A question of FAITH

ANDREW GARFIELD and DAISY EDGAR-JONES on their true-crime drama

- STEVEN PERKINS

UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN

NEW FROM WEDNESDAY 27 JULY, STAR ON DISNEY+ DRAMA

A tight-knit religious community in the American state of Utah was rocked to its core in 1984 by the murders of 24-year-old Brenda Wright Lafferty and her 15-month-old daughter, Erica. 

Brenda's husband, Allen Lafferty, was part of a renowned local Mormon family, who Allen had recently distanced himself from because of their extremist views. Detectives eventually discovered that Brenda and Erica were killed by Allen's older brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who claimed God had told them to do it.

This true-crime story is the basis of Under the Banner of Heaven, a seven-part limited drama launching on Star on Disney+ this week and starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) as Brenda, Billy Howle (The Serpent) as Allen, and Andrew Garfield as (fictional) Detective Jeb Pyre. 

Here, TV Times guides you through the series...

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In the drama, the murder case is assigned to Detective Jeb Pyre, a devout Mormon who knows the Lafferty family well. When he learns of Allen's loss of faith, Jeb is suspicious of him. But as the investigation intensifies, Jeb finds himself questioning his own beliefs, too.

'The subject matter interests me deeply,' says Hollywood film star Andrew, 38, who has recently been nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of Pyre.

'It's such an important story, looking at how we create the myths that we live in, and how they infect and affect our behaviour. When we ask questions of faith and doubt, and how to live one's life, it's only then that we start to really get into what we're doing here, in the time that we're on Earth.' Although the series is based on a true story, the characters of Jeb Pyre and his work partner, Detective Bill Taba (Yellowstone's Gil Birmingham), are actually both fictional.