Explore the rise and fall of the Synanon organization — through the eyes of the members who lived it — from its early days as a groundbreaking drug rehabilitation program to its later descent into what many consider a cult.
Episode 1
Recovering alcoholic Chuck opens a storefront rehabilitation program in 1958, offering addicts a space for emotional catharsis. It grows into a nationwide movement, with thousands claiming it saved their lives.
Episode 2
Synanon transforms into a communal society with its own farm, school and businesses. Chuck establishes "The Synanon Religion" to maintain tax-exempt status. He enforces extreme rules like head shaving and separating children from parents.
Episode 3
Chuck's leadership of a rehabilitation program takes an authoritarian turn, enforcing strict rules and harsh punishments, disrupting members' personal lives, and prompting a public backlash that fuels his growing paranoia.
