For anyone who’s followed the NXIVM saga over the last several years, it might seem strange that HBO’s The Vow, an HBO docuseries about the sprawling multi-level marketing scheme and wellness cult, has, with only one episode left, yet to delve into the arrests and convictions of founder Keith Raniere, actor Allison Mack, and other members. Well, there’s a reason for that.
Today, HBO announced that a new season of the docuseries will premiere in 2021 with Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer staying on as the series’ directors. While season one focused on the broad strokes of the organization’s philosophy, recruitment process, and exploitive practices, as well as the efforts of former members to expose the cult, season two will be set “against the backdrop of the federal trial of The United States against Keith Raniere.”
Per a synopsis from HBO, the new episodes will “offer an exclusive view into Raniere’s innermost circle,” many of whom have lingered around the edges of the first season’s episodes.
It continues:
It delves into the stories of NXIVM’s top leadership in the US and Mexico, and into powerful, intimate stories of DOS members. Part Two follows the legal and emotional journeys of the group’s founders, supporters and defectors as new evidence and stunning revelations come to light while federal prosecutors and defense attorneys battle for opposing views of justice in a case caught in the national spotlight.
Raniere was convicted last year of crimes that include racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, identity theft, and production and possession of child pornography. He’s expected to be sentenced on October 27. Mack, who pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and racketeering acts of state law extortion and forced labor, is currently awaiting sentencing.
The Vow’s season one finale airs this Sunday, the same night that Starz will debut Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult, its own four-part series about NXIVM.