Melissa Joan Hart to play serial killer Judy Buenoano in Lifetime movie

Melissa Joan Hart is trading witchcraft for a true-crime story. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the former Sabrina the Teenage Witch star will portray serial killer Judy 'The Black Widow' Buenoano in an upcoming Lifetime movie.

The film, currently titled Black Widow Killer: The Judy Buenoano Story, is part of Lifetime's 'Ripped From the Headlines' winter lineup. It will premiere on Saturday, January 23, 2027, at 8 p.m.

The story, set in the 1970s and 80s, follows a Florida salon owner whose fiancé survives a car bombing. Detectives, played by Chris Bauer and Cronin Cullen, then investigate a pattern of deaths in her life. Matthew Settle will play the fiancé, John Gentry.

Hart will also executive produce the project. The movie is directed by Agam Darshi, with a screenplay from Taylor Martin. Production companies involved include Hart's own Hartbreak Films, Tiny Riot, and Fox Entertainment Studios.