gauger is one of six people whose stories were dramatized in the acclaimed play "the exonerated", portrayed by penn jillette. the play, written by eric jensen and jessica blank, details how each individual was convicted of murder and sentenced to death, in addition to their exoneration after varying years of imprisonment. "the exonerated" is a film adaptation, which first aired on the courttv cable television station on january 27, 2005. gauger is portrayed by brian dennehy in the film. at the end of the film it fades from the actor to gauger himself who talks about his wife, his work and his freedom.