Hart is showcasing her dramatic range and leveraging her production company, Hartbreak Films Inc., to bring a complex true crime story to the screen.
Insiders note the perfect irony: the woman who played a teenage witch is now playing a 'black widow' killer. The casting feels like Lifetime’s ultimate power move to reclaim their queen of true crime.
Premiere date is set for Saturday, Jan. 23, 2027, at 8 p.m. on Lifetime. Hart’s mother, Paula Hart, is also executive producing the film.
Melissa Joan Hart is finally playing the villain she was born to play, and with her mom in the producer’s chair, this witch’s brew is bound to be potent.
Sabrina Spellman never quite went this dark, but Melissa Joan Hart is ready to trade her magical hat for handcuffs. In a casting announcement that feels like the ultimate Lifetime homecoming, Hart will star as serial killer Judy Buenoano, known as "The Black Widow," in the upcoming movie *Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story*. This isn’t just another role for Hart; she is also executive producing the film through her company, Hartbreak Films Inc., signaling a serious commitment to this gritty true crime narrative.
The movie is part of Lifetime’s winter "Ripped From the Headlines" slate, a branding choice that suggests the network is leaning hard into the sensationalism that made them famous. The plot is a classic tale of deception and murder, set against the backdrop of the 1970s and 1980s. Hart plays Buenoano, a successful Florida salon owner and mother whose pristine image begins to crumble after her fiancé, John Gentry, survives a car bombing.
As Detective Chamberlain, played by Chris Bauer (known for *True Blood* and *The Wire*), and his partner Detective Steele, portrayed by Cronin Cullen (*The Equalizer*), dig into the attempted murder, they uncover a disturbing pattern of deaths surrounding Buenoano. The synopsis poses the chilling question everyone wants answered: are these tragedies mere coincidences, or the work of a calculated plan? Matthew Settle, famous for *Gossip Girl* and *Band of Brothers*, plays the unlucky fiancé John Gentry.
Behind the scenes, this is very much a family affair. Paula Hart, Melissa’s mother and former manager, is also executive producing the film for Hartbreak Films Inc., alongside Jason Egenberg of Tiny Riot and a team from Fox Entertainment Studios. The film is directed by Agam Darshi with a script by Taylor Martin.
Fox Entertainment Global will handle international distribution, indicating that Lifetime is betting big on this project’s global appeal. The involvement of her mother adds a layer of intrigue; can we trust the mother-daughter duo to bring out the best—or the most terrifying—performance in Melissa? Mark your calendars, true crime junkies. *Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story* is scheduled to premiere on Saturday, January 23, 2027, at 8 p.m. on Lifetime.
While the title is still considered a working title, the casting of Hart as a notorious killer is no joke. It’s a bold move for an actress who has spent decades in sitcoms, but given Lifetime’s history with Hart (*When I Said I Do*), this feels like a reunion designed to captivate the network’s core audience. The receipts are in: Hart is back, and this time, she’s the one doing the haunting.
