Jim Cavanaugh and Gary Noesner were two key special agents involved in the infamous 51-day standoff documented in Waco: American Apocalypse. The three-part Netflix series premieres Wednesday, March 22, and in the TV Insider exclusive clip above, the former Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and FBI agents detail their change in command that nearly curtailed all negotiations with cult leader David Koresh.
Netflix describes the “immersive” Waco: American Apocalypse as “the definitive account of what happened in Waco, Texas in 1993 when cult leader David Koresh faced off against the federal government in a bloody 51-day siege.”
“The conflict began with the biggest gunfight on American soil since the Civil War and ended with a fiery inferno captured live on national television,” the logline continues. “In between, it riveted TV viewers across the globe, becoming the biggest news story in the world.”
The new series, released to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the national tragedy, is directed by acclaimed filmmaker Tiller Russell (Night Stalker) and “features exclusive access to recently unearthed videotapes filmed inside the FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit, as well as raw news footage never released to the American public, and FBI recordings.”
Some of those recordings are seen above. In the clip, Noesner (FBI Crisis Negotiation Unit Chief at the time) explains why he was brought in to relieve Cavanaugh, who had been running point on communication with Koresh and didn’t take kindly to talking to someone new. Typically, someone in his position wouldn’t be handling this task, as he was more of a team leader. But this was a special case.
Also taking part in the documentary are one of Koresh’s spiritual wives, the last child released from the compound alive, a sniper from the FBI Hostage Rescue Team, and key journalists covering the story, as well as members of the ATF tactical team who watched their colleagues die in the shootout against members of the religious sect.
Using cutting-edge visual technology, Waco: American Apocalypse takes viewers inside the multifaceted clash between the Branch Davidians and federal law enforcement in the “epic drama about God and guns in America.”
Waco: American Apocalypse, Series Premiere, Wednesday, March 22, Netflix
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