Serial killer docuseries 'Last Call' reckons with NYC's history of anti-gay violence

More than three decades after a serial killer began preying upon gay and bisexual men at bars in New York City, the victims and their families, as well as the activists who fought to bring the elusive murderer to justice, are the subjects of a four-part docuseries that premieres Sunday on HBO and Max.

Directed by Anthony Caronna and based on Elon Green’s award-winning 2021 book, “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York,” the true-crime series revisits the yearslong search for Richard W. Rogers Jr., a former surgical nurse at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital who was convicted of killing and dismembering two men in 1992 and 1993 — and suspected of killing others. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2006.

Using archival footage and first-time interviews with investigators, prosecutors, family members and activists, “Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” aims to humanize the victims while spotlighting the efforts of community leaders and organizations, such as the city’s Anti-Violence Project, which fought for fair treatment of LGBTQ crime victims.