Isabela Merced and Patrick Schwarzenegger are set to portray Lorena and John Bobbitt in the second season of Hulu’s Good American Family, with the true-crime anthology turning its attention to one of the most notorious and controversial cases of the 1990s.
Merced, known for her roles in The Last of Us and Superman, will play Lorena Bobbitt, while Schwarzenegger, who recently gained attention for his performance in The White Lotus, will portray her former husband, John Bobbitt.
The upcoming instalment will revisit the couple’s highly publicised 1993 case, which became an international media sensation and sparked widespread debate surrounding domestic abuse, sexual assault and the treatment of women in the public eye.
According to the series’ description, the story will examine how the case became a media spectacle, with sensationalised coverage turning a deeply troubling personal situation into a source of public entertainment and controversy.
The case made headlines in June 1993 when Lorena cut off John’s penis with a kitchen knife while he was asleep. She later alleged that she had endured abuse during their marriage. John was acquitted of marital sexual assault in November 1993, while Lorena was found not guilty by reason of insanity in January 1994. The couple divorced in 1995.
Rather than simply revisiting the shocking details that dominated news coverage at the time, the new season has the opportunity to explore the wider circumstances surrounding the case and the impact of its relentless media attention.
The second season follows the same anthology format established by Good American Family’s debut instalment, which premiered in March 2025. The first season starred Ellen Pompeo as Kristine Barnett and explored the controversial adoption story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian-born orphan whose age and identity became the subject of a highly publicised dispute.
Katie Robbins, who created the series, is returning for the next chapter alongside executive producer Ellen Pompeo. The creative team will once again draw from a real-life story that captured widespread attention while examining the complexities behind the headlines.
The Bobbitt case has previously been explored onscreen, including in the 2019 documentary series Lorena, produced by Jordan Peele, and the 2020 Lifetime television film I Was Lorena Bobbitt.
For Merced and Schwarzenegger, the project presents an opportunity to take on challenging roles inspired by real people whose lives became inseparable from a sensationalised public narrative.
The second season of Good American Family does not yet have an announced title or premiere date. Further casting details have also yet to be revealed.
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