In this true crime adaptation, a group of Texas secessionists in 1997 faces down law enforcement in a Waco-style standoff for their sovereignty led by a charismatic leader who manipulates his band of gullible followers motivated by desperation and greed.

SYNOPSIS:

The Texas Secessionists is an adaptation of a riveting true crime book published in 2023 by Texas A&M University Press. This TV pilot follows the missteps of an antigovernment militia group that in 1997 fought a week-long war to secede Texas from the United States. This timeless story begins in Austin with the arrest of Jo Ann Turner, the personal secretary for a militia leader charged with writing bogus liens to freeze the assets of local, state and national businesses. Richard Lance McLaren is the charismatic leader of the Republic of Texas ("R.O.T.") militia who easily manipulates his band of gullible followers motivated by desperation, greed, and a need to feel important. McLaren and his militia take hostages in the wilds of West Texas to exchange for the release of Turner and another ROT member. Three hundred law enforcement officials converge upon the scene, reminiscent of standoffs like those at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, and the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, Texas.

Future episodes, two through four, will follow the chaos that erupts in the Davis Mountains with detailed day-by-day actual accounts. A modern take on a western shootout ensues with Texas Rangers searching on horseback, U.S. Army soldiers flying helicopters, and vigilantes on foot firing vintage hunting rifles.

THE TEXAS SECESSIONISTS (LIMITED TV SERIES PILOT 1-HOUR)