The Best True-Crime Series to Stream in 2024
Documentaries are not always the most exciting and entertaining pieces of content. While many of them are fascinating and beautiful, there are some that are, for lack of a better word, boring. There is, in turn, an entire genre of documentaries that are a major exception from this rule: true-crime shows. These shows retell some of the most gruesome or even mysterious events from the annals of law enforcement, sometimes unsolved crimes and mysteries, other times, more hilarious matters like the Tiger King’s misadventures with Carole Baskin. Read more about the series on the allslotscasino.com blog.
If you are bored of hackneyed procedurals using the same tropes and endlessly retelling the same stories, here are a few shows that will not only keep you pinned to the screen but also give you a bit of insight into what dark and horrifying deeds real-life people can do.
Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (Netflix)
“Don’t F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer” is a miniseries that follows a group of amateur internet detectives staging a manhunt for Luka Magnotta, who posted a video of himself killing kittens in 2010. Later, Magnotta was convicted of killing Chinese international student Jun Lin.
The three-part miniseries follow Deanna Thompson and John Green creating a Facebook group trying to build evidence against Magnotta who posted his ominous kitten video to Facebook earlier, by analyzing the background and the items in the background, ultimately helping the authorities track down the killer.
The series became one of the top-watched documentaries on Netflix in 2019.
Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered (HBO)
Where most procedural shows – of the fictional kind, of course – end with the evidence bagged and the criminal convicted, things don’t always work out in real life. This was the case of the Atlanta murders of 1979–1981, a crime spree unsolved to this day.
Over two years, at least 28 children, adolescents, and adults were killed by a yet unknown perpetrator. A suspect – Wayne Williams, 23 at the time – was captured, tried, and convicted to two consecutive life sentences for the murder of the adults but no child killings have ever been proven to have been committed by him, even though he was accused of several. And he never stopped claiming he was innocent.
The case was closed at the time but reopened in March 2019 by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, hoping that modern technology will help finally solve the mystery.
The time when Atlanta children were not let out of their homes and citizens formed groups to police the streets themselves has been immortalized by the HBO documentary series “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered”.
The Act (Hulu)
When enough is enough, some people snap, doing things one couldn’t’ve imagined they were capable of. This was the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard whose abusive mother claimed that she had leukemia, asthma, muscular dystrophy, and the cognitive capacity of a seven-year-old due to brain damage suffered during her premature birth.
In reality, she suffered from none of the above – the only problem she had was her mom, Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard, who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental disorder that causes the patient to fabricate and induce illnesses in the person under their care.
Dee Dee subjected her daughter to unnecessary surgery and made her claim that she was disabled, chronically ill, and younger than she actually was. This went on until Gypsy Rose met Nicholas Godejohn online, who later became her boyfriend. And one day, Dee Dee was found lying face down in her bed, with several stab wounds on her body, while her daughter missing (and her wheelchair and medication left behind).
Their gruesome case was the subject of several movies and shows, as well as a lengthy Buzzfeed article published in 2016 that ultimately served as a basis for the 2019 Hulu true-crime documentary series “The Act”, with Patricia Arquette and Joey King in the leading roles.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez (Netflix)
The series takes the viewer on a journey inside the mind of Aaron Hernandez, former professional American football player, currently convicted murderer, currently serving life in prison.
Hernandez was convicted for the murder of Odin Lloyd, linebacker for the semi-professional American football team Boston Bandits. Hernandez was accused of another double murder as well but was ultimately acquitted. He killed himself in his prison cell.
The series interviews the friends and family of the footballer, journalists, attorneys, officials, and former teammates, telling the story of his rise, fall, and suicide. It is an “eye-opening” and “illuminating” show that while it can’t give all the answers, provides more insights into the mind of a killer.
Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (Netflix)
“Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” was released by Netflix last January, on the 30th anniversary of Ted Bundy’s execution. The four-hour documentary consists of material sourced from over 100 hours of interviews and archive footage about one of the most infamous serial killers in history.
Theodore Robert Bundy was one of the most notorious killers in history. Before his execution in 1989, he confessed to 30 homicides – the true number of his victims is thought to be much higher, though. Bundy was the subject of countless documentaries and biographies, inspiring some of the vilest Hollywood killers in the process.
The series, while unsuccessful in figuring out Bundy’s motivation, is a chilling glimpse into the mind – and deeds – of one of the most terrifying serial killers in history.
American Crime Story
Finally, let us mention a series that has new seasons coming: American Crime Story. The first two seasons of the series aired in 2016, and 2018, respectively, took a look at some of the most resounding criminal cases of the 20th century: O. J. Simpson’s murder trial, and the assassination of the fashion icon Gianni Versace in 1997.
The upcoming season will tackle the impeachment of US President Bill Clinton in the wake of the Monica Lewinski scandal. “American Crime Story: Impeachment” is in production as we speak – with Lewinski on board as an executive producer. As you might expect, the production of season 3 was suspended due to the ongoing pandemic – the cast and crew are, in turn, “ready to go” once the restrictions are lifted. And the new season promises revelations that will surprise everyone.
