HBO Original Documentary Series “The Synanon Fix” Debuts April 1

The HBO Original four-part documentary series THE SYNANON FIX, from filmmakers Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey (HBO’s “Ethel,” “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing”) debuts Monday, April 1 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT) on HBO and will be available to stream on Max, with new episodes debuting subsequent Mondays at the same time.

Told through first person accounts of former members, THE SYNANON FIX explores the rise and fall of the controversial treatment center Synanon, which grew from a groundbreaking drug rehabilitation program in the late 1950s into a communal living experiment that would later draw criticism for abuse and cult-like behavior.

Synanon, the brainchild of Charles “Chuck” Dederich, originated in 1958 as a scrappy Santa Monica-based storefront rehab serving heroin addicts who had no place else to go. With remarkable success thanks to a confrontational talk therapy known as “The Game,” Synanon grew to be a darling of the growing recovery community with numerous locations throughout the United States. 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. But as the years went on, the radical therapies became increasingly extreme, degenerating into paranoid behavior and cult-like mandates from Chuck, and culminating in charges of child abuse, assault, and even attempted murder. THE SYNANON FIX explores the organization’s tragic fall from grace as its potential as a revolutionary way of healing spiraled into a profoundly destructive force.

Featured Participants: THE SYNANON FIX features candid interviews with former members of Synanon including Chuck’s daughter and eventual Synanon leader Jady Dederich Montgomery, speaking publicly for the first time about her experience, plus 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, and Josh Silvers. Also taking part are one-time Synanon neighbors Robert Gambonini and Alvina Balistreri, and Los Angeles Times journalist Narda Zacchino. The series showcases wide-ranging Synanon archival material including footage of “The Game,” news footage, and extensive audio recordings of Chuck Dederich’s teachings, and exhortations to the community.

Episode Descriptions:

Episode 1: “Here come the dopefiends”

Debut date: Monday, April 1 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT)

Recovering alcoholic Charles “Chuck” Dederich opens a storefront drug rehabilitation program in Santa Monica in 1958, offering addicts a welcoming space to work through their problems via emotional, verbal catharsis. Synanon, as he names it, soon attracts celebrities and non-addicts who donate their time and wealth to the program. The community grows into a social movement that expands across the country, with thousands of people saying Synanon saved their lives.

Episode 2: “A war on convention”

Debut date: Monday, April 8 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT)

By 1970, Synanon has become a version of model society. The self-sustaining, member-run, communal living enclave boasts its own farm, a school, and multiple businesses. Chuck establishes “The Synanon Religion” and maintains their tax-exempt status. As Chuck becomes increasingly authoritative and dictatorial, he implements more extreme edicts, including mandatory head-shaving and living conditions in which the children are kept apart from their parents. Many members find themselves weighing the benefits and costs of the choices they’re forced to make.

Episode 3: “What in the hell is happening?”

Debut date: Monday, April 15 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT)

Chuck’s behavior becomes more belligerent and abusive. He forms a military-like boot camp for delinquent children where corporal punishment abounds. He mandates vasectomies and abortions and, when his wife dies, he quickly remarries and decrees that all current relationships must end so that everyone can find new partners. Many members divorce and remarry, which some of them later regret. TIME Magazine publishes “Swinging at Synanon” and Chuck sues for $76 million as his paranoia grows.

Episode 4: “Strap yourself to the mast”

Debut date: Monday, April 22 (9:00-10:00PM ET/PT)

In 1977, the Los Angeles Times reports on the nine-day abduction of Frances Winn by Synanon. Lawyer Paul Morantz wins a settlement case in her favor. With media focus heating up, Chuck spends $62,000 on guns and ammunition, at the time the largest single firearms purchase in California history. Soon thereafter, he allegedly orchestrates an attempt on Morantz’s life. He is sentenced to five years probation. Drinking again and diagnosed with mental illness, Chuck loses everything and dies in a nursing home, leaving a troubled legacy as a creative, but unchecked genius. Many adherents are left to piece together their lives in the aftermath without Synanon.

Credits: HBO Documentary Films presents THE SYNANON FIX A Moxie Films Production, a series by Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey. Directed by Rory Kennedy; written by Mark Bailey, Jeff Swimmer, and Keven McAlester; executive produced by Rory Kennedy and Mark Bailey; produced by Alexandra Korba and Keven McAlester; co-produced by Jeff Swimmer. For HBO: executive producers, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, and Tina Nguyen.