The Deep End is an upcoming docuseries — based on the Gizmodo podcast The Gateway — that follows Teal Swan, a self-proclaimed spiritual leader, her tantalising self-help empire, and those who follow it devoutly.
Teal Swan is an internet guru who rose to fame for her self-help videos on YouTube, which cover topics ranging from shame, spirit plants, and even cryptocurrency. Her soothing tone and spiritual ideology allowed her to capture the attention of 1.25 million subscribers. The Deep End follows Swan’s rise to prominence, the goings-ons at her spiritual retreat centre in Costa Rica, her loyal followers, and the private investigator working to determine the truth of Swan’s organisation. Freeform said in a press release last month that the show was filmed over the course of three years, with “unprecedented access” to Swan’s inner circle.
“If you want to come within 80 km of me, you better be ready for the deepest end of the pool,” Swan tells a group of her followers in the trailer for the show.
The Deep End is based on the Gizmodo podcast The Gateway, which debuted in 2018. Hosted by senior reporter Jennings Brown, the six-episode podcast initially broke the behind-the-scenes story of Teal Swan. “I met many of her dedicated volunteers working for her spiritual startup — basically a digital media company creating more content to spread her teachings,” Brown wrote. Brown investigated Swan’s beginnings in Utah, her retreat centre in Costa Rica, Teal’s online empire where she rose to prominence, and her connection to the Satanic Panic of the 1980s.
The four-part miniseries premieres on Freeform tonight, and episodes will be available for cord-cutters on Hulu starting Friday. The Gateway is available on podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Tune In, and Stitcher.