Sophia’s search for her unknown grandfather leads to Charles Manson, and the result is headed to Hulu on July 22. My Grandfather Charles Manson puts that discovery at the center of a documentary built around family history, never-before-released records, and exclusive audio recordings.
Sophia and Charles Manson
Sophia was always the good girl growing up and her father’s rock, which gives the documentary its sharpest conflict. As she traces her grandfather’s life, she finds that the man in question is Charles Manson, described here as history’s most notorious criminal.
That shift moves the story from genealogy into family fallout. The more Sophia uncovers, the more her relationship with her father is strained, and the film uses that pressure to frame what she learns rather than treating the discovery like a simple reveal.
July 22 on Hulu
My Grandfather Charles Manson premieres on July 22 on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers in the U.S., with Disney+ carrying it internationally. The rollout gives the title a wide streaming launch, rather than limiting it to one platform or one market.
The documentary was directed by Sophia Maddox and Alexandra Orton, with Matt Renner for SMUGGLER Entertainment, Alexandra Orton, and Eric Cook producing. It was executive produced by Sophia Maddox for Joan of Arc Pictures and Tim Pastore, Brian Carmody, and Patrick Milling-Smith for SMUGGLER Entertainment.
Records and audio
Its key differentiator is the source material Sophia’s genetics unlock: never-before-released records and exclusive audio recordings. That is the part that should matter most to viewers who want more than a familiar true-crime outline, because the film is not only revisiting Charles Manson; it is presenting material the audience has not heard before.
For anyone deciding whether to queue it up on July 22, the draw is not just the name in the title. It is the way Sophia’s private family search becomes a documented search through unreliable narrators, physical resemblance, and a relationship with her father that keeps tightening as the facts emerge.
