Hulu's Saint X Inspired by an Unsolved True Crime Story, but There's a Twist

Hulu's new series Saint X seems to have everything it needs to keep viewers glued to their screens: a luxurious resort setting, rich people being terrible, and a compelling crime story behind the fictional plot. Created by Leila Gerstein, the series premiered on April 26 and will have a total of eight episodes.

Let's recap what the series' story is and see if it has a source.

The show revolves around the death of Alison Thomas (West Duchovny), whose body was found two decades ago at the resort located on the island of Saint X in the Caribbean. Although two hotel employees were initially suspected, the headline-grabbing death was ruled an accident. In the present day, Alison's younger sister Emily (Alycia Debnam-Carey) meets one of the suspects, Clive Richardson aka Gogo (Josh Bonzie), and begins her own investigation.

As is often the case with crime shows, this story is based on a novel of the same name by Alexis Schaitkin, published in 2020. Hulu's series mostly follows the story of the book, with one exception. While the book shows the events from two different perspectives, Emily's and Gogo's, the adaptation jumps through time with three different timelines: the present, Gogo's childhood, and the week of Alison's death.

Before you get disappointed that the show is not based on a true story, let us reassure you. Although fictional, Schaitkin's novel has many parallels to one mysterious real-life event — the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. Natalee, 18, disappeared in 2005 while on vacation in Aruba in the Caribbean. Her disappearance caused quite a stir in the American media at the time.

The extensive search by hundreds of volunteers, Aruban and American investigators, the FBI, soldiers, the Air Force, and divers yielded no results. Neither Natalee nor her remains were ever found. Three local residents last seen with Natalee were suspected and questioned, but there was no compelling evidence against them, so they were never charged.

Schaitkin's finale echoes the unresolved nature of Natalee Holloway's disappearance. In the book, Emily never learns what really happened to Alison. Instead, the focus is on the lives of the people affected by the mystery. Whether the Hulu show will repeat this twist remains to be seen.

Episode 4 of Saint X, 'A Disquieting Emptiness,' will air on Hulu on May 3.