Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Sobering docuseries about faith, abuse, and self-harm.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
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Where to Watch
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Death of the Pastor’s Wife
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
DEATH OF THE PASTOR'S WIFE is a three-part docuseries examining the events leading up to the death of a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina church leader and pastor's wife. In April 2024, 30-year-old Mica Miller was found deceased in North Carolina's Lumber River State Park. It's ruled a suicide, but her friends and family, along with her former divorce lawyer Regina Ward, allege that her estranged husband, Solid Rock Church pastor John-Paul "JP" Miller, had a hand in her death. With the help of interviews and archive footage, they discuss JP's history of womanizing and how he subjected Mica to a consistent pattern of control and abuse during their six-and-a-half-year marriage. Social media posts, brief reenactments, and excerpts from Mica's journals also help round out their narratives. The series also examines how church culture made the situation more complicated.
Is It Any Good?
The overtly one-sided docuseries chronicles how Mica Miller slowly devolved from a vibrant teenager committed to church ministry and service into a broken woman struggling with an abusive marriage and her mental health. There's some attempt to frame the Death of the Pastor's Wife story within a true crime narrative by casting doubt on Mica's choice to end her life. But most of what's presented here is a public indictment of JP Miller, who was both her husband and pastor. To this end, it offers disturbing evidence of his systematic abuse before and during their marriage, and how he was able to control the public narrative about Mica and their relationship. Death of the Pastor's Wife also puts a spotlight on Solid Rock Church as a way of revealing how patriarchy, which often shapes religious doctrine and church leadership, can enable abuse and make it more difficult for victims to make sense of what was happening to them and their needs. It's a sobering series, and one that feels unfinished once you're done watching it.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about who or where to go to for support if you are in an abusive relationship or are struggling with your mental health. What media resources are available to help?
Death of the Pastor's Wife doesn't include interviews with JP Miller or his supporters. Is this a problem?
TV Details
- Premiere date : August 26, 2026
- Cast : Mica Miller , Nate Francis , Regina Ward
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Topics : Faith ( Christianity ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship
- Character Strengths : Compassion
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 7, 2026
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