After a deadly terrorist attack at the 1996 Olympic Games, Deadly Games chronicles one of the largest and most complex manhunts on U.S. soil. FBI agents hunt for an elusive serial bomber, Eric Rudolph, while a wrongly-accused innocent man, Richard Jewell, battles the FBI, the national news media, as well as his own inner demons, to prove his innocence and clear his name.

The first season will focus on the FBI agent, a highly specialized linguist, who using unconventional means brought Ted Kaczynski, aka the "Unabomber", to justice after nearly a 20-year manhunt.