The series centers on the crimes of Theodore Robert "Ted" Bundy, specifically his activities around 1974 to his ultimate capture in 1978. Bundy was a handsome, charismatic man who campaigned for local politicians and volunteered at a crisis hotline, but what nobody knew was that this seemingly nice, clean-cut guy would turn out to be one the most notorious serial killers of all time.
See also 2002’s Ted Bundy, the Ann Rule book and later TV movie The Stranger Beside Me, and 2019’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile.
The miniseries contains examples of:
- All Guys Want Sorority Women: A dark example, when Ted enters a sorority house and bludgeons several students to death.
- Bad Samaritan: One scene has Bundy picking up a young woman hitchhiking. Given that he's been well established as a misogynistic Serial Killer at this point, it's safe to say he has bad intentions. It's also inverted in the way he would lure women away by claiming to be injured and in need of help.
- Fearsome Foot: From the opening sequence and throughout the Mini Series, we get a repeated scenario—a pretty young woman walks past, the camera pans down to the ground, a pair of men's feet enter the frame, depicting their owner as slowly stalking the girl…and cue Gory Discretion Shot.
- Finally Found the Body: The first half of the Mini Series ends with the remains of Bundy's Pacific Northwest victims turned up on Taylor Mountain (where he liked to hike) roughly a year after they disappeared
- A Fool for a Client: With his law school background, Ted acts as his own attorney. It's a Foregone Conclusion that he lost.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: Ted Bundy goes from a law student to a notorious serial killer.
- Harmful to Hitchhikers: One scene has Bundy picking up a young woman hitchhiking. By now, his Serial Killer tendencies have been well established, so it's safe to say she's doomed.
- Impersonating an Officer: Ted Bundy approaches Carol DaRonch in this manner. Not until he tries to assault her once she's in his car does she realize that it's a lie.
- In Medias Res: The movie begins with the abduction of Georgeann Hawkins
(though hers and nearly every other victim's name was changed for the movie), eliminating Bundy's first four or five murders. - The Sociopath: Ted.
- They Look Just Like Everyone Else!: Ted is a textbook example. He is clean-cut, well-groomed and more than a little charming.
- Would Hurt a Child: Ted’s last victim, Kimberly Leach, was only twelve.
- Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Ted attempts to lure a woman away by claiming to be injured and in need of help. She declines, and later sees him try with someone else. Much later, she recognizes when she sees the news.
