History Series / DirtyJohn

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Averted. It's made repeatedly clear throughout the series that no one else truly matters to John, not even his own children, and he will abandon or betray anyone if he has to. [[spoiler: When overcome with guilt about killing him and feeling she took him away from his kids and sister, John's sister Denise reassures Terra that John had blood relatives but no real family and that was entirely his own doing and Denise doesn't mourn John at all or hold any anger towards Terra for what she did, only being happy that she is okay.]]

* ParentalAbandonment: John had two daughters with his ex-wife Tonia but never mentions them later nor is he implied to have made any effort to keep in touch with them or care about them. Though given what a toxic, abusive presence John is, he was unintentionally doing them a favor.

* AdultFear: All over the place. Seeing your parent/aunt get sucked into an abusive relationship and being powerless to stop it, the idea that the charming handsome man who seems too good to be true could be a violent monster, that someone like that could subtly isolate you from your loved ones or turn you against them, seeing your child dragged into an abusive relationship and eventually murdered because of it and that the same abuser may decide to get revenge on you by targeting your kids.

* ArtisticLicense: Before the credits for each episode, we get a disclaimer noting that while the series is based on true events, liberties have been taken in the portrayal. A list of specifics for the first season can be found [[https://www.eonline.com/ca/news/1004957/everything-dirty-john-changed-or-left-out-from-the-crazy-true-story here]], and the second season can be found [[https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2548060/dirty-john-season-2-how-accurate-is-the-depiction-of-the-betty-broderick-case here]].
** Notably in the second season, the names of the Broderick children have all been changed.

* AdultChild:
** John ''is'' actually frighteningly intelligent, but only ever uses his skills to manipulate and harm other people so that he can live an easy life; in real life, Debra's daughters are shocked to find out that he did little but sit around and play video games.
** As a lighter example, Terra is in her twenties but often acts more like a teenager, tending to get low-paying jobs with apartments in bad areas. When she breaks up with her boyfriend, she runs to Debra for comfort and begs her to work from home so that she can spend all night taking care of her. She's still likable and sympathetic and portrayed simply as someone who just hasn't quite figured out adult life yet.

* RichBitch: Averted with Debra and Terra, but played straight with Veronica.

* Gaslighting: Dan gaslights Betty throughout their marriage and during his affair with Linda. He blatantly lies to Betty about having an affair, [[ImplausibleDeniability his whereabouts when asked]], and [[ConsummateLiar his intentions when he moves out without actually saying he’s moving out.]]

* [[HoistbyHisOwnPetard Hoisted by Her Own Petard]]: Betty chooses to represent herself in her divorce hearing, presuming the legal system is largely set against her. [[spoiler:In the process, she loses custody of her children and is given visitation rights along with a fraction of the monetary compensation she asked for.]]

* AdultFear: All over the place. Seeing your parent get sucked into an abusive relationship and being powerless to stop it, the idea that the charming handsome man who seems too good to be true could be a violent monster, that someone like that could isolate you from your loved ones or turn you against them, seeing your child dragged into an abusive relationship and eventually murdered because of it and that the same abuser may decide to get revenge on you by targeting your kids.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Terra is a very sweet-natured, loving person who loves her family and wants to see them happy and believes the best about people. [[spoiler: She's also the one who finally puts John down for good by stabbing him multiple times and jamming a knife through his eye.]]

* KickTheDog: Some of John's actions, just as his insulting remarks about Toby's mother and Debra's sister, have no motive beyond sheer cruelty.

* SilverFox: John and Debra are both in their fifties, with John's hair starting to go grey, and still very good-looking.

* RaisedCatholic: Betty is shown to have been raised Catholic and attended a private Catholic high school. Betty and Dan are married in a Catholic ceremony. She's shown to take her children to a Catholic church regularly.

* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Averted. It's made repeatedly clear throughout the series that no one else truly matters to John, not even his own children, and he will abandon or betray anyone if he has to. [[spoiler: When overcome with guilt about killing him and feeling she took him away from his kids and sister, John's sister Denise reassures Terra that John had blood relatives but no real family and that was entirely his own doing and Denise doesn't mourn John at all or hold any anger towards Terra for what she did.]]

* FunctionalAddict: John see-saws between this and AddledAddict at different points in the series, but for the most part he's functional and manipulates others into believing he's not. [[spoiler:His addiction does take a physical toll on him, though; in real life it's noted that he probably would have easily overpowered and killed the much-smaller Terra if not for his body's weakened state due to his drug use, and in the end, his organs are so damaged from his addiction that they're completely unusable for donations, a fact Veronica can't help but find funny.]]

* HeroesLoveDogs: Terra is almost always accompanied by Cash, her Australian Shepherd, who she adores. [[spoiler: When John attacks Terra in the finale, he even leaps into action and bites at John's ankles to help her and is later with her in her hospital bed.]]

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Terra is a very sweet-natured, loving person who loves her family and wants to see them happy. [[spoiler: She's also the one who finally puts John down for good by jamming a knife through his eye.]]

* DomesticAbuse: John is abusive in all his relationships and is quick to posit himself as the real victim when he needs to.

* FunctionalAddict: John see-saws between this and AddledAddict at different points in the series, but for the most part he's functional and manipulates others into believing he's not. [[spoiler:His addiction does take a physical toll on him, though; in real life it's noted that he probably would have easily overpowered and killed the much-smaller Terra if not for his body's weakened state due to his drug use, and in the end, his organs are so damaged from his addiction that they're completely unusable for donations.]]

* PsychopathicManchild: John is clearly not very mature, preferring to coast through life by mooching off others even in his fifties and use his intellect for such schemes even when he has the opportunity for legitimate success. The "psychopathic" part is gradually revealed as his behavior becomes more and more abusive to his partners, before becoming outright homicidal.

* SilverFox: John and Debra are both in their fifties, with John's hair starting to go grey slightly, and still very good-looking.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Terra is a very sweet-natured, emotional person who loves her family dearly. [[spoiler: She's also the one who finally puts John down for good by jamming a knife through his eye.]]

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Averted. John is able to get legitimate work as an anesthesiologist, among the highest paid medical professions there are, but his issues with addiction and his abusive behavior end up ruining it.

* FauxAffablyEvil: John is immensely charming and wins over just about everyone easily but has a cruel streak a mile wide underneath and can never quite hide that there's something seriously off about him.

* RichBitch: Averted with Debra, but played straight with Veronica.

** As a lighter example, Terra is in her twenties but often acts more like a teenager, tending to get low-paying jobs with apartments in bad areas. When she breaks up with her boyfriend, she runs to Debra for comfort and begs her to work from home so that she can spend all night taking care of her.

* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Played with. While John looks great on paper -- prestigious medical job, romantic, dedicated -- Debra's daughters quickly discern that there has to be ''some'' reason he's still single with practically no life outside of Debra, especially when his bad side comes out to them with increasing frequency. Once John's past is dug up and Debra still takes him back, the question becomes even worse.

* [[InsanityPloy Gaslighting]]: Dan gaslights Betty throughout their marriage and during his affair with Linda. He [[OutrightLie blatantly lies]] to Betty about having an affair, [[ImplausibleDeniability his whereabouts when asked]], and [[ConsummateLiar his intentions when he moves out without actually saying he’s moving out.]]

* {{DanceofDespair}}: Betty and one of her friends dance to a mixtape Betty made in her living room on the day of Dan's second wedding.

** One of John's early red flags is angrily demanding to know who Debra is texting, thinking he's cheating on her, when she's actually just texting her nephew.

* EasilyForgiven: Holy hell, ''John,'' somewhat bordering on TooDumbToLive for Debra at times (though she does have a FreudianExcuse). Despite his antagonistic relationship with the rest of her family, she can ''always'' find an excuse for him because she's desperate to find love and not get divorced again. And after everything he put her through, she takes him back after he gives her some frankly cringeworthy excuses to explain away all the dirt dug up on him (such as keeping restraining orders with his address around the house because they actually apply to other John Meehans). Her family ends up so frustrated by her taking him back that they begin to refuse to see her.
* EvilIsPetty: When John makes you his "project," expect him to go to every length to get back at you. Whether it's mocking the memory of your murdered parent, sending lewd photos to your family or leaving a slew of negative reviews on your company page in order to get you fired, he will stop at nothing to get back at you.

* WoundedGazelleGambit: John frequently leverages his scars (which he claims he got in a helicopter crash) as a way for women to admire and pity him, though it turns out the actual way he got them is far less impressive. And though he is legitimately ill midway through the series, he has no qualms about manipulating Debra to feel bad for him and return to him because of it.

* FourthDateMarriage: Debra agrees to marry John after knowing him for only a few weeks, as the episode captions take time to point out.

* [[TheAsshole Jerkass]]: '''DAN.''' He is rarely shown in a positive light, especially when played by Creator/ChristianSlater.

* DanceofDespair: Betty and one of her friends dance to a mixtape Betty made in her living room on the day of Dan's second wedding.

''Dirty John'' is a live-action true crime drama [[Anthology anthology]] series. It premiered on Bravo in November of 2018, before being aired internationally by Creator/{{Netflix}} in January of 2019.

* FlatCharacter: Linda Kolkena is presented as little more than “the other woman,” with no motivation or personality outside of being with Dan. However, [[spoiler:she does touch the [[VillainBall Villain Ball]] when she contemplates destroying Betty’s wedding china to one of Betty’s friends.]]

A second season based on the story of murderer Betty Broderick featuring Creator/AmandaPeet as Broderick and Creator/ChristianSlater as her husband Dan will premiere on June 2, 2020.

A second season is in the works as of 2019.

* ArtisticLicense: Before the credits for each episode, we get a disclaimer noting that while the series is based on true events, liberties have been taken in the portrayal.

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