The True Story Murder Mystery Series On Hulu Goes Even Darker Than You Expect

Under the Bridge begins in 1997, with 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) from Saanich, British Columbia, rebelling against her strict Indian-Canadian Jehovah’s Witness family. Struggling to make friends at school, she gravitates to a group of girls living under government care at the Seven Oaks Youth Home. These teens, led by Josephine Bell, idolize gangsters and call themselves the CMC, short for “Crips Mafia Cartel.”

When Josephine (Chloe Guidry) ostracizes Reena, she retaliates by stealing Josephine’s phone book and spreading rumors about her. In response, the CMC attacks Reena under the local bridge. Reena’s family reports her missing, but since she has run away before, only Officer Cam Bentland (Lily Gladstone) takes it seriously. Meanwhile, Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough) returns to British Columbia from New York City to write a book about troubled girls.

Rebecca visits the Seven Oaks Youth Home, meets Josephine and the other CMC girls, and gives them her phone number for future interviews. Cam leads a police search and finds Reena’s clothes in the Gorge Waterway, prompting the police to question the CMC about a possible homicide. The police discover through surveillance footage that Reena survived the initial assault, so they release the teens.

Josephine then takes Rebecca to the bridge and claims she pushed Reena over the railing after the first assault. Horrified, Rebecca and Dusty Pace, another CMC girl, learn that Reena’s body has been found downstream. Under the Bridge takes a turn when Josephine discovers Reena’s boots in her closet, and another CMC member, Kelly Ellard, admits she “did it” for Josephine.

Developed by Quinn Shephard, Under the Bridge is based on the Rebecca Godfrey book of the same name. What makes the series unique is that it is not presented as a mystery. Everyone knows who killed Reena Virk. Instead, it is the motivations and backgrounds of its characters, the Virk family and the CMC girls from the Seven Oaks Youth Home, that hold the story together.

Author Rebecca Godfrey, who is featured in the Under the Bridge series, is also an integral part of the narrative as she tries to reconcile her role as a writer with her empathy for the troubled teens she is documenting. Her relationship with investigating officer Cam Bentland provides an additional conflict angle as their professional and personal lives become increasingly intertwined.

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The series does not shy away from the realities of the criminal justice system, the media’s role in sensationalizing only portions of the cases, and the community’s response to the tragedy. Under the Bridge is not just a crime drama. It is a tragic exploration of the intersections of race, culture, and adolescence.

It shows how societal biases and personal insecurities can converge in ways that lead to catastrophic outcomes. Under the Bridge received mixed reviews from critics. While some praised its thoughtful approach to the true crime genre, others found it flat and uninspiring. All eight episodes are available to stream on Hulu.