How Many Episodes Are In Hulu's Saint X?

Tales of sordid, true crime trauma have been all the rage for streamers, networks, and podcasters in recent years. While there seems to be no particular shortage of grisly murders and shocking crimes to explore out there, you can already see the trappings of the true crime genre working their way into works of small-screen fiction. And Hulu's recently released streaming drama "Saint X" is sort of the poster child for such true crime-inspired fare.

Based on Alexis Schaitkin's best-selling novel of the same name, the series follows the tight-knit Thomas family, whose idyllic island vacation goes the way of a full-blown nightmare when the eldest daughter is found dead. Though the death is labeled an accident by local authorities, the family has more than a few doubts. And much of the story is centered on the youngest daughter, Emily (Alycia Debnam-Carey), revisiting her sister's murder two decades after it happened. 

The tricky narrative unfolds over multiple timelines as Emily tries to put the disparate pieces of the past together by touching base with the older versions of those allegedly involved. The series made its Hulu debut on April 26, sending a total of eight pulse-pounding episodes into the streaming sphere.   

Those eight episodes make "Saint X" a roughly seven-and-a-half-hour saga, with the cast and crew milking every minute of the Lifetime Original-styled drama for maximum effect. It does so with the help of solid work from Alycia Debnam-Carey, Betsy Brandt, West Duchovny, and Josh Bonzie, among others. 

Though critics have so far hammered the show to the tune of an 18% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the 84% audience score is a better reflection of how average viewers have enjoyed the proceedings. Those viewers were no doubt satisfied with the way the series ended, with Emily Thomas more or less putting the haunting case to bed for good. But fans of "Saint X" will no doubt be bummed to learn that the finale essentially put the eight-episode series to bed as well, with there being no follow-up from author Alexis Schaitkin.

If there's a silver lining to that news, however, it's that recent comments from "Saint X" producer Leila Gerstein may leave the door open to somehow continue the story in a new season. Gerstein told Screen Rant that Schaitkin was very collaborative and open to altering the storyline of "Saint X" throughout the series' production. So it doesn't seem entirely far-fetched that they could collaborate on a follow-up story of some sort. That, of course, depends not only on whether or not they can find a palatable way to keep the drama going, but also on whether viewers actually want the story to continue.