Melissa Joan Hart plays serial killer Judy Buenoano in Lifetime’s Black Widow Killer

Here we go then: Melissa Joan Hart, who everyone of a certain age is still most likely to call Sabrina the Teenage Witch, is busy swapping broomsticks for something considerably more sinister. She’s taking on the lead in a new Lifetime true-crime flick, stepping into the shoes of convicted serial killer Judy Buenoano—the so-called ‘Black Widow’—in Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story.

The film lands on Lifetime on 23 January 2027, 8 p.m. ET.

And for those who like extra credit, Hart isn’t just starring—she’s also clocked in as executive producer, so she’s properly hands-on with this one.

The Cast and Crew

The whole thing is being put together by Hartbreak Films Inc., which is Hart’s own outfit, in collaboration with Tiny Riot and Fox Entertainment Studios. There’s some TV crime pedigree joining her, too: Chris Bauer (anyone remember True Blood?) has signed up as Detective Chamberlain, the bloke who’s trying to stitch the whole case together. Matthew Settle is on board as John Gentry, Judy’s not-so-lucky fiancé. Agam Darshi is directing, and it’s all from the pen of writer Taylor Martin.

A quick recap of the producing roster: Paula Hart, Jason Egenberg, Fernando Szew, Hannah Pillemer, Larry Grimaldi and Julianna Hays are all listed as executive producers. (Yes, there are a lot—welcome to telly, darling.) Fox Entertainment Global are handling international sales, so there’s every chance this one will pop up on UK telly after it does its US run.

The Real Story Behind the Film

So what’s the big draw here? Well, Judy Buenoano was a Florida salon owner and mum with—on paper, at least—a pretty nondescript life. That illusion quickly fell apart after her fiancé, Gentry, managed to survive a car bombing. All set in the late 70s and 80s, the film tracks detectives as they piece together not just that attack, but a string of deeply shady goings-on connected back to her. We’re talking about multiple suspicious deaths that at first glance looked like a run of truly rotten luck—turns out, not so much.

The investigation winds up linking Judy to several murders dressed up as tragic misfortune. She was ultimately convicted of killing her son Michael and her first husband James Goodyear, alongside that attempted murder of Gentry. The motive? Straight-up insurance grifts. Florida eventually executed her in 1998, cementing her reputation as one of the state’s darker characters.

This latest entry goes out as part of Lifetime’s annual “Ripped From the Headlines” winter season—a reliable thunk of TV movies where someone’s always being quietly murdered for the insurance money. Expect plenty of period costumes, a steady trickle of new suspects, and Hart putting her Sabrina past firmly in the rear-view.