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(from Paramount Network's press release, January 2018) As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary of the federal siege on David Koresh's Branch Davidian compound, Paramount Network will present the six-part television event "Waco" premiering Wednesday, January 24 at 10 pm, ET/PT. Featuring an all-star cast including Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, Andrea Riseborough, John Leguizamo, Melissa Benoist, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, Rory Culkin, Julia Garner and Camryn Manheim, Paramount Network's "Waco" chronicles this true story told from perspectives of those who were intimately involved. In February 1993, the eyes of the world converged on Mount Carmel, a small religious community located just outside Waco, TX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had just conducted a massive raid on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians. After what became the longest gun battle in U.S. law enforcement history, four ATF agents and six civilians were dead and dozens more were wounded. A 51-day standoff ensued, and the conflict ended after an FBI assault led to a fire that engulfed Mount Carmel, killing 76 men, women, and children. What precipitated the ATF raid, and what transpired over the ensuing standoff, remains one of the most misunderstood stories in American history. Based on two biographies, Waco: A Survivor's Story, by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the final fire on April 19, 1993, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, written by the FBI's Head of Crisis Negotiation Unit Gary Noesner, the six-part scripted television series "Waco" will forever change the way the dramatic siege will be viewed. |
