and Jane Whitney, and Jeff Frost, according to Variety.
Puente was "a Sacramento woman who ran a boarding house for the less fortunate in the 1980s, but her seemingly benevolent actions belied her sinister motives", the synopsis teases. The killer was active between 1982 and 1988 and was eventually charged with the murder of nine people, including several of her tenants.
Related: Best streaming services UK 2026 – including Disney Plus, Netflix, iPlayer and Apple TV
She poisoned her victims and buried their bodies around boarding house so she could cash their social security checks.
Puente was ultimately convicted for three of the murders due to a deadlocked jury on the other six counts. She was sentenced to life in prison in 1993 and died at the Central California Women's Facility in 2011 aged 82.
What to Read Next
This isn't the only upcoming project for Davis, though.
On the big screen, she's next featuring in stoner comedy The Wrong Girls, marking the directorial debut of Dylan Meyer, who also wrote the film.
Related: Netflix's 100%-rated true-crime drama with 'phenomenal performance' goes straight into UK chart
Davis stars opposite protagonists Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat as Frankie and Molly, two weed-loving, co-dependent best friends who get roped into a case of mistaken identity.
The stacked cast also includes LaKeith Stanfield, Zack Fox, Tony Hale, Kate McKinnon, and Cate Blanchett. Seth Rogen and Kumail Nanjiani also star as the voices of the protagonists' cats, Dio and GG.
Dorothea will air on HBO and stream on HBO Max.
Visit our Streaming Guide now to see at a glance where you can view ALL your favourite shows and movies.
The new edition of Living Legends, celebrating the global phenomenon of BTS, is here! Buy this ultimate fan guide in newsagents or online.
Reporter, Digital Spy
Stefania is a freelance writer specialising in TV and movies. After graduating from City University, London, she covered LGBTQ+ news and pursued a career in entertainment journalism, with her work appearing in outlets including Little White Lies, The Skinny, Radio Times and Digital Spy.
Her beats are horror films and period dramas, especially if fronted by queer women. She can argue why Scream is the best slasher in four languages (and a half).
