HBO is bringing more harrowing detail about the NXIVM cult to viewers in The Vow Part Two, a six-part followup to the 2020 documentary. The Vow Part Two will debut Monday, October 17 with new episodes on subsequent Mondays on HBO. The series will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
Keith Raniere, NXIVM’s co-founder, was convicted of crimes including racketeering, sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, identity theft, and production and possession of child pornography in June 2019. He received a 120-year prison sentence for his crimes. The Vow Part Two is set against the backdrop of the federal trial of The United States against Raniere, offering an exclusive view into Raniere’s innermost circle, including NXIVM co-founder Nancy Salzman.
As the logline describes, the series “follows the legal and emotional journeys of the group’s founders, supporters, and defectors as new evidence and stunning revelations come to light, while federal prosecutors and defense attorneys battle with opposing views of justice in a case caught in the national spotlight.”
Check out the teaser for The Vow Part Two, above.
“So I heard Keith hasn’t been seen in weeks,” a voice in the video says. “I’m pretty sure he’s on the run.” The clips then cut between footage of Raniere and others in the organization, including Smallville alum Allison Mack, who was sentenced to three years in prison and three years of supervision upon release in 2021 after pleading guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges.
“Imagine you spent 22 years trying to build something, and everybody thinks it’s the devil’s work,” Salzman says in the video. Salzman, who was known as the “Prefect” in the cult that she referred to as a self-help group, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison in 2021 after pleading guilty to a racketeering conspiracy charge in 2019.
The video also bounces between the starkly different opinions of women close to the matter — from harsh critics to those who trusted and believed in Raniere. A theme of the docuseries seems to be proving that Raniere had evil intentions all along.
“This intent was never about doing any good for any woman,” one woman says, while another declares: “Keith was very dear to me and I know he’s innocent.”
The teaser closes out with a man saying, “You know the best way to train a con artist? Let the games that they play work.”
The Vow Part Two is directed by Jehane Noujaim. Rosadel Varela serves as series producer. Producers include Mona Eldaief, Dan Hacker, Richard Hankin, John Miller-Monzon, and Claire Reade and co-producers Marina Nieto Ritger and Hana Wuerker. The documentary is executive produced by Karim Amer, Geralyn White Dreyfous, Nina Fialkow, Lyn Davis Lear, Mike Lerner, and Jehane Noujaim. Executive producers for HBO include Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Sara Rodriguez.
The Vow Part Two, Premieres Monday, October 17, HBO & HBO Max, New Episodes Weekly