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The Yogurt Shop Murders

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The Yogurt Shop Murders
GenreDocumentary
Directed byMargaret Brown
Music byClaudia Sarne
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes5
Production
Executive producers
ProducerAlice Henty
CinematographyJustin Zweifach
Editors
  • Michael Bloch
  • Tyler H. Walk
  • Geoffrey Richman
  • Camilla Hayman
  • Drew Blatman
Running time59-97 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseAugust 3, 2025 (2025-08-03) –
May 22, 2026 (2026-05-22)

The Yogurt Shop Murders is a 2025 American documentary miniseries directed and produced by Margaret Brown. It follows the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, exploring the trauma left and the investigation.

It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 10, 2025.[1][2] It premiered on August 3, 2025, on HBO.[3]

Premise

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The series follows the 1991 Austin yogurt shop murders, exploring the trauma of family members left in the aftermath of the crime, and the investigation. It includes interviews with family members and friends of the victims, lead police investigators John Jones and Paul Johnson, homicide investigator Mike Huckabay, author Beverly Lowry, correspondent Erin Moriarty, journalist Mike Hall, former Austin filmmaker Claire Huie, memory expert Robert Shomer, lawyers Joe Sawyer, Carlos Garcia, and Amber Farrelly, judge Mike Lynch and detective Dan Jackson.[4] The series finale includes interviews with genealogist CeCe Moore, falsely accused suspect Forrest Welborn, and the family and widow of Maurice Pierce.[5]

Episodes

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No.Title [6]Directed by [6]Original release date [6]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Fire and Water"Margaret BrownAugust 3, 2025 (2025-08-03)0.203[7]
2"The Fifth Victim"Margaret BrownAugust 10, 2025 (2025-08-10)0.214[8]
3"Mental Evidence"Margaret BrownAugust 17, 2025 (2025-08-17)0.142[9]
4"In Your Own Time"Margaret BrownAugust 24, 2025 (2025-08-24)0.089[10]
5"The End of Wondering"Margaret BrownMay 22, 2026 (2026-05-22)N/A

Production

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Emma Stone and Dave McCary had the idea to make a documentary series revolving around 1991 Austin yogurt shop killings, with A24 set to produce.[11] Margaret Brown was asked to direct the series, agreeing after living in Austin and having friends who reported on the case. She then viewed the archival footage that had been obtained previously by Claire Huie, an aspiring filmmaker who paused working on her own project about the case, and wanted to make a stylistic David Lynch-esque inspired documentary. However, she pivoted after meeting the families and viewing the crime scene photos.[12][13][14] Brown was more interested in memory and grief, rather than attempting to solve the case.[15] A24 paid for therapy for the production team, due to the graphic nature of the case.[16]

In January 2023, Margaret Brown revealed she was in production on an untitled project for HBO, produced by A24.[17] In October 2024, it was announced the project was The Yogurt Shop Murders, with Emma Stone and Dave McCary serving as executive producers under their Fruit Tree banner.[18]

Following the conclusion of the finale, Brown was beginning to work on her next project when she had coffee with lead investigator Dan Jackson, who had a different demeanor due to the case being solved, informing Brown he had a lead but it could take a while to confirm.[19] Four days later, production on a new finale began, as the announcement of Robert Eugene Brashers being identified as the perpetrator of the murders on September 26, 2025.[20][21][22]

Reception

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The series holds an 100% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 critic reviews.[23] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 83 out of 100 based on 4 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24]

Accolades

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Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Critics' Choice Documentary Awards November 9, 2025 Best True Crime Documentary The Yogurt Shop Murders Nominated [25]
[26]
Best Limited Documentary Series Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards September 5–6, 2026 Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series Alice Henty, Michael Bloch, Margaret Brown, Nicole Stott, Emily Osborne,
Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Mickey Stanley, Beth Garrabrant, and Avi Belkin		 Nominated [27]
Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program Justin Zweifach and Christopher LaMarca (for "The End of Wondering") Nominated

It was nominated for Best True Crime Documentary and Best Limited Documentary Series at the 10th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.[28][29]

References

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  1. ↑ "The Yogurt Shop Murders". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  2. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 5, 2025). "SXSW Rounds Out 2025 Film Lineup: Jacob Elordi Pic 'On Swift Horses' Closing Fest; Jillian Bell's 'Summer Of 69' Making World Premiere". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 23, 2025. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  3. ↑ Neumann, Sean (July 17, 2025). "Teens Went to Work at a Yogurt Shop — and Were Found Tied Up, Shot and Burned. But Who Did It?". People. Archived from the original on July 17, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  4. ↑ "HBO Original Four-Part Documentary Series THE YOGURT SHOP MURDERS Debuts August 3". Warner Bros. Discovery. July 17, 2025. Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  5. ↑ "New Episode Of HBO Original Documentary Series THE YOGURT SHOP MURDERS Debuts May 22". Warner Bros. Discovery. May 7, 2026. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  6. 1 2 3 "Shows A-Z - Yogurt Shop Murders, The on HBO". The Futon Critic. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  7. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (August 5, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: MLB Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN Continues Delivering Positive Figures This Season with Tigers-Phillies". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on August 6, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  8. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (August 12, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: 'The Gilded Age' on HBO Delivers its Most-Watched Linear Airing of an Original Telecast To-Date with Third Season Finale". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (August 20, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: Buffalo Bills-Chicago Bears Posts Fox Network's Most-Watched NFL Preseason Game in Four Years". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on August 20, 2025. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  10. ↑ Pucci, Douglas (August 26, 2025). "Sunday Ratings: Red Sox-Yankees Posts ESPN's Second-Largest MLB Game Audience of Season To-Date". Programming Insider. Archived from the original on August 30, 2025. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  11. ↑ Simonpillai, Radheyan (August 3, 2025). "The Yogurt Shop Murders: how to turn a horrifying true story into a sensitive true crime docuseries". The Guardian. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ Campione, Katie (August 3, 2025). "'The Yogurt Shop Murders' Director On Revisiting The Tragic Case After More Than 30 Years: "It Was Just Such A World Of Darkness"". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  13. ↑ Bernstein, Karen; Rice, Laura (August 6, 2025). "New HBO docuseries delves into Austin's unsolved yogurt shop murders". Texas Standard. Archived from the original on August 10, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ Cardenas, Cat (August 10, 2025). "The Yogurt Shop Murders Director on the Cursed Story That Haunts Austin 30 Years Later". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  15. ↑ Ruth Ashcraft, Kady (August 22, 2025). "HBO's 'The Yogurt Shop Murders' Takes a Different Approach to Documenting True Crime". Jezebel. Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved August 23, 2025.
  16. ↑ Morfoot, Addie (August 3, 2025). "The Making of HBO Doc 'The Yogurt Shop Murders' Was So Traumatic That A24 Paid for Film Team's Therapy". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  17. ↑ Mitchell, Wendy (January 13, 2023). "Margaret Brown on making slave ship documentary 'Descendant', partnering with the Obamas". Screen International. Archived from the original on February 6, 2025. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  18. ↑ Jackson, Angelique (October 24, 2024). "Emma Stone and Dave McCary's Fruit Tree Inks First-Look Deal at Universal Pictures". Variety. Archived from the original on May 1, 2026. Retrieved February 9, 2025.
  19. ↑ Salam, Maya (May 22, 2026). "The Yogurt Shop Murders: When a Documentary Becomes Part of the Story". The New York Times. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  20. ↑ "25 years later: Murder of 4 Austin teens still unsolved". KXAN.com. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on December 1, 2017. Retrieved December 1, 2017.
  21. ↑ Slifer, Stephanie (September 26, 2025). "Suspect identified in infamous Texas yogurt shop murder case, original investigator says". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 26, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  22. ↑ Whitaker, Richard (May 21, 2026). "A Resolution but No Closure to the Yogurt Shop Murders". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ "The Yogurt Shop Murders: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  24. ↑ "The Yogurt Shop Murders: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  25. ↑ Davis, Clayton (October 14, 2025). "'Orwell: 2+2=5' and 'The Perfect Neighbor' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ by. "2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards Winners List - National Film Awards". Archived from the original on February 14, 2026. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
  27. ↑ "The Yogurt Shop Murders". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. July 8, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  28. ↑ Davis, Clayton (October 14, 2025). "'Orwell: 2+2=5' and 'The Perfect Neighbor' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on October 18, 2025. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  29. ↑ by. "2025 Critics Choice Documentary Awards Winners List - National Film Awards". Archived from the original on February 14, 2026. Retrieved November 11, 2025.
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