Plot Synopsis

Executive produced by Mark and Jay Duplass, WILD WILD COUNTRY is a six-part docuseries that takes viewers back to a pivotal, yet largely forgotten moment in American cultural history: the time the world's most controversial guru, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, built a utopian city in the Oregon desert in 1981, and a massive conflict with local ranchers ensued in Antelope, Oregon. The events produced the first bioterror attack in US history, the largest case of illegal wiretapping ever recorded, and the world's biggest collection of Rolls-Royce automobiles. The series opens as spiritual guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh purchases the massive Big Muddy Ranch in remote Wasco County, Oregon, and relocates his ashram from India to Oregon in 1981 under the watchful eye of his secretary, Ma Anand Sheela. He and his follows had plans to establish a new city there to be called Rajneeshpuram, which could become the capital of his growing religious movement. Rajneeshpuram was designed to house over 7,000 people, grow its own food, maintain its own fire and police departments, include restaurants, a shopping mall and even a private airstrip. For a time, those involved felt they were establishing a modern Utopia far from the corrupting influence of conventional society, but the Bhagwan's flamboyant followers began to irk the tight-knit locals, who pursued legal action against the commune. But Sheela retaliated with a cunning plan, emerging as a provocative spokeswoman. As Election Day approached, the Rajneeshees recruited thousands of homeless people to fortify their ranks, while local officials tried to build a case against the Rajneeshees. When Sheela's thirst for power turned violent, the Bhagwan finally broke his silence. The bitter feud between Sheela and the Bhagwan divided the community -- and opened the door for the FBI. At the ranch, a task force amassed evidence, the Bhagwan fled, and Sheela and several followers were arrested in Germany. On Friday, March 16, 2018 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, Netflix released all six episodes of WILD WILD COUNTRY, two months after the program's world premiere at Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2018 at Egyptian Theatre in Park City, Utah.