The Act is a character-based series of true crime anthologies. Each season focuses on one specific case. The first season is based on Dean's 2016 Buzzfeed article, "Dee Dee wanted her daughter to be sick, Gypsy wanted her mom to be murdered". It is the true story of single mother Dee Dee Blanchard who convinces everyone around her that her daughter, Gypsy, suffers from several serious illnesses, even though Gypsy was perfectly healthy. When Dee Dee is found dead with multiple stab wounds, her neighbors and family are surprised to learn that Gypsy is responsible. She convinced her boyfriend to kill her mother.