LOS ANGELES — In the early 1990s, a serial killer began to prey upon gay men in New York City.

“Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” is based on the book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust and Murder in Queer New York” by Elon Green. The series dives not just into the heinous crimes but also looks into a time when the AIDS crisis was worsening, and homophobia and hate crimes were on the rise.

The series highlights activists, investigators and family members. It shows how the LGBTQ+ community fought to solve the murders and demanded fair treatment of queer crime victims. It is directed by Anthony Caronna, and Howard Gertler is the executive producer.

“I was nervous about re-victimizing the community. He (Gertler) described it to me as possibly more of an activist story and more of a story about the anti-gay violence movement. Our ethos from the beginning was to never make about the person who did the deed. We really came at it by not making it about that person,” said Caronna.

Both Caronna and Gertler said that while the series is a true crime story, they hope people who watch it will learn a lot along the way.

The first episode is now available to stream on HBO’s Max, and a new episode will debut on July 16, July 23 and July 30.

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