Lifetime Kicks Off ‘Notorious’ Women Movie Month With ‘How To Murder Your Husband’

Lifetime is upping their true crime game with some killer movies.

And this makes Cybill Shepherd cry, but for a good reason.

Over the next month, each Saturday night, the network will air new movies featuring four ‘notorious’ women.

First up, on Saturday, January 14th, Shepherd and Steve Guttenberg star in How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story.

Based on a true story, Nancy Crampton-Brophy, a Portland-based romance-thriller novelist, who seemed to have a knack for writing about murder, is convicted of killing her own husband in 2022.

Other upcoming ripped from the headlines movies on the network include Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias, showing Arias’ life in prison after being convicted of killing her boyfriend Travis Alexander; Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini about the blonde mom who faked being kidnapped in order to spend time with a boyfriend; and Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation, featuring the story of the controversial religious leader and faith-based diet creator who positioned herself as God’s prophet and preached the virtues of being thin.

Tanya Lopez, Executive Vice President, Movies, Limited Series & Original Movie Acquisitions at Lifetime, says that these she’s drawn to these stories because each one features a complicated, layered woman. “They’re not always what we would all see as particularly honorable, but they’re very bright, they’re smart, and they’re going through issues that are coming from different points of views.”

She says that the team at Lifetime has found, after doing true crime movies for year, is “that women love to learn about other women. They love to learn about why people do what they do.”

But, it’s not just about reporting what happened, explains Lopez. “We want to be able to tell the audience what they didn’t know [about the story.] So, when the audience comes to [one of our movies], they’re just not reading a headline, they’re finding out what’s beneath and behind the story.”

Shepherd says that she was attracted to the role because, “I have never played a murderer before that I recall. And I was fascinated by this story.”

And, she admits that it was acting opposite Guttenberg that drew her in as well. “When I heard that Steve would be doing it, I couldn’t think of a nicer person to have to murder.”

Guttenberg surmises, “There’s nothing like passion, and even if it comes to murder, you had a good time before the murder. So that’s why I decided to do it.”

To get into character, Shepherd says that her makeup and costume play a large role in the process. “When I had my first look at myself in that gray wig, I started to become that character. And by the time I [saw] this film, I don’t know who that woman is in there because I’m no longer that person.”

She reiterates that it was tough to even think about ‘killing’ her co-star. “I mean having to kill a man that I love so much as Steve, having to get to the point in my emotional health and my psychological just being disturbed enough to actually murder a man that I love, it was very difficult, but once I began to see myself in the gray wig, and I began to transform [and] it became far easier to murder.”

Expounding on Nancy’s victim, her husband Daniel, Guttenberg says, “I feel he was a little bit more complicated than just being a nice man. This was his second marriage and he had some problems with his first. He was actually known as a quiet guy, who was terrifically gregarious at work, but at home or with groups of people, he was quiet. So, I just wanted to dedicate myself to honoring the guy — giving him some dimension.”

Guttenberg then takes a moment to pontificate on what he calls ‘a man’s perspective on Lifetime movies,’ saying, “You know, a matriarchal society is always more successful than a patriarchal society. It just is. Women are smarter. Women are able to survive much easier. And we guys, frankly are dumb. We’re selfish and we think the whole world revolves around us. The truth is it doesn’t. When I’m watching the network, it’s just it’s fascinating to me and also a bit a bit frightening to understand that we men are not in charge. We think we are, but we’re not, and that’s what I glean from watching the network.”

As she wraps up her thoughts about the project, the water works start for Shepherd. “Oh, it was lovely. It really was. And I have to say, [Steve] is such a generous, wonderful guy.”

She doesn’t apologize for her unexpected tears, but explains that the emotion outburst stems from having become a grandma. “You become a grandma and [this is what happens],” she says with a slight laugh.

But this is precisely this kind of commitment — expressing true feelings without the slightest remorse — that allowed the actors of these films to create ‘wonderful’ moments, permitting viewers to be privy to the inside story of the characters, says Guttenberg. “I love creating true emotion that explain to the audience, ‘Ahhh, that’s what’s going on.’”

‘How to Murder Your Husband: The Nancy Brophy Story’ premieres Saturday, Jan. 14th at 8/7c.

‘Bad Behind Bars: Jodi Arias’ premieres Saturday, Jan. 21^st at 8/7c

‘Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini’ premieres Saturday, Jan. 28^th at 8/7c

‘Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation’ premieres Saturday, February 4^th at 8/7c.

All of the movies will be available for streaming the day after airing on the network.