Is there any entertainment force more seemingly unstoppable than true crime? Humanity’s most dastardly deeds have fascinated audiences for centuries. And in the modern age, the streaming wars and social media are feeding, accelerating, and encouraging that fixation at an unprecedented scale and rate. The result is an unending cycle of notorious crimes revisited via documentary, that’s punctuated by real-time internet clips showing everything from minor fights in grocery stores to homicides carried out by police.
As the world gets darker, many TV and movie lovers have turned their attention to this increasingly macabre subject matter to simultaneously distract themselves from the news and lean into the fraught reality of narratives considering real crimes. From podcasts and documentaries to prestige dramas and sitcoms lampooning the genre, true crime is everywhere. Learning about its most frequented subject areas — corrupt police, biased justice systems, unreliable evidence, and the like — is a worthwhile endeavor that can help you better navigate our changing society. But sometimes, the genre seems so saturated that it’s hard to know where to start.
To help you wade through the muck of the true crime landscape, IndieWire writers are showing you the best of the best. Looking through the various true crime movies and shows you can access now via HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix, we’ve chosen just 26 of the best true crime offerings currently streaming (with plans to come back and give you more to explore at a later date). All of these shows or straight-to-streaming documentaries captivated audiences’ attention when they debuted; asked serious questions about the nature of crime investigation; and, more importantly, how those investigations are shown to audiences.
Our list includes a combination of documentaries and scripted shows based on true stories, ranging from the legendary “Unsolved Mysteries” and “The First 58” to newer dramatizations like “The Girl from Plainville” and “The Staircase.” There’s something for everyone, with an emphasis on storytelling first and crime second. The following list is organized alphabetically.
With editorial contributions by Latifah Muhammad.Â
Even if you know what you’re getting into with the family annihilation-involved “American Murder: The Family Next Door,” the Netflix series should be approached with continuous caution. The horrific and bleak story of a Colorado man who inexplicably murdered his wife and two young daughters is undeniably difficult to watch, but also commendable for director Jenny Popplewell’s confident telling and clear compassion for victims of domestic violence. —AF
Currently streaming on Hulu, “The Blood is at the Doorstep” is about an award-winning documentary about a family’s emotional quest for answers in the murder of Dontre Hamilton, a 31-year-old mentally ill unarmed Black man who was shot 14 times by Milwaukee police officers in 2014. Filmed over a three-year period, the documentary details the devastating aftermath of Hamilton’s murder, and the fight for Black lives. —LM
There’s a cold brutality to “The Cheshire Murders” that makes the tragic series not for the faint of heart. On July 23, 2007, a Connecticut home invasion crescendoed in a fire that only the father survived. The triple homicide had significant impact on the suburban community, and frequently experiences renewed attention for its role in shaping death penalty legislation. —AF
“Class Action Park” isn’t strictly speaking a true crime series, considering the legal matters it documents were addressed through civil suits. Still, HBO Max’s surprisingly fun look back at a deeply dangerous New Jersey water park is too good to disqualify on those shaky grounds. Stand-up comedian Chris Gethard appears as one of many attendees and workers who witnessed the unbridled bedlam of a place with slides so poorly made it earned the nickname “Traction Park”: a fact you can bet played to the favor of the plaintiff. —AF
You can find some unimaginably heinous stuff on the internet, a lot of it involving animal abuse. Beyond that cesspool of viral cruelty discussed (but not shown!) in Netflix’s “Don’t F**k with Cats,” there is an inspiring story of vigilante heroes: eager to hunt down the sickos messing with the web’s favorite funny pet. Their worthy investigation soon reveals something that, if you can believe it, is even darker than dead kittens. —AF
Eight years after the mysterious death of Kendrick Johnson, filmmaker Jason Pollock investigates the controversy surrounding the case. Johnson, a 17-year-old high schooler, was discovered rolled up inside a high school gymnasium in Valdosta, Georgia. In March 2021, the Georgia sheriffs announced that the case was reopened. “Finding Kendrick Johnson” is produced by Pollock, Malcolm D. Lee, Morgan J. Freeman, Jenifer Lewis, and Amy Campbell. —LM
One of the longest running true crime series, “The First 48” offers an inside look at the life of homicide investigators. Each episode picks one or more homicides in different cities, covering each alternately, showing how detectives use forensic evidence, witness interviews, and other advanced investigative techniques to identify suspects. While most cases are solved within the first 48 hours, some go on days, weeks, months, or even years after the first 48. The series was nominated for a Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award in the Continuing Series category by the International Documentary Association. It also inspired several spin-offs looking at missing persons and one hosted by prosecutor Marcia Clark discussing infamous cases in popular culture. —KL
Yet another scripted adaptation of a popular documentary, “The Girl From Plainville” is a dramatization of Conrad Roy’s infamous “texting-suicide” death and the role that his girlfriend Michelle Carter played in it. Elle Fanning anchors the series with an outstanding performance as Carter, and Colton Ryan is equally stellar as Roy. It does not do much to reinvent the genre, but it competently executes its most beloved tropes, making it a must watch for serious true crime fans. —CZ
“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” explores the investigation into serial killer Joseph James Deangelo (aka, the Golden State Killer) as told through the tireless work of writer Michelle McNamara. Directed by Liz Garbus, the six-part documentary unpacks McNamara’s extensive probe into one of the most prolific and violent serial rapist/killer in crime history.
“On its surface, it’s the story of DeAngelo’s criminal activities and how he was eventually captured,” IndieWire’s Kristen Lopez writes of the film. “But what Garbus does is skillfully weave in the story of McNamara’s obsession with bringing the man she only knew as EAR/ONS (East Area Rapist/Original Night Stalker) to justice, coupling that with the nature of being a victim of assault. What feels like disparate elements, or the subjects of their own individual documentaries, are masterfully integrated to form a complete picture not strictly of one writer’s life, or a crime itself, but how crime changes women and what it meant to be the victim of rape in the 1970s.” —LM
The fraudster CEO of the now-defunct blood-testing company Theranos has yet to learn her sentence (that’ll come in fall 2022), but this 2019 straight-to-streaming documentary from Alex Gibney offers as complete a picture of Elizabeth Holmes’ crimes as existed to that point. “Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley” meticulously picks apart how Holmes tricked her investors — and dozens of would-be patients — in an Icarus-like tale of style over substance most memorable for its unwavering audacity and screamingly boring knitwear. —AF
Boasting one-of-a-kind access to its subject, this series investigates the unsolved 1982 disappearance of Robert Durst’s late wife Kathie, the 2000 execution-style killing of writer Susan Berman, and the 2001 death and dismemberment of Durst’s neighbor Morris Black in Galveston, Texas. Durst was suspected of involvement in the first two murders and confessed to the third, but claimed self defense. Before his death, Durst was convicted Berman’s death and indicted for his wife’s murder. “The Jinx” remains one of HBO’s landmark series in the true crime genre, inspiring a host of imitators in its wake. —KL
Directed by Marcus Vetter, the 2016 documentary “Killing for Love” is a mind-bending deep dive into the 1985 double murder of a Virginia couple, Derek and Nancy Hayson. The couple’s daughter, Elisabeth Hayson, and her boyfriend, Jens Söring, were sentenced to life in prison for the murders. The trial pits Söring (who happens to be the son of a German diplomat) at the center of an international media circus. After decades in prison, Söring shares his side of what he claims was a hopeless, and dangerous, devotion to Hayson. —LM
A work unlike any other title on this list, directors Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker’s “The Lady and the Dale” paints a technicolor portrait of automobile entrepeneur Liz Carmichael. The four-part series not only deftly explores the biases and failures of our justice system (particularly in relation to trans rights), but also cleverly explores the genius of its complex starring character through inventive storytelling featuring striking animation. —AF
If “Narcos” caught your attention, Amazon Prime’s four-part docuseries, “The Last Narc,” should be next on your list. The series revisits the 1985 kidnapping and murder of DEA agent, Enrique “Kiki” Camarena. Amazon described the series as a depiction of a fallen hero, who was abducted, tortured, and murdered by drug traffickers in Guadalajara, Mexico. Three drug lords were convicted in the murder of Camarena’s whose story peel back the layers of the world of drug cartels, and the federal agents who tail them. “The Last Narc” includes first-hand accounts from Camarena’s his friends and family, as well as three cartel members. —LM
If you prefer your true crime documentaries without gruesome murders, you can’t do much better than “McMillions.” James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte’s gonzo documentary looks into the story of a massive scam perpetuated through the McDonalds Monopoly game. Through six wildly entertaining episodes, the show reveals how Jerry Jacobson stole nearly $25 million through the fast food promotion. It’s a story that has to be seen to be believed. —CZ
Anyone familiar with Hulu’s “The Act,” will enjoy this closer look at the story of Dee Dee Blanchard, and her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. “Mommy Dead and Dearest” digs into the strange relationship between mother and daughter, years of lies about Gypsy’s health condition, and what led to Dee Dee’s murder. The 2017 documentary, directed by Erin Lee Car, includes personal footage from home videos, old photos, text messages, and Gypsy’s own account of growing up with her mother. —LM
When Barbara Beach Hamburg was murdered in 2010, it looked like an open-and-shut case. The obvious suspect was her soon-to-be-ex-husband who owed her large sums of money, but this documentary reveals that there was much more to the story than initially met the eye. The documentary was directed by Hamburg’s son, Madison, and his connection to the story and willingness to investigate his own family dynamics elevate “Murder on Middle Beach” into something special. —CZ
True crime doesn’t just extend to the United States and “Murdertown” is the perfect show to combine one’s love of true crime with Anglophilia. The series, hosted by Katherine Kelly, looks at various crimes and unsolved mysteries happening in the United Kingdom. The show premiered in 2018 and includes interviews with family members, local police, witnesses, and the press in various UK cities. The show doesn’t look at the crimes themselves but how they end up impacting the various communities they take place in, showing a new landscape on Britain away from the idealized world often seen on PBS. —KL
HBO Max’s scripted adaptation of Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s landmark docuseries starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette does an excellent job of complimenting the original documentary without overshadowing it. The show leans away from the legal battles in the trial of Michael Peterson, instead focusing on intimate moments between the man and his wife he was accused of murdering — and later that same man’s relationship to the filmmakers’ following him around as he awaits a trial and verdict. —CZ
In 1997 a shocking story made headlines. Thomas Hicks, a small town Georgia doctor, illegally sold more than 200 babies from the back door of his clinic. Jane Blasio has been trying to uncover the mysteries of the Hicks clinic for over 30 years. She is joined by Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs as they try to bring closure to those stolen babies desperately searching for their true identities and birth families. This TLC series is fascinating, examining how numerous people throughout the United States were sold as children. Their stories range from the tragic to the inspirational. This is a show that, once you start, you won’t stop. —KL
“Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop” centers around the jaw-dropping story of Gilberto Valle, a 28-year-old former NYPD officer who was arrested in 2012 on kidnapping charges after his wife found cannibalistic messages that he sent to women in chat rooms. Ultimately, Valle’s case was thrown out for lack of evidence. The documentary, which features Valle’s own words, examines both sides of the story, and questions the lines blurred between fantasy and crime. [Editor’s note: The series touches on similar BDSM themes as 2022’s “The House of Hammer.”] —LM
The Menendez case dominated headlines in the ‘90s, and it’s still a major true-crime story in pop culture. Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life for the gruesome double-slaying of their parents, José and Mary Menendez. “Truth and Lies: The Menendez Brothers,” which was released in 2017, features never-before-seen home videos and photos, and testimony from friends, neighbors, family, and other members of the Menendez brothers’ inner circle. —LM
Andrew Garfield stars in this adaptation of the landmark true crime book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. It juxtaposes the investigation of a heinous murder by extreme Mormons Ron and Dan Lafferty with a story about the formation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The result is an unflinching look at the way organized religion can be abused when in the hands of the wrong people. —CZ
Since premiering on NBC in 1987, “Unsolved Mysteries” has enjoyed 16 seasons across a number of networks and platforms; hopping first to CBS then to Lifetime and to Spike before landing where it currently resides: Netflix. The latest incarnation of the legendary unscripted cold case docuseries brilliantly balances supernatural suspicions and alien sightings with unsolved murders and missing persons cases. In Season 3, producers tackle the strange death of local Las Vegas legend “Buffalo” Jim Barrier and the unexplained disappearance of college student Joshua Guimond among other stories. —AF
As Kristen Wiig once warned us in “Bridesmaids,” you don’t always know who you’re sleeping next to — and after watching “Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry,” those feelings will only intensify. Debuting in 2010, the series tells the story of people, mostly women, who find out their spouse has committed a crime before or during their marriage. So much of the true crime landscape involves relationships, and this is the perfect display of how fairy-tale stories can go wildly off the rails. If scripted shows like “The Undoing” or the umpteenth documentary on Ted Bundy have shown anything, it is that audiences love to hear stories of relationships that end up involving murder. —KL
“You Belong to Me: Sex, Race & Murder in the South” shines a light on the little-known story of Ruby McCollum, a wealthy Black Floridian woman who was convicted of murdering a white doctor, in 1952. The documentary, directed by John Cork, tackles issues of racism, class and gender bias, during the early years of the Civil Rights movement. —LM
On August 23, 1989, 16-year-old Yusuf Hawkins was among four Black teenagers attacked by a white mob of dozens in the Bensonhurst neighborhood of New York City. 30 years after Hawkins’ murder, the “Storm Over Brooklyn” filmmakers look back at the homicide case’s staggering lack of justice and the systemic racism that continues to fosters crimes like it. The straight-to-streaming documentary was released in 2020 at the height of the Black Lives Matters protests held in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. —AF
