Review: “Wicked Game: The Devil in the Desert” Covers A Brutal Case of Torture in California

The three-part series highlights a high-profile case and a prison escape.

Wicked Game: The Devil in the Desert joins ABC News Studios’ ever-growing list of true crime docs. Of all the series and specials I have reviewed, the initial crime in this three-part docuseries is some of the most abhorrent I’ve ever had to watch. A kidnapping and torture case turns into a globe-trotting race to get a suspect back into the USA…then promptly return him to into custody after a wild escape plan.

In most of my reviews of true crime programming, the biggest thing that grinds my gears is how the victim and the perpetrator are presented. Is the victim brushed aside? Is the individual who acted heinously shown in a positive/remarkable light? Is the series just for viewership or to serve a greater purpose? For the first two episodes of this series, everything was going rather smoothly. Sans a wildly specific Mimi’s Cafe mention (and frequented, no less) alongside the same B-Roll of the Newport Beach Police Department shown ad nauseam, the series was doing a good job of explaining the facts in an engaging and informative way.

However, the third episode took a bizarre turn. Hossein Nayeri, the titular “devil in the desert” who tortured and kidnapped two individuals, has his remarkable escape from prison detailed. While a remarkable feat, the tone of the series takes that of a Mission Impossible sequel, having the urge to celebrate the felon. It’s an odd switch, even if the opening credits yearned to evoke that of Big Little Lies.

As the final episode progresses, the tides begin to turn and the prosecutors and detectives involved with the case start to lose their authoritative shine and say some, to put it bluntly, stupid things. At the end of the series, the detective involved with the case begins to share how much he “misses the hunt” and yearns to be back in the throes of this complicated crime. One of the prosecutors on the case jokes that the moral of the story is to “not marry your Mimi’s Cafe waiter.”

In just those two sentences, the documentary loses a bit of credibility. What was all of this for? It seems that those involved with finding the culprit and prosecuting the case care more about humorous quips and the “fun” of it all than the actual victims involved. Once again, the unspeakable acts discussed at the beginning of the series are some of the most viciously sadistic things I’ve ever heard described on television. Do the interviewees not care about them and more about the publicity they received in response to the case.

One could argue keeping these two moments in the series creates a multi-sided picture in an often one-note genre. Yet, in my view, it felt too prickly to end with after over two hours of footage covering the case.

The series, for those who are avid 20/20 viewers, also uses an abundance of interview footage from an episode filmed back in 2019. I’m not entirely sure if this documentary adds much to the original 20/20 episode covering the case, but the regurgitation of these interviews was essential to receive a fully contextualized look at this high profile case.

Go into Wicked Game: The Devil in the Desert expecting the worst as the series immediately jumps into the deep end. Yet, as you continue on, notice the odd quirks around the information presented to you. It might discount the experience as a whole, but if you are able to take them solely at face value, at least they will be brief respites from the horrors discussed.

Wicked Game: The Devil in the Desert premieres February 4th on Hulu.

Marshal Knight
Marshal Knight is a pop culture writer based in Orlando, FL. For some inexplicable reason, his most recent birthday party was themed to daytime television. He’d like to thank Sandra Oh.