After Watching Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, I Need To Talk About An Issue I Have With Netflix's True Crime Docs

I love a good true crime documentary or docuseries as much as the next person, and more times than not, I use my Netflix subscription to watch the streamer’s seemingly endless series of tales about murder, mayhem, and even cults. However, after watching Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, a three-part chronicle of a series of mysterious homicides involving painkillers laced with cyanide in the 1980s, I need to talk about a major problem I have with the platform’s true crime offerings.

No, it’s not the subject matter. It’s not the tone either. Instead, it’s something that I think Netflix and the other great streaming services that put out true crime docuseries could do to make their shows even better. Let me explain...

I Learned A Lot Watching The Tylenol Murders, But It Didn't Need To Be Three Episodes

Okay, I learned several things watching Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, especially when the docuseries turned its attention to the role James Lewis may or may not have played in the deaths of at least seven people in the Chicagoland area in the fall of 1982. However, this didn’t need to be three episodes. In fact, it should have been a single documentary no longer than an hour or so.

Yeah, there were a lot of theories and other stories told throughout the three-parter, but at times it felt like Netflix was just trying to either stretch out the saga or make episodes shorter than necessary so that viewers like me would keep watching to see how it all wrapped up. It would be one thing if the whole series focused solely on the 1982 case, but the amount of speculation about Johnson & Johnson’s implied cover-up and possible role in the deaths bogged things down.

A Lot Of Netflix's True Crime Docuseries Would Be Better As Shorter Series Or A Single Documentary

This isn’t something that only plagues Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, because I’ve had this problem with several of Netflix’s crime docuseries over the years. So many of the platform’s original true crime shows consist of three episodes, and it’s starting to feel like Netflix is forcing stories to be told in three parts, ranging anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes.

If the story needs to be split up like that, then great, but oftentimes it could be condensed into a shorter series or even a single documentary. Recent titles like the cathartic American Manhunt: Osama Bin Laden and the surprisingly great O.J. Simpson docuseries worked well with this format, but others, like American Murder: Gabby Petito, felt less effective, and not just because of that creepy AI voiceover work.

I'm Not Going To Lie, James Lewis' Story Was Perhaps The Wildest Thing I've Seen On Netflix

Though I have some issues with this installment of Cold Case and its pacing, I can’t sit here and act like Lewis’ story wasn’t one of the wildest things I’ve ever seen on Netflix. I won’t spoil everything for those who haven’t watched the docuseries yet, but if half the stuff said about him in the doc is true, he’s up there with some of the most terrifying real-life serial killers who've had movies based on them. I’ll leave it at that…

All in all, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders was an intriguing way to spend a few hours, even if it could have been a bit more streamlined. What do you think about the docuseries? Sign off in the comments below.