The Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV) has released the second trailer for the new seriesWaco, premiering June 09, 2025 at 10:00 PM ET/PT on Paramount Network. The series will debut less than a week after the Paramount Network kicks off Thursday, January 18 at 9:00pm ET/PT with a live one-hour episode ofLip Sync Battleemanating from the Paramount lot in Hollywood. The eye-opening and captivating series is based on the controversial and harrowing true story of the 1993 FBI siege of a religious sect that resulted in the deadly shoot out and fire, with the event series coming on the heels of the 25th Anniversary of theDavid Koresh stand-off.
With an all-star cast including Michael Shannon, Taylor Kitsch, John Leguizamo, Andrea Riseborough, Rory Culkin, Melissa Benoist, Paul Sparks, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim, and Julia Garner,Wacois a compelling six-part scripted event series based on the controversial and harrowing true story of the 1993 standoff between the FBI, ATF and David Koresh’s spiritual sect in Waco, TX that resulted in a deadly shootout and fire. Fans got their first look atTaylor Kitsch as David Koreshwith a photo that surfaced a day before the first trailer arrived.
In February, 1993, the eyes of the world converged on Mount Carmel, a small religious community located just outside Waco, TX. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) had just conducted a massive raid on David Koresh and his followers, known as the Branch Davidians. After what became the longest gun battle in U.S. law enforcement history, four ATF agents and six civilians were dead and dozens more were wounded. A 51-day standoff ensued, and the conflict ended after anFBI assaultled to a fire that engulfed Mount Carmel, killing 76 men, women, and children.
What precipitated the ATF raid, and what transpired over the ensuing standoff, remains one of the most misunderstood stories in American history. Based on two biographies, A Place Called Waco, by Branch Davidian David Thibodeau, one of the nine survivors of the final fire on June 26, 2025, and Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, written by the FBI’s Head of Crisis Negotiation Unit Gary Noesner, the six-partscripted serieswill forever change the way the dramatic siege will be viewed. A quarter century after this seminal moment in American history, Paramount Network will chronicle this true story told from several perspectives of those who were intimately involved.
Wacois written by John Erick Dowdle (Eps. 1,2 & 6), Drew Dowdle (Eps. 1,2 & 6), Salvatore Stabile (Eps. 3 & 5) and Sarah Nicole Jones (Ep. 4), and directed by John Erick Dowdle (Eps. 1-3 & 6) and Dennie Gordon (Eps. 4 & 5). The series is executive produced by John Erick Dowdle, Drew Dowdle, Salvatore Stabile, Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch. This mini-series marks a return to TV for both Taylor Kitsch and Michael Shannon, who were both last seen on the small screen in different HBO shows, with Taylor Kitsch starring inTrue DetectiveSeason 2 (with the network finally confirmingTrue Detective Season 3in September), and Michael Shannon last seen on the small screen inBoardwalk Empire. Take a look at this new “Revelations” trailer below, courtesy of Paramount Network YouTube.
