True crime shows have been around for about as long as anyone can remember, but it wasn’t until the proliferation of streaming services that the genre started to reach its true potential. Over the years, people with a Netflix subscription, those with a Peacock Premium subscription, and subscribers of other popular streaming platforms have been given access to amazing true crime documentaries, docudramas, and other specials about serial killers, cults, abuses of power, and even unexplainable phenomenon.
But with so many streaming services out there, it can sometimes be hard to decide on a true crime documentary or scripted series to watch. Well, we’re here to solve the case and provide some of the best options for true crime fans whether they have a Max subscription or access to any number of other popular services.
Quiet On The Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV (2024)
The Investigation Discovery docuseries, Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is one of those true crime series that could very well forever change the way you look at Nickelodeon between the 1990s and 2000s. Throughout four episodes (a bonus fifth chapter is on the way, per IndieWire), the series dives into various allegations brought against former high-ranking executives like Dan Schneider, who was ousted from the network in 2018, and how alleged abuse impacted countless child actors and crews working on shows like All That, Drake and Josh, and The Amanda Show.
The series has led to a myriad of conversations and further revelations from former Nickelodeon stars like Drake Bell, who later spoke out about the abuse he suffered at the network.
Stream Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on Max.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (2024)
Definitely one of the more unique true crime documentaries on Netflix, American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders spends four episodes with a photojournalist looking into the decades-long mystery of a reporter who wound up dying under strange circumstances after investigating a political conspiracy. Bouncing between the current day and the latter part of the 20th century, the series follows the two journalists’ respective stories and attempts to find the truth, or as close to it as humanly possible.
Attention-grabbing, riveting, and at times utterly terrifying, this is something true crime fans are looking for something other than stories about serial killers and missing person cases.
Stream American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders on Netflix.
Homicide: New York (2024)
The legendary Dick Wolf, creator of the Law & Order and One Chicago franchises, turned to Netflix for his latest crime series in early 2024. Titled Homicide: New York, this multi-part docuseries spends time with various detectives and prosecuting attorneys as they revisit the cases they’ll never forget, for better or worse.
From massacres to slayings and missing persons to serial killers, this engrossing and highly entertaining show is something both fans of Wolf’s iconic series and true crime buffs will certainly enjoy if they haven’t already.
Stream Homicide: New York on Netflix.
The Truth About Jim (2024)
We’ve seen several docuseries over the years that follow people as they attempt to come to terms with their families’ dark pasts, but few are as emotionally charged as the 2024 Max series, The Truth About Jim. Over four episodes, Sierra Barter tries to figure out if her step-grandfather, Jim Mordecai was a vicious serial killer preying upon multiple victims throughout California.
Unpacking family secrets and confronting generations of trauma surrounding the supposed actions of her step-grandfather, Barter attempts to gain a better understanding of the whole episode and what it means for her family moving forward.
Stream The Truth About Jim on Max.
The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst (2015)
Several years before his death, American real estate magnate and convicted murderer Robert Durst was the subject of one of the most talked about true crime documentary series ever made. Released in 2015, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst dove into the life, legacy, crimes, and mysteries involving the enigmatic figure. Oddly enough, Durst was arrested and charged with first-degree murder the day before the finale aired, per New York Magazine.
And now is the perfect time to revisit the landmark docuseries, as HBO is preparing to release a follow-up series, The Jinx – Part Two, at some point in 2024, per Variety.
Stream The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst on Max.
American Nightmare (2024)
The 2024 Netflix series, American Nightmare, spends three episodes diving into the story of Denise Huskins and Aaron Quinn, a couple who found themselves at the center of a mysterious case strangely similar to Gillian Flynn’s 2012 crime thriller novel, Gone Girl. In the early hours of March 23, 2015, the couple was awoken by an intruder who kidnapped Huskins and dropped her off 400 miles away around 48 hours later.
What follows is a strange and twist-heavy case where the couple goes from being treated as victims to the perpetrators of a conspiracy to fake a kidnapping after investigators find holes in their stories. Hold your judgment until this whole story plays out…
Stream American Nightmare on Netflix.
Love Has Won: The Cult Of Mother God (2023)
Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God, a three-part HBO documentary series, was released in late 2023 and told the story of Amy Carlson, a former fast-food manager who became the leader of a mysterious new age religious movement. Love Has Won has all the staples of a great true crime doc in that it touches on cults, money-making schemes, and mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of its main subject.
This is up there with other cult documentaries HBO has released over the years, but that doesn’t mean it’s one you want to skip. In fact, this is something you have to see to believe.
Stream Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God on Max.
11 Minutes (2022)
On the 5th anniversary of the 2017 Las Vegas Shooting that claimed the lives of 61 people, Paramount+ released 11 Minutes, an in-depth breakdown of the infamous attack on the Route 91 Harvest music festival. Featuring footage from the night a lone gunman fired more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition from the Mandalay Bay hotel and interviews with those in attendance, including country singer Jason Aldean, the four-part documentary explores the moments before, during, and after the incident and how it impacted those involved.
Stories of tragedy are balanced with tales of heroism as concertgoers and first responders attempt to save as many lives as possible and try to make sense of the violent act. 11 Minutes doesn’t hold back, so be warned.
Stream 11 Minutes on Paramount+.
Dark Side Of The Ring (2019 - Present)
Vice’s Dark Side of the Ring is technically a wrestling documentary series that dives into the lives and legacies of some of the sport’s biggest names and events, but it also spends a lot of time focusing on some of the most infamous scandals and full-on crimes committed by figures in the industry. The Chris Benoit murder-suicide, the mysterious death of Dino Bravo, the slaying of Bruiser Brody, and multiple other gripping stories are all explored throughout the series.
Part history lesson and part true crime documentary, Dark Side of the Ring sheds light on and breaks down tales that are so intense and seem so far-fetched that you’d think they were all part of some elaborate wrestling program.
Stream Dark Side of the Ring on Hulu.
McMillions (2020)
Released back in 2020, the HBO documentary series, McMillions turns its focus to the McDonald’s Monopoly fraud scandal and the wild ride investigators went on to get to the bottom of the story. Told over six episodes, this highly entertaining and insightful documentary introduces characters that feel like they’re out of a mob movie and not a promotion at one of the world’s most popular fast-food chains, and it only gets stranger as it goes on.
Expect to learn a lot about the scandal and all involved parties, as the documentary series throws so much information at you before everything is said and done.
Telemarketers (2023)
One of the most entertaining true crime documentaries out there, HBO’s 2023 three-parter, Telemarketers, feels a lot like a Michael Moore movie in that it’s at times so hilarious it makes you forget it’s uncovering a nefarious scheme. The basic gist of the series goes like this: two former coworkers go on a years-long campaign to expose the telemarketing industry that the documentary claims scammed people out of money in the name of charity.
It’s not as sinister or dramatic as some of the other shows on this list, but make no mistake, there’s some messed up stuff going on here. With a story that gets crazier as it goes on, an all-time documentary personality in Pat Pespas, and outstanding (albeit at times accidental) journalism, this is a must-watch.
A Friend Of The Family (2022)
A Peacock original worth checking out, A Friend of the Family is an engrossing, terrifying, and at times maddening, true crime drama series based on the Abducted in Plain Sight documentary. The 2022 limited series tells the hard-to-believe story of Robert Berchtold (Jake Lacy), a man who kidnapped and abused Jan Broberg (Hendrix Yancey and McKenna Grace) on two different occasions in the mid 1970s.
What’s so upsetting about this nine-parter is the fact that Broberg’s parents, played by Colin Hanks and Anna Paquin, allow her abductor to remain a part of their close group of friends even after he kidnapped their young daughter the first time.
Stream A Friend of the Family on Peacock.
Waco: American Apocalypse (2023)
2023 marked the 30th anniversary of the siege at the Branch Davidian compound outside of Waco, Texas, and there were countless documentaries, shows, and specials made to recognize the infamous incident. One of the best of those is Waco: American Apocalypse, a three-part docuseries breaking down practically every aspect of the situation from beginning to end.
Through extensive interviews with surviving Branch Davidians and federal agents who participated in the weeks-long siege, the documentary offers a tremendous amount of insight into the showdown that directly and indirectly led to the biggest news stories of the final years of the 20th century.
Stream Waco: American Apocalypse on Netflix.
Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)
Anthony Caronna’s 2023 true crime docuseries, Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York, spends four episodes breaking down the crimes of Richard Rogers, a.k.a., the Last Call Killer, a man who preyed upon the Big Apple’s LGBTQ+ population in the early 1990s.
But Last Call doesn’t just turn its attention to the man who terrorized the community between 1992 and 1993, it also paints a picture of what society was like at the time, how mainstream society viewed the LGBTQ+ people in the middle of the AIDS crisis, and how even those who weren’t harmed by the serial killer were affected by his reign of terror.
Stream Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York on Max.
Mindhunter (2017 - 2019)
Over two seasons, David Fincher’s Mindhunter followed FBI special agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), as well as psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) as they revolutionized the science of criminal profiling.
In addition to the main arc and various plots that it spawned, the show also featured portrayals of notorious serial killers like Charles Manson, Elmer Wayne Henley Jr., the BTK Killer, and most notably, Edmund Kemper.
Making A Murderer (2015 - 2018)
Between its initial run in 2015 to its 2018 follow-up show, the Netflix original series, Making a Murderer took the internet by storm nearly a decade ago with its engrossing story about convicted murderer Steven Avery. Told over the course of multiple years, this 20-part docuseries dives into the life of Avery, who was wrongly convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder (for which he spent 18 years in prison) only to be convicted of murder a few years after his release.
A major conversation starter and hot-topic item on the internet over the years, Making a Murderer remains one of the most complex and confounding additions to the true crime genre..
Stream Making a Murderer on Netflix.
Pam & Tommy (2022)
In 2022, those with a Hulu subscription were given access to one of the most star-studded and over-the-top true crime drama series in recent memory with Pam & Tommy. This eight-part series served as a dramatization of the saga surrounding the theft and unauthorized release of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s infamous sex tape that took the internet, and the world, by storm in the mid-1990s.
Lily James and Sebastian Stan lead the Pam & Tommy cast as Anderson and Lee, respectively. The series also spends a great deal of time focusing on the couple’s tumultuous relationship from its start as a random encounter at a nightclub through one of the toughest periods in their lives. Seth Rogen provides an incredible performance as Rand Gauthier, the frustrated carpenter who stole and released the now-infamous videotape.
Who Killed Robert Wone? (2023)
The 2023 Peacock true crime docuseries Who Killed Robert Wone? is one of the more fascinating crime docs put out by the streamer over the years, and is definitely something fans of the genre need to check out. The basic premise goes like this: four men go to bed in a house one August 2006 night, only for one of them to be stabbed to death an hour later.
In a chat with CinemaBlend prior to the series debut, director Jared P. Scott revealed there were “a number of bizarre, perplexing, and baffling pieces” to the story that he felt made the story worth telling. And without giving too much away about the story, this one goes in so many different directions.
Stream Who Killed Robert Wone? on Peacock.
Love & Death (2023)
David E. Kelley’s seven-part true crime drama series, Love & Death, dives into the story of a Texas housewife who starts a romantic affair before killing her lover’s wife with an ax. The story, tone, and Love & Death cast led by Elizabeth Olsen and Jesse Plemons, create an unforgettable experience.
Even if you’re familiar with the real-life case of Candy Montgomery, or you thought you saw it all after watching Hulu’s Candy starring Jessica Biel, this Max original series brings something new to the table in this retelling of a heinous crime and the events that led up to it.
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (2023)
Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is one of those true crime documentaries that just gets crazier and harder to explain the longer you watch. Though the three-episode Netflix documentary series primarily focuses on the trial of former prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who has since been convicted in the double-murder of his wife and son, it also dives into the strange happenings surrounding the once-respected family.
From accidental deaths in boating accidents to corruption and all other kinds of scandals, this multifaceted docuseries leaves no stone unturned. But, this story isn’t over yet, as a second season came to Netflix in late September 2023.
Stream Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal on Netflix.
Don’t Pick Up The Phone (2022)
Remember the 2012 psychological thriller Compliance where an unknown caller masquerades as a police officer and convinces a fast food manager to strip-search one of her employees who has been falsely accused of stealing from a customer? Well, a decade later, Netflix released Don’t Pick Up the Phone, a three-part docuseries breaking down the real crimes that inspired Craig Zobel’s terrifying drama.
With interviews with the investigators and reporters who broke the case, as well as descriptions of the countless calls the real perpetrator made over numerous years, Don’t Pick Up the Phone pieces together one of the most unsettling crimes of the 21st Century.
Stream Don’t Pick Up the Phone on Netflix.
Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist (2022)
Upon its release in 2022, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist quickly became incredibly popular on Netflix, and continued to be one of platform’s most-watched shows for quite some time. This two part documentary recounts one of the biggest sports stories from the past decade: Manti Te’o being catfished, and adds a great deal of context to the sensational story that forever changed the Notre Dame linebacker’s life, career, and legacy.
In addition to tackling the whole “catfish” angle and the fallout from the revelation that Teo’s longtime girlfriend, whom he never met, was not only not dead, but not real, Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist tells the story of the person who orchestrated it and how their own life was forever changed in the process.
Stream Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist on Netflix.
Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022)
Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story arrived on Netflix in 2022 and immediately became one of the most popular yet controversial shows due to its placement in the LGBTQ+ section and the way it portrayed certain characters.
The 10-episode limited series, which features an all-star cast headlined by Golden Globe winner Evan Peters as the “Milwaukee Cannibal,” tells the story of how Dahmer became one of the most notorious serial killers in American history and how his actions did irreparable damage to those in his community for more than a decade. And the series has led to yet another franchise for Ryan Murphy, as Netflix ordered two additional installments based on different real-life monsters following its release.
Stream Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story on Netflix.
The Dropout (2022)
Amanda Seyfried, best known for her spot on the Mean Girls cast and the Mamma Mia movies, found herself taking on a very different kind of role with her portrayal of Elizabeth Holmes and her infamous voice in the 2022 Hulu true crime drama series The Dropout. This limited series focuses on the rise and fall of Holmes' now-defunct biotechnology company Theranos while also detailing the entrepreneur’s ambition and ethical shortcomings.
Quickly becoming one of the best Hulu original series upon its release, The Dropout ended up receiving multiple Emmy nominations, including a win for Seyfried in the Outstanding Lead Actress (Limited Series or Movie) category.
I’ll Be Gone In The Dark (2020)
The 2020 HBO docuseries I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is one-part breakdown of the 50 sexual assaults and 10 murders committed by the Golden State Killer (also known as the East Area Rapist, Original Night Stalker, and EARONS) and one-part exploration of the late true crime writer Michelle McNamara’s years-long crusade to identify the heinous criminal and finally bring him to justice for crimes he committed nearly 50 years ago.
Through interviews with survivors and families of victims of the Golden State Killer and excerpts from McNamara’s posthumously released book of the same name, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark ties together dozens of instances of burglary, rape, and murder committed by the man who would later be identified as Joseph James DeAngelo. A seventh episode was released in June 2021 detailing DeAngelo’s court proceedings, as well as the Oak Park, Illinois murder that inspired McNamara to write about true crime in the first place.
Stream I’ll Be Gone in the Dark on Max.
Don’t Fuck With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer (2019)
The Netflix docuseries Don’t Fuck with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer starts off as a bizarre crusade by a group of online sleuths to uncover the identity of a man who posted a series of videos of himself killing cats, but quickly becomes a hunt to find a serial killer by the time everything is said and done. This three-part documentary took the world by storm upon its release in late 2019, and quickly became one of the most talked about titles on the streaming service before Tiger King arrived on the scene.
And, just like that Joe Exotic series that would follow a few months later, Don’t Fuck with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer is full of unique personalities all committed to finding and stopping the Canadian serial killer, Luka Magnotta, a man who almost seems to be toying with his pursuers one heinous act at a time.
Steam Don’t Fuck With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer on Netflix.
O.J.: Made In America (2016)
Ezra Edelman’s 2016 documentary O.J.: Made in America (released as a five-part series as well as a nearly 467-minute epic) is possibly the most thorough and interesting breakdown of the life, career, and legacy of O.J. Simpson who went from one of the most beloved sports figures to public enemy number one when he was charged in the June 1994 double-murder of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.
While this sprawling documentary is mostly about Simpson, his accomplishments on the field, and sudden fall from grace, O.J.: Made in America spends a great deal of time painting the landscape of America when Simpson first became a national sports icon as well as how decades of racial tensions and division in Los Angeles played into his trial and eventual acquittal.
Stream O.J.: Made In America on ESPN+.
The Night Stalker: Hunting For A Serial Killer (2021)
Netflix is home to some of the best true crime docuseries, and The Night Stalker: Hunting for a Serial Killer is at the very top of that list. This four-part series thoroughly breaks down the crimes of Richard Ramirez and the Los Angeles homicide detectives who put their own lives up on a shelf so that they could dedicate every hour of their day to tracking him down and bringing him to justice.
One thing that can be said about The Night Stalker: Hunting for a Serial Killer is the way in which it sets the tone very early on and creates this feeling of fear and dread as it presents information on the ways in which Richard Ramirez assaulted the more than 15 victims that he brutally attacked during the eighteen months of his crimes.
Stream The Night Stalker: Hunting For A Serial Killer on Netflix.
Dr. Death (2021 - Present)
The 2021 Peacock limited series Dr. Death serves as a dramatization of the story of Christopher Duntsch, a Texas-based neurosurgeon who was convicted in 2017 of purposely maiming a patient (though he was accused of injuring dozens more and killing two others) and sentenced to life in prison.
The three-part true crime series follows surgeons Randall Kirby (Christian Slater) and Robert Henderson (Alec Baldwin) as they first investigate claims of injury and death at the hands of Duntsch (Joshua Jackson), before making it their mission to stop him from doing any more harm to patients through any means necessary. A second season of the anthology crime series debuted in 2023, and focused on the real-life story of Dr. Paolo Macchiarini, whose breakthrough surgical procedures had a dark side.
The Vow (2020)
The 2020 HBO docuseries The Vow follows former members of the the NXIVM cult as they come to terms with their roles in helping the organization go from a self-improvement group to an alleged sex cult, in which high-ranking members have been sentenced to prison. By combining interviews with former members who escaped and hours upon hours of footage of the group’s leader, Keith Raniere, and other high-ranking members like former actress Allison Mack, the series tells the frightening story of those who became consumed with power and greed and the lives they ruined along the way.
Stream The Vow on Max.
Also Try: Seduced: Inside the NXIVM Cult on Starz.
Atlanta’s Missing And Murdered: The Lost Children (2020)
The Atlanta Child Murders, which were the basis of Mindhunter Season 2, are explored in great detail in the 2020 HBO documentary series Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children. For five painful and gut-wrenching episodes, the series tells the story of the disappearance and murder of at least 30 children in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area and the manhunt that eventually led to the capture of Wayne Williams, who was convicted of two of the crimes in 1982.
Despite this, many, including the families of those abducted and killed, aren’t fully convinced that the killer (or killers) has been stopped, which is something this documentary tackles upon the official re-opening of the case.
Stream Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children on Max.
Unsolved Mysteries (2020)
True crime and mystery fans rejoiced in 2020 when Netflix resurrected the long-dormant docuseries, Unsolved Mysteries, that felt like a continuation of the classic show while also giving it a modernization that put it up there with the best in the genre. Over the course of 21 episodes, the series touches on everything from missing persons and murders, to tales of ghost sightings and UFOs, making it one of the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix.
Stream Unsolved Mysteries on Netflix.
The thing about true crime shows is that there is always going to be another documentary, docuseries, or drama series down the road that will grab our attention with tales so grim we just can’t look away. If you want to know what's coming down the road, take a look at our updated guide to the 2024 TV schedule to get a head start on the next great true crime documentary or drama series.
