S3·E73 The Gettys: A Tragedy of Riches

The program dives deep into the patriarch's ruthless pursuit of wealth, his five failed marriages, and the strained, cold relationships he maintained with his children. A central focus of the feature is the notorious 1973 international spectacle surrounding the kidnapping of his 16-year-old grandson, J. Paul Getty III, in Rome. The biography highlights the oil tycoon’s initial, cold calculation to refuse the ransom payment, the tragic mutilation of the boy by Italian gangsters, and the dark, cascading aftermath of substance abuse and alienation that plagued the family heirs for generations to come