True crimeis one of those genres that some people absolutely adore. They binge-watch every new docuseries that pops up the day of, or day after, release. After watching the first episode, it’s almost impossible not to continue the entire way through. These series typically include just three or four episodes, and with cliffhanger endings, they keep viewers enthralled the entire way through.
Presenting exciting evidence, archival footage, interviews with law enforcement, lawyers, friends, family members, victims, even perpetrators themselves, it’s difficult not to get caught up in the drama of it all. Especially after knowing that the events happened in real life. True crime docuseries are sometimes cathartic, often shocking and anger-inducing. The best ones lead to a rush of emotions and flood of conversation after watching.
10‘Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez’ (2020)
Directed by Germo McDermott
Those who aren’t into football may or may not know the story ofAaron Hernandez. Even those who aren’t familiar with his professional status as a New England Patriots player will find this docuseries fascinating and unfortunate.Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, one ofthe best true crime shows on Netflix, covers a lot of ground in just three parts. It tells the story of Hernandez’s upbringing, his rise to fame as a college football player, his relationship with his girlfriend, rumors of his sexuality, and his arrest for the murder of his friendOdin Lloyd.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandezdives into deeper topics, however, looking at the real-world implications of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease common among football players due to repetitive head injuries. Some believe that Hernandez could have been suffering from this condition, which inhibits brain function and impulse control. Innocent or guilty, the entire situation is a tragedy. It’s a good precursor for those who plan to watch theRyan MurphyFX seriesAmerican Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez
Via interviews with friends, players and insiders, this docuseries examines how Aaron Hernandez went from an NFL star to a convicted killer.
Watch on Netflix
9‘Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed’ (2023)
Directed by Esther Reyes
With renewed attention on the Menendez brothers case with the Ryan Murphy docuseriesMonsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayedis especially fitting to watch. Many know about the Menendez brothers who were convicted of murdering their parents in 1996. Some may also know about the controversy and chatter around the long-running Puerto Rican boy bandMenudoand allegations of sexual abuse against the band’s producerEdgardo Díaz. But few understand the links between the two, or even that one exists.
In this shocking and emotional docuseries, formerMenudomemberRoy Rossellorecounts his harrowing story and opens up about the alleged abuse he claims to have been victim of involving not only Diaz, but alsoJosé Menéndez, father of Lyle and Erik. Rossello dives deep into the past and he sets out on a journey of healing. The graphic details he talks about having happened to him are downright disturbing. But the links will leave viewers wondering about the possible darker side to a story the public thought they had already figured out.
Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed
Watch on Peacock
8‘Tiger King’ (2020-2021)
Directed by Eric Goode, Rebecca Chaiklin
Some argue thatTiger King, also known asTiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, only became as popular as it did because it was released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. People were stuck at home with nothing to watch. It’s true that once hitting play on the first episode, it’s tough not to binge all the way through. Viewers’ jaws dropped to the floor, unable to process what they were watching, each episode getting nuttier than the last.
It’s all about a rivalry between two big cat facility owners.Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Allen Maldonado, is an eccentric gay cowboy who loves to talk about himself, wave guns around, and draw as much attention as he can to his huge personality.Carole Baskinis a soft-spoken, oddball big cat rescue conservationalist who accuses Exotic of abusing and exploiting the animals. Their rift gets increasingly heated with music videos, sabotage, and possible attempted murder. Pieces of the story are flung everywhere with this docuseries, but when they come together, they paint a picture that’s wild and weird. While season two isn’t as good as the first, there are still plenty ofthings fans can’t believe actually happened.Tiger Kingis arguably the most entertaining and baffling docuseries ever on TV. The story seems like it can’t possibly be real, but it is.
Tiger King
7‘Escaping Twin Flames’ (2023)
Directed by Cecilia Peck
Escaping Twin Flameswill spark flames of anger while watching two self-absorbed individuals manipulate vulnerable individuals and deliver false promises through their Twin Flames Universe. It’s an online business that many deem a cult wherebyShaleiaandJeff Divineclaim they can help lonely people find their soulmates, or “true flames.” The organization quickly evolves, however, into sessions of manipulation and control, with ever-increasing dollar amounts and requirements for recruitment demanded of its members.
It’s how far the pair go, however, to keep the coercive control going that will leave viewers flabbergasted and gutted. Once finished, watchDesperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universeon Amazon Prime Video, which provides additional details with interviews from some of the same individuals as well as different ones. WithEscaping Twin Flames, fans will be furiously searching to see if the organization still exists. Sadly, it does.
Escaping Twin Flames
6‘The Keepers’ (2017)
Directed by Ryan White
In 1969, nunCatherine Cesnikwas found murdered and the case was never solved. She taught English at an all-girls high school, and decades later, two of her former students still couldn’t let go of her tragic death and the suspicious circumstances under which it occured. Convinced that it was a cover-up when Cesnik suspected a priest of sexually abusing students, the pair of ladies set out to try and solve the case.
It’s a fascinating story whereby all the pieces fit together to corroborate a story former studentsGemma HoskinsandAbbie Fitzgerald Schaubbelieve is the way it happened. But there’s no way to prove it.The Keepersis one of the most haunting docuseries, but it also provides hope and faith that justice can be served in one way or another, especially when someone is dedicated to finding out the truth.
The Keepers
5‘The Jinx’ (2015-)
Directed by Andrew Jarecki
The Jinxfamously sparked conversation around the case ofRobert Durstwhen, after one of his interviews, he went to the bathroom not realizing his mic was still on and started to mutter allegedly incriminating things to himself under his breath. It’s the type of content any docuseries creator dreams of getting on tape, and it madeThe Jinxeven more compelling when the audio was aired as part of it.
Durst, a New York real estate heir, was convicted of murder, and he agreed to appear in this docuseries for creatorAndrew Jareckiafter seeing his movieAll Good Thingsand appreciating the way Jarecki handled his life story.The Jinxfeatures content pulled from more than 20 hours of interviews over a period of years, the first time Durst ever agreed to speak with a journalist. That alone is worth the watch. A six-episode continuation released in April 2024 calledThe Jinx: Part Twoincludes more content from the trial, interviews, and prison calls.
The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst
Watch on Max
4’Making a Murderer' (2015-2018)
Directed by Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos
Fans were enamored with the story inMaking a Murdererwhen this docuseries first came out.Steven Averywas wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit, spent 18 years in jail, was released and given a settlement. But shortly after, a woman is murdered nearby his property and he is accused of committing the crime. After a lengthy interrogation, his nephewBrendan Dasseyclaims to have conducted the murder with his uncle. But questions of police coercion, planting thoughts, and Dassey’s low intelligence and developmental limitations are suspected to have led to a false confession.
So many things about the case don’t add up and many believe that Avery was framed by political and/or law enforcement in Manitowoc County following his lawsuit against them for the initial wrongful conviction. It makes a lot of sense, and the docuseries presents evidence to support it. While the second season isn’t quite as compelling, focused on the fight by lawyerKathleen Zellnerto exonerate both Avery and Dassey,Making a Murdererstill remains one of the best true crime docuseries out there.
Making a Murderer
3’Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult' (2020)
It wasSeduced: Inside the NXIVM Cultthat prompted formers members of Twin Flames Universe to contact creatorCecilia Peck, inform her of this organization, and ask her to shed light on it in another docuseries.Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cultis so compelling and heart-wrenching, and its existence made others brave enough to come forward and report similar experiences with other organizations.
The series centers aroundIndia Oxenberg, a woman who was once part of the purported self-help organization who realizes years later that it was actually a cult. She discusses the alleged abuse she experienced and her attempts at rebuilding a relationship with her mother after leaving. Several other former members come forward with their stories as well. Viewers also hear from therapist and deprogrammers who have worked with these women and others, along with lawyers and journalists involved with exposing the cult and its leaderKeith Ranierefor what it truly was.
Watch on Amazon Prime Video
2’Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer' (2019)
Directed by Mark Lewis
Buckle up becauseDon’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killerwill probably be themost disturbing true crime seriesever to flash across the screen. It centers around a woman who, while rummaging around online one night, comes across a disturbing video of a young man mutilating a cat. Angered and shocked at what she sees, she uses her IT skills to search for others who might be able to help her identify the location of the man to contact authorities. Soon, a large group of Internet sleuths form to hunt this killer who they strongly believe will graduate to humans.
They were right, but the horrifying things they saw on camera, both before he moved on to humans and after, will shake to the core. The killer turns out to be CanadianLuka Magnotta, and his story becomes even wilder once knowing his identity. The focus here is on how a group of vigilantes came together to try to stop a killer on nothing more than a hunch that his violence would escalate. And they were right. There are graphic scenes in this series and troubling descriptions, so it isn’t for the faint of heart.
Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
1’Unsolved Mysteries' (1987-)
Created by John Cosgrove, Terry Dunn Meurer
Unsolved Mysterieshas been part of the primetime true crime TV fabric for decades. The series has been around since the late ‘80s, jumping from one network to another, sometimes with a few years in between. The latest version streams on Netflix since 2020 and boasts a refreshed format. Headed up byStranger Things’ executive producerShawn Levy, there’s no host (sadly,Robert Stackthe longtime host of the series, passed away in 2003) buteach episode of the new versionfollows a different case.
What’s interesting aboutUnsolved Mysteriesis that along with true crime, there are episodes that cover stories like UFO and ghost sightings, mysterious disappearances, and other strange events. There’s a bit of something for everyone and with a total of 17 seasons and hundreds of episodes, there’s an option to cherry pick which stories sound most compelling.
Unsolved Mysteries
NEXT:20 Best Serial Killer Documentaries on Netflix That’ll Keep You Up at Night
