The Big Picture

• Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood offers an alternate history where Sharon Tate survives.
• NBC's Aquarius is a gritty cop drama that delves into the dark world of the Manson Family and Hollywood.
• Aquarius focuses on the women of the Manson Family and explores the dark side of Hollywood in the '60s.

August 9, 1969 changed American history and culture forever, marking the perceived end of a free-loving decade due to a series of murders committed by the Manson Family, named for cult leader Charles Manson. However, the infamous murder of actress Sharon Tate and several others staying at her house is circumvented in Quentin Tarantino’s masterpiece, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. The love letter to Los Angeles in the late '60s encapsulates the romanticism Americans still carry for the decade and the changing film industry through actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) and stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt).

Providing an alternate timeline of historical events, similar to Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood posits what would have happened if Tate had survived that night, and how it all would have played out if the Manson Family had been prevented from carrying out their gruesome plan — by Hollywood actors, no less. For those intrigued by the collision of real historical figures and fictional characters, as well as the true-crime elements of the Manson family, NBC's Aquarius is the perfect companion. The series features a hardened David Duchovny in the lead as fictional detective Sam Hodiak, who works the streets of 1960s Los Angeles and finds himself crossing paths with the infamous Manson Family after taking on a case involving a missing teenage girl.

What Is 'Aquarius' About?

Aquarius takes on '60s counterculture and spins it into a dark retelling of the Manson Family by following a fictional teen runaway who joins their group. Duchovny's Detective Sam Hodiak has been tasked with finding 16-year-old Emma Karn (Emma Dumont), which unknowingly leads him to Charles Manson in the process as the cult gears up to commit the Tate-LaBianca murders. Alongside Duchovny, Grey Damon is a standout as the heroin-addicted narcotics officer, Brian Shafe, who goes undercover for Hodiak as the two try to track down Emma before it’s too late. The series also tackles the second wave of feminism, through Claire Holt's Charmain Tully, one of the department’s first female officers.

Gethin Anthony (Game of Thrones) is terrifying as Aquarius' version of Charles Manson, and the series focuses on the women he manipulated who then became willing accomplices in committing crimes and murders on his behalf. As Hodiak closes in on Emma's whereabouts, the series uses her fictional character to expose the monster Manson was, and how he groomed, drugged, and brainwashed many vulnerable individuals. Among the cast playing members of the Manson Family are Ambyr Childers as Susan "Sadie" Atkins, while Tara Lynne Barr initially played Patricia Krenwinkle before being replaced as Madisen Beaty for the remainder of the series. (Notably, Beaty would also reprise the role of Patricia Krenwinkel in Tarantino's Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.) Cameron Deane Stewart plays Tex Watson, another member of the Manson Family and a participant in the Tate-LaBianca murders.

David Duchovny Collides With Charles Manson in 'Aquarius'

Aquarius, first and foremost, is an invigorating cop drama that revolves around a cat-and-mouse chase. Hodiak's life has become a boring humdrum of the same dealings, and he has little purpose other than hating hippies, as well as the counterculture of marijuana and rock and roll that has littered the streets of Los Angeles. He's a man who is not of the times, but is still very much the epitome of cool in sunglasses and sharp suits. However, when he's tasked by an old flame, played by Michaela McManus, to find her daughter, Emma, that's when Hodiak comes alive. Duchovny possesses a cold remove as a hardened cop who has seen too much in his line of work, and as he hunts down Manson, true-crime fanatics will be glad to find out that the series has done its homework on the notorious serial killer.

As Hodiak begins his hunt in 1967, the series follows Manson and his cult up through the murders in August 1969, where arrest only becomes more imperative. Desperate and disillusioned that he's destined to become the next big rock star, like The Beatles, Manson's rage at show business and Hollywood reaches a boiling point that shows no signs of cooling down. On the other side of the hunt, Hodiak and Brian's partnership, as two outsiders within the police force who share differing views on life, is a bonus to the show. Duchovny and Damon have an easy chemistry as they cruise through downtown L.A., similar to DiCaprio and Pitt's camaraderie in Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.

'Aquarius' Focuses on the Women of the Manson Family

The third act of Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood lands in the hands of the women of the Manson Family, which kicks off with a sinister scene featuring Dakota Fanning as Squeaky Fromme. The climax of the film, however, is a bloody extravaganza with harrowing performances, as Sadie (Mikey Madison), Katie (Beaty), and a demon-worshiping Tex Watson (Austin Butler) ultimately face off with a drunk Rick Dalton and an LSD-tripping Cliff Booth. Aquarius similarly spotlights the women of the Manson Family, exploring their stories further.

However, Dumont's impressionable Emma Karn is the glue that holds Aquarius together. Thanks to her, Hodiak becomes aware of Manson, and because of that, Manson becomes his number one target. The decision to create a fictional female Manson family member is a smart one for the series, liberating the writers to explore the stories of many women who fell victim to Manson's manipulation through one plotline. As Emma grows weary of Charlie's plans, however, the other Manson women begin to show their darker sides; the series doesn't paint them as helpless victims, but as blossoming murderers. Aquarius offers knotty character studies of women on the verge, and as Season 2 tackles the Tate-LaBianca murders head-on, these characters only become more terrifying.

'​​​​​​Aquarius' Is a Gritty Cop Drama and a Dark Exploration of Hollywood

The story of Manson and his cult cannot be told without revealing the dark side of Hollywood. It's been well-documented Manson was obsessed with stardom, and wanted to be the next big thing in music. Aquarius even follows the story of how he and the women came to stay at Brian Wilson's house in Hollywood, and how that ultimately contributed to actress Sharon Tate's eventual, tragic death. While the infamous serial killer is the spark that begins the story, Aquarius goes beyond the Manson cult and explores more of the unrest in Los Angeles during the '60s — including police brutality, workplace harassment, and racial discrimination. Airing on NBC despite its nudity and violence, Aquarius may have been too dark and daring for its own good, and was canceled after two seasons despite positive reviews.

Aquarius understands that there are no heroes or fairy tale endings in real life. Duchovny's Sam Hodiak follows in the footsteps of many hardened cops of the neo-noir genre, disenchanted with the free-spirited, bare-footed hippies strolling the streets while sensing the real darkness looming. Through his partnership with Brian, however, Hodiak is forced to understand the generation he has committed himself to hating and learns a thing or two about humanity in the process. Beneath the glamour of '60s Hollywood lies a lot of dirty dealings, something both Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood and Aquarius recognize. But while Tarantino writes the City of Angels a love letter, Aquarius gives it a reprimand.

Aquarius is available to watch on Netflix in the U.S.

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