Plot Synopsis

It's 1967, and Sam Hodiak, a decorated World War II vet and homicide detective, barely recognizes the city he's now policing. Long hair, cheap drugs, rising crime, protests, free love, police brutality, Black Power and the Vietnam War are radically remaking the world he and the Greatest Generation saved from fascism 20 years ago. So when Emma Karn, the 16-year-old daughter of an old girlfriend, goes missing in a sea of hippies and Hodiak agrees to find her, he faces only hostility, distrust and silence. He enlists the help of Brian Shafe -- a young, idealistic undercover vice cop who's been allowed to grow his hair out -- to infiltrate this new counterculture and find her. Despite their generational differences, they realize the need to bring Emma home is more urgent than they foresaw. The immediacy arises because she has joined a small, but growing, band of drifters under the sway of a career criminal who now dreams of being a rock star: Charles Manson. Hodiak also relies on Chairman Tully, an ambitious rookie who's anxious to prove herself in a male-dominated profession. The twists and turns of a complicated undercover operation lead Hodiak to the brink of Manson's crimes that eventually lead to the Tate-LaBianca murders in subsequent seasons. AQUARIUS premiered on Thursday, May 28, 2015 from 9-11pm ET/PT, moving to its regular timeslot -- Thursdays at 9pm ET/PT -- the following week. Plus, immediately following the show's series premiere on television, the entire 13-episode first season was available on NBC.com, the NBC app, and other video-on-demand platforms. The full 13 episodes remained available on the various digital platforms for a four-week period. In an unprecedented move for broadcast television, NBC is dedicating two commercial-free hours to the Thursday, June 16, 2016 from 9-11pm ET/PT second-season premiere of AQUARIUS, starring David Duchovny as an LAPD cop on the hunt for Charles Manson. The 120-minute telecast will have absolutely no breaks for commercials or network promos, with the only stoppage coming for a one-minute local news break during the show's second hour. Beginning the following week on June 23, the series will shift to its normal 10pm timeslot. In the season opener, Det. Sam Hodiak finds himself drawn into a new case when he begins receiving mysterious packages with photos of missing girls. Charmain's risky undercover operation provides valuable information for a drug case but exposes her to great danger. Meanwhile, Charlie Manson and his growing family move into the home of their new benefactor, Dennis Wilson (guest star Andy Favreau), in their continuing quest to break into the music business. After a six-week hiatus, AQUARIUS returned on Saturday, August 27, 2016, as NBC premiered back-to-back new episodes from 9-11pm ET/PT. In the fall premiere (9pm), "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," Manson's search for the missing Emma Karn leads him to Hodiak's doorstep and the two spend some unexpected time together. Hodiak pieces together a unique set of clues leading him to some unlikely murder suspects. Then, in the night's second episode (10pm), "Sexy Sadie," Hodiak finds Emma in a sanatorium but will need some help to get her out. Shafe struggles to kick his worsening heroin habit before it's too late.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Saturday, September 10, 2016 from 9-11pm ET/PT, NBC premiered the Season 2 finale of AQUARIUS, showing back-to-back new episodes. In the night's first new episode (9pm), "Mother Nature's Son," Hodiak decides to take matters into his own hands and shows up on the doorstep of the mysterious serial killer who has been sending him obscene pictures. Meanwhile, Manson sends Bobby, Mary, and Sadie to go to extreme measures to get money from Gary Hinman. Then, in the season ender (10pm), "I Will," a newly "retired" Hodiak tracks down the serial killer who has been tormenting him for months, without the protection and authority of his police position. Manson sends Tex, Sadie, Emma, and Patty to 10050 Cielo Drive, where they are swept up in one of the most infamous crimes in the country's history.