What is The Synanon Fix about? HBO documentary explained

Here’s everything you need to know about The Synanon Fix, HBO’s new cult documentary series, from what it’s about and who’s in it to its release schedule and if it’s worth watching. 

Out of the best true crime of 2023, one of those was Love Has Won, about the sect and its late leader, Amy Carlson. But it was far from the only cult-based documentary to reach our screens. 

Other notable entries included Escaping Twin Flames, about the Twin Flames Universe and the masterminds behind it, Jeff and Shaleia, as well as Netflix’s Waco: American Apocalypse, centering on the infamous Waco siege.

Today, we’re here to focus on Synanon, the drug rehabilitation program that descended into a destructive, violent force. While Paramount+ dropped Born in Synanon last year, now it’s the turn of HBO with The Synanon Fix – here’s what you need to know. 

What is The Synanon Fix about?

From filmmakers Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey, The Synanon Fix is a four-part documentary series about the controversial movement, formerly known as Tender Loving Care.

Featuring interviews with ex-members, it tracks the group’s rise in the 1950s as a revolutionary recovery community to its fall as it spiraled into abuse and cult-like behavior. 

Check out the trailer below: 

Synanon was founded by Charles “Chuck” Dederich back in 1958, originally to help rehabilitate heroin addicts in Santa Monica who had nowhere else to go. As stated by HBO, the program originally found success with its confrontational talk therapy known as “The Game” – and it continued to flourish over the years and spread across the US.

“By attracting non-addicts, so-called ‘lifestylers’ in search of community, and funded through donations, Synanon grew into a complex system of self-sustaining businesses and diverse and egalitarian communal living headed up by the charismatic Chuck and his wife Betty,” the description continues.  

The Game was a form of group therapy where members could confront each other about their failures and shortcomings in a brutally honest, often confrontational manner. As the years went on, these revolutionary therapies grew increasingly extreme.

Chuck started to take on an authoritarian approach, morphing into paranoid behavior and cult-like rules, all of which culminated in charges of child abuse, assault, and even attempted murder. All of this and more will be explored in detail in The Synanon Fix. 

Who’s in The Synanon Fix?

The Synanon Fix interviews individuals involved with the group, including Chuck’s daughter and eventual Synanon leader Jady Dederich Montgomery in her first time speaking publicly about her experiences.

Among the former members who feature in the docuseries are: 

• Miriam Bourdette
• Phil Bourdette
• Elena Broslovsky
• Marshall Carder
• Ron Cook
• Rebekah Crawford
• Judi Ehrlich
• Mike Gimbel
• Bill Goodson
• Terry Hurst
• Norm Johnson
• Buddy Jones
• Lance Kenton
• Lena Lindsey
• Rod Mullen
• Bob Navarro
• Lynn Ritter
• Phil Ritter
• Josh Silvers

Synanon neighbors Robert Gambonini and Alvina Balistreri and Los Angeles Times journalist Narda Zacchino are also interviewed in The Synanon Fix. 

The Synanon Fix release schedule

The first episode of The Synanon Fix airs on HBO on April 1, 2024, at 9pm ET / 6pm PT, when it will also be available to stream on Max. New episodes drop weekly thereafter at the same time.  

You can check out the full release schedule below: 

• Episode 1, ‘Here Come The Dopefiends’ – April 1
• Episode 2: ‘A War On Convention’ – April 8
• Episode 3: ‘What In The Hell Is Happening?’ – April 15
• Episode 4 ‘Strap Yourself To The Mast’ – April 22

Is The Synanon Fix worth watching?

Although it’s too early for a Rotten Tomatoes score, The Synanon Fix has received a number of positive reviews so far. 

Heaven of Horror wrote: “If you like focused and detailed documentaries about cults and true crime, then The Synanon Fix on HBO and streaming on Max is definitely for you… Watching it in one sitting is brutal – trust me!”

LA Weekly added: “The series makes sense of it by approaching the story with an understanding of the context of the times. It gets down and dirty and is unflinchingly honest about everything from child abuse to birth control mandated by Dederich, including vasectomies for men as part of its lifetime rehabilitation.”

For more true crime, be sure to check out our roundup of the new documentaries hitting streaming this month. And you can find the best new movies and most binge worthy TV shows to add to your watchlist this April too.