The first season of Dirty John , based on the Wondery and Los Angeles Times true crime podcast and series of articles of the same name, followed interior designer Debra Newell (Connie Britton on the series) as she fell hard for John Meehan (Eric Bana). After a whirlwind romance became a quickie marriage, Newell discovered that her husband was not the man she thought he was. Instead, Meehan was a con artist determined to ruin her life and steal her fortune. Her relationship with Meehan ends in a shocking act of violence.