24 TV Shows About Cults, From "The Vow" to "The Idol"

Hulu's "Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence" tells the horrifying story of how con man Larry Ray manipulated and abused a group of his daughter's friends at Sarah Lawrence for years, persuading them to cut contact with their families, perform unpaid labor, engage in sex work to pay him, and more.

This Prime Video docuseries follows an organization called Twin Flames Universe, which is very much still active — and its members are only just starting to come forward about the reality of what's going on. The alleged cult promises to help members find their twin flames, which are essentially described as the other half of their souls, but it also brands itself as a self-help organization. The group's founders, Jeff and Shaleia Ayan, have been accused of manipulative tactics such as coercing followers into pursuing exes who have placed restraining orders on them and much more. They have denied that their organization is a cult — though some followers disagree.

"The Idol" follows Lily-Rose Depp as Jocelyn, a pop star who's struggling to reinvent herself and relaunch her career after a nervous breakdown. When she meets nightclub owner Tedros (The Weeknd), she gets sucked into his orbit and eventually learns he's the leader of his very own Hollywood cult.

While the series is inspired by real life, "The Idol" is not based on a true story.

The Netflix documentary "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" examines the crimes of Warren Jeffs, the leader of the polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints, including the ways in which he psychologically controlled his followers using sexism, isolation from family, and, eventually, rape.

Perhaps one of the most high-profile entries on this list, "The Vow" is a comprehensive investigation of NXIVM, the abusive cult that masqueraded as a self-empowerment group. The series includes investigations into founder Keith Raniere and celebrity member Allison Mack, plus interviews with former members detailing exactly what went on at each level of the cult.

The Netflix docuseries traces the Rajneeshpuram movement, a town in Oregon entirely settled by followers of the controversial guru Rajneesh. In the 1980s, conflicts erupted between the cult and the surrounding community (as well as power struggles within the cult itself), culminating in a series of crimes and even a massive bioterror attack.

The Emmy-winning documentary investigates the history of Scientology, its founder, and its exploitations. Over the course of two hours, the filmmakers interview former members to learn how and why they joined (and left), reveal some of the true histories behind the organization's founding and uncover allegations of misconduct, abuse, blackmail, and exploitation that former members say are par for the course in the secretive group.

It's all right there in the title! The seventh season of the horror anthology takes place in the aftermath of the 2016 US presidential election, with some alarming twists. Everything from political and racial violence to a murder spree involving clowns shows up, all tied to a powerful man who slowly and effectively launches a misogynistic cult.

Leah Remini is among the most recognizable celebrities to leave Scientology, and she's focused much of her efforts in the years since on uncovering what really happens in that secretive organization. A&E's multi-season docuseries dives into the beliefs and practices of Scientology, as well as its hidden abuses and the stories of people who have left or who have lost loved ones to the organization.

This Netflix docuseries recounts the harrowing stories of several Korean religious leaders who claimed to be prophets and roped their vulnerable followers into dangerous situations — including Jung Myung-seok, the leader of the Jesus Morning Star cult; Kim Ki-Soon, the leader of the Baby Garden cult; and more.

India Oxenberg, one of the more high-profile victims of the NXIVM cult, is at the center of this documentary miniseries. Throughout the series, she offers a firsthand perspective on how recruits became enmeshed in the organization and its abuses, while also coming to terms with her own sense of responsibility and fractured relationships as a result of her actions while in the cult.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Heaven's Gate cult attracted followers with promises of spiritual ascension and an assortment of alien and UFO-related beliefs. HBO Max's docuseries investigates the cult's origins, its leaders, and how its followers were eventually led to an infamously tragic end.

Produced in 2018, to mark 40 years since the tragic events of Jonestown in Guyana, this four-part miniseries investigates how the cult came to be so powerful and what led to the mass tragedy. It follows the rise of cult leader Jim Jones, traces the path to disaster, and directly interviews several survivors, all of whom have complicated feelings about their pasts.

This documentary is a firsthand account of one man's experiences within the Buddhafield cult. After rising up through the ranks and becoming the cult's official documentarian, he left it all behind. Now, he and other former members share their experiences and reveal the odd and often abusive practices of the cult and its leader.

This semi-fictionalized series is set in 1960s Los Angeles, where LAPD detectives investigate a missing-person case and find themselves going up against Charles Manson. While many of the characters and details are fictional, Manson and some of the stories surrounding his horrifying cult are very real indeed.

When a petty criminal steals the identity of a dead woman who looks just like her, she unwittingly starts to unravel a conspiracy that involves a whole array of identical clones. While it's mostly a sci-fi show, the story's bioengineering conspiracies and shady organizations hew more closely to cults than your standard-issue sci-fi villains.

A former English professor with an obsession with Edgar Allan Poe becomes a cult leader with followers willing to do anything he says, even murder. After he escapes from prison, a determined FBI agent with a personal stake in the case tries to track him down and stop him and his followers.

Somewhat fictionalized but based on a true story, this miniseries follows the infamous 1993 standoff between the US government and the Branch Davidian cult in Waco, TX. Run by an eerie and charismatic leader, the cult enters a weeks-long standoff with federal agents at its compound, with deadly results.

After two percent of the world's population disappears suddenly, the resulting social upheaval leads to the rise of several different cults in this sci-fi drama. Different people join different cults, seeking answers in a world that has changed rapidly, but each group has its own terrifying secrets that tear apart friends, neighbors, and families.

While on a spiritual retreat meant to strengthen his faith in a cult-like spiritual movement, a man has a vision that instead leads him to start questioning the group and its beliefs. As he struggles with his newfound realizations, the cult's leaders attempt to spread their influence, and the FBI becomes suspicious of what's really happening behind closed doors.

One of Marvel's more underrated shows, this series revolves around a group of six teenagers who discover that their parents might be part of a creepy cult that performs ritual sacrifices to appease a strange alien life force. It's a blend of teen drama, superhero tropes, and all the creepiness that comes from a bizarre, secretive cult hiding right under everyone's noses.

This one isn't exactly about a cult, but more about a comedic, exaggerated look at the aftermath of one. After being rescued from a (tiny) cult devoted to a bizarre but charismatic man, Kimmy Schmidt has to learn what the real world is like, from finding an apartment to getting a job and discovering just how much she has to discover.

Part of the "A&E Investigates" series, this documentary miniseries covers a wide variety of cults, fringe religious movements, and other similar organizations. Seven episodes are dedicated to investigating individual groups, from NXIVM to the Twelve Tribes and more. The other two episodes share the stories of survivors, as told directly by them.

Over the course of two seasons, "Deadly Cults" investigates a number of cults, all linked to violent crimes, disappearances, and even murders. From well-recognized groups to bizarre fringe cults, they're all linked by unusual beliefs, charismatic leaders, and devotion that leads to violence.