Bingeable - Captive Audience 

What’s it rated? Not rated

When? 2022

Where’s it showing? Hulu

The incredible real-life tale of the disappearance and reappearance of Steven Stayner and Timothy White is laid out by those closest to the case—Steven's family. Steven was just 7 years old when he was abducted and held by child rapist Kenneth Parnell, who changed Steven's identity and lived under the guise that the young boy was his son.

click to enlarge

• PHOTO COURTESY OF HIGH FIVE CONTENT AND WONDERBURST
• STRANGER THAN FICTION The Hulu miniseries Captive Audience tells the unbelievable tale of Stayner family, whose young son Steven was kidnapped as a child and eventually escaped his captor, but whose older brother Cary later committed horrible crimes.

When Steven was 14 years old, Parnell brought home a 5-year-old boy named Timothy White. Knowing the young boy would suffer his same fate, Steven fled with the boy and got them to safety.

Returning home wasn't an easy transition for the teenager. Huge media attention invaded the Stayners' lives and led to a made-for-TV movie about the ordeal. Adjusting back to what was considered a "normal" life was incredibly difficult not just for Steven himself but also his family. Revelations about the true impact of Steven's abduction and return rippled out, and tragedy continued to follow the family.

Gripping and woefully sad, this documentary may not cheer your mood, but it is certainly worth a watch, especially for fans of true crime or those fascinated by psychological study. (three 42- to 49-min. episodes)

—Anna