The 30 best unscripted true crime series

From con artists to serial killers, here are the most compelling true crime docuseries and why they’re essential viewing.

Looking for a great deep-dive into small-town murders, unsolved mysteries, or confounding cults? From the wild farce of McMillion$ to the chilling portrait of a serial killer unraveling in The Jinx, true crime series can be compelling considerations of perpetrators and the people affected by them. These documentarians clarify cases that have bewildered and broken innocent people and authorities alike, exercising caution and empathy in equal measure, even when there are no clear answers.

Here are the 30 best unscripted true crime series that brought strange and heartbreaking inciedents to light.

“Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children” (2020)

True crime documentaries about kids are hard to stomach, but this series handles its story with care, examining the case of a killer who operated in Atlanta and targeted Black children in the late '70s and early '80s. Though difficult to watch, there’s an undercurrent of hope as authorities try to catch a perp who is not unlike the bogeyman, hiding in the dark and waiting for his chance to take his victims.

Where to watch Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children: Max

“Burden of Proof” (2023)

HBO is known for gripping true crime explorations, and this series feels uniquely personal. After 15-year-old Jennifer Lynn Pandos allegedly runs away from her home in Williamsburg, Va., her brother, Stephen Pandos, challenges the narrative surrounding her disappearance, driven by a desire to solve the mystery and to find peace for himself in middle age. As Stephen finds more and more evidence pointing to his parents' involvement, the docuseries becomes a study of the destruction of family, the illusion of connection, and the true legacy of what lies beneath the myths we tell ourselves.

Where to watch Burden of Proof: Max

“The Case Against Adnan Syed” (2019)

Wrongful convictions are often rife with racial and cultural biases, but rarely are they litigated so successfully years later. After Hae Min Lee’s 1999 murder by strangulation, her ex-boyfriend, Adnan Syed, became the prime suspect — and the subject of the widely popular proto-true crime podcast Serial, which argued his innocence with much aplomb. This docuseries builds upon that work, following his appeal process and refusal to plead guilty for a reduced sentence. A testament to the power of bias, The Case Against Adnan Syed explores the wreckage from the proceedings and the unfair ways legal systems swirl.

Where to watch The Case Against Adnan Syed: Max

"The Confession Killer" (2019)

This true crime series makes you look at serial killers in a novel way. By investigating the claims of drifter killer Henry Lee Lucas — who took cops for a ride, sometimes literally, after confessing to hundreds of murders he didn’t commit — the producers show how overeager and incompetent policing can allow someone like Lucas to inflate their ego by crafting their own legend. Should we believe anything these malignant narcissists say about their crimes? This unscripted Netflix show calls that into question.

Where to watch The Confession Killer: Netflix

“Don’t F— With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer” (2019)

Citizen sleuths have been on the rise in the internet age, as seen in this tense docudrama. After posting videos of himself torturing and killing cats, Luka Magnotta becomes the object of a vigilante Facebook group’s obsession, as they worry about the animals and whether he’ll escalate to hurting humans. This true crime series explores who these individuals are in context with the evidence they scrutinize at night. Criminal profiling is a powerful tool, and it’s fascinating to see it wielded by everyday people.

Where to watch Don’t F— With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer: Netflix

“I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” (2020)

True crime writer Michelle McNamara tragically died before her investigation into the Golden State Killer was complete, but the research she left behind was instrumental to his eventual capture. In the wake of her passing, widower Patton Oswalt and an incredible group of colleagues and friends compiled her work into a book that helped bring Joseph James DeAngelo to justice. A testament to obsession and a warning about its costs, this documentary series captures the humanity and brilliance of McNamara amidst the grotesquery of her subject.

Where to watch I’ll Be Gone in the Dark: Max

“The Innocence Files” (2020)

This series looks at a wide array of wrongful conviction cases and the struggle to carry on after time in prison, even as a free person. Here, we follow The Innocence Project, an organization that seeks justice for innocent people who are unfairly swallowed by the legal system. By accompanying the team on their missions, a powerful tapestry emerges that is every shade of sorrow, victory, and pessimism there is.

Where to watch The Innocence Files: Netflix

“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” (2015)

The Jinx is a wild, serpentine investigation into the deadly drive of a neurotic real estate heir who is riddled with delusions but can’t avoid the truth. What starts with Robert Durst being a fan of filmmaker Andrew Jarecki’s adaptation of his life turns into an arrest for the murders of Kathie Durst, Susan Berman, and Morris Black. Though he adamantly denies any involvement in these crimes, a major twist soon ushers in a change of fate for Durst, culminating in one of the most celebrated and shocking true crime series in recent memory.

Where to watch The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst: Max

“The Keepers” (2017)

Faith-based murder is especially heinous, and the killing of Catherine Cesnik — a nun who tried to out A. Joseph Maskell, a priest at Archbishop Keough High School whom she believed was abusing students — is proof. Caught between the church and the police, the scandal and the investigation, Cesnik became a stand-in for many of the people squandered in the name of Catholic cover-ups, be it in Baltimore or anywhere else with a diocese.

Where to watch The Keepers: Netflix

“Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey” (2022)

Religious cults are a dime a dozen when it comes to true crime series, but the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its leader, Warren S. Jeffs, still make for fascinating viewing. Even as one of the largest faiths in the country, Mormonism can still seem shrouded in mystery. Here, survivors of Jeffs’ coercion and manipulation speak about the way power works behind closed, gold-encrusted doors, exposing how the phrase “pray and obey” is used as a mind-control tool to sway the congregation away from dissent.

Where to watch Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey: Netflix

“The Lady and the Dale” (2021)

The OG Elizabeth Holmes, Elizabeth Carmichael and her company, Twentieth Century Motor Car Corporation, pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes with a three-wheeled fuel-efficient car that could not stand up to scrutiny. Eventually revealed to be a fraud with a floor model, Carmichael fled with investor money, going into hiding. Testimonies from her children paint the hoodwinker as complicated and almost sympathetic, but the facts of the matter remain in this excellent true crime series.

Where to watch The Lady and the Dale: Max

“Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” (2023)

This heartbreaking true crime series exposes the way prejudice inspires violence and impedes justice. Back during the height of the AIDS crisis, a killer lurked in the shadows of New York City and preyed upon gay and bisexual men. This should caused everyone to rally for LGBTQ people, but between homophobic media coverage and a dismissive police department, little was done to protect the community. As much as an examination of the victims' lives as the culture that hampered the case, Last Call exposes how hate all but relegated the killings to the dustbin of the East Coast homicide desk.

Where to watch Last Call: A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York: Max

“Love Fraud” (2020)

In this riveting series, the documentary crew hires private detectives to catch Richard Scott Smith, a man who defrauded many lonely women out of their money, using love and marriage as a means to distract them from his misdeeds. Wed to multiple wives at a time with numerous identities and brought in for domestic assault, Smith damaged his lovesick victims’ credit, self-esteem, and security in relationships. The show isn’t perfect, but its effort to actively fund an investigation, work with victims, and focus on something less sensational than murder, is admirable.

Where to watch Love Fraud: Showtime

“Making a Murderer” (2015–2018)

The complications of wrongful conviction come into sharp focus in Making a Murderer as viewers learn about Steven Avery, who spent 18 years imprisoned for the assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen, only to be released in 2003 and charged with the murder of Teresa Halbach in 2005. The series is driven by an engine of conspiracy, as Avery’s second conviction comes neatly after he sued the county for mishandling his case. There are no easy answers, but the showrunners make a compelling argument that corrupt institutions can easily drive or tamper with criminal investigations.

Where to watch Making A Murderer: Netflix

“McMillion$” (2020)

Absurd fun without being frothy, this fraud docuseries explores how the FBI tried to take down Jerome “Uncle Jerry” Jacobson for his involvement in a McDonald’s Monopoly game scam between 1989 and 2001. What makes the story interesting is the way the “winners” of the contest are flummoxed, quick to confess, or struggle to smartly obscure how they made their money. Seeing real people who aren’t sociopaths or professional criminals sweat when confronted is refreshing, compelling, and every bit as interesting as watching more villainous characters take the screen.

Where to watch McMillion$: Max

“Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal” (2023)

Gen Z is at the center of this tale of money, bad tempers, and boat accidents. The latter ends in the tragic death of young Mallory Beach, but it also begins a high-profile investigation into the affluent Murdaugh family, shining a light on small-town cover-ups, local political celebrity, and psychopathology along the way. While the teen subjects might have been criticized for telling their stories poorly, this true crime series still succeeds in exploring how far powerful people will go to keep secrets hidden.

Where to watch Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal: Netflix

“Murder in Big Horn” (2023)

Killers of the Flower Moon might have put crimes against Natives top-of-mind this year, but this exploration of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) in Montana takes care when looking at the epidemic in its current state. There are no easy answers, and mysteries only lead to more obscure roadblocks, but this series is a strong start to providing a foundation to find these women and expose the perpetrators.

Where to watch Murder in Big Horn: Showtime

“Murder on Middle Beach” (2020)

Directed by Madison Hamburg, son of the slain Barbara Hamburg, Murder on Middle Beach looks into the questions still circulating about her death over a decade later. While the series isn’t conclusive, it illuminates the effects of grief and brings the viewer into a world that’s not obsessed with just catching the killer, but with the context of the crime and the full picture of what happened. We join Hamburg as he examines the totality of his mother’s adult life, from a bad marriage to pyramid scheme involvement, and all the closure that can bring when the truth is ineffable.

Where to watch Murder on Middle Beach: Max

“Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer” (2021)

In the short span between 1984 and 1985, Richard Ramirez’s crime spree included killing five people, sexual assault, attempted murder, and burglary. This true crime series paints a portrait of both L.A. during the murders and the killer’s psychology itself. The story is disturbing for several reasons, but it also clarifies the way a sense of security can easily be deflated by a lone criminal stalking a city that thinks it's bulletproof.

Where to watch Night Stalker: The Hunt For A Serial Killer: Netflix

“No One Saw a Thing” (2019)

Ken Rex McElroy was a convicted attempted murderer living in Skidmore, Mo., who was shot and killed in his pick-up with nearly 60 townsfolk as potential witnesses, though everyone insists they saw nothing of the sort. 1981 may have been a different time, but the case is still stranger than fiction, seeming almost unimaginable in our internet age, where a self-created surveillance state is as American as apple pie.

Where to watch No One Saw a Thing: Amazon Prime Video

“The Pharmacist” (2020)

This true crime documentary series is a family matter. Here, Dan Schneider’s hunt for his son’s killer leads him to a successful and insidious “pill mill” operating in New Orleans. The small-town pharmacist vs. the excess of addiction is a compelling narrative that will have viewers rooting for Schneider the whole way.

Where to watch The Pharmacist: Netflix

“Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story” (2018)

In 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was murdered by neighborhood watchman George Zimmerman, who was released from police custody after claiming he shot the unarmed teen in self-defense. The incident prompted widespread outrage, protests, and calls for justice; this powerful docuseries touches on all those pillars, but the story’s core rests on the life of Martin himself and the legacy left in his wake, all while calling for systematic and social change.

Where to watch Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story: Paramount+

“The Ripper” (2020)

Between 1975 and 1980, 13 women were murdered in West Yorkshire and Manchester at the hands of Peter Sutcliffe. Nicknamed the “Yorkshire Ripper” due to similarities between these slayings and Jack the Ripper’s sex-worker killings, Sutcliffe terrorized England as an anomaly, targeting adults and teens alike until he was finally caught. Here, the victims’ stories are told through interviews with family members, investigators, journalists, and survivors who escaped the grip of death.

Where to watch The Ripper: Netflix

“The Staircase” (2004–2018)

Can an owl kill a person? This is one of many questions conjured in this lauded docuseries, centering around the death (and possible murder) of Kathleen Peterson, who was found unresponsive at the bottom of her home’s staircase. Did she slip and fall in a tragic accident or was she pushed? The show seeks to find out in real-time with the legal proceedings, though it lends a sympathetic lens to prime suspect and widower Michael Peterson. The documentarians follow the victim’s husband before and after his fateful trial with many twists and turns along the way. No matter the viewer’s take, this is one of the first true crime series to truly capture the public’s attention, and it remains a high point of the genre.

Where to watch The Staircase: Netflix

“Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence” (2023)

In 2008, Larry Ray secretly lived in his daughter's dorm and proceeded to manipulate, extort, and control a small group of young students at Sarah Lawrence College. This series focuses on Ray’s victims in the lead-up to his conviction, allowing viewers to see the way charismatic people can twist the knife and turn someone’s life sideways, whether in a convention center with 2000 people or a small residence at a university.

Where to watch Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence: Hulu

“Time: The Kalief Browder Story” (2017)

After being wrongfully imprisoned without trial for stealing a backpack, and spending 700 days in solitary confinement, Kalief Browder hung himself at his parents' home two years after being released. This true crime series serves as damning evidence for the many ways New York City’s criminal justice system failed. The story may sound familiar, but that only makes it all the more important, vital, and enraging.

Where to watch Time: The Kalief Browder Story: Netflix

“Unsolved Mysteries” (1987–present)

This documentary series spotlights confounding mysteries related to true crime and, yes, the supernatural. Cases involving Craig Williamson, Bonnie Haim, the Anthrax Murders, and others have since been solved along with some 150+ others, but most are left open-ended, lingering on the mind long after viewing. There have been multiple revivals of the series across numerous networks (the latest living on Netflix) and the show isn’t easy to categorize, but it still does an excellent job of bringing cases to the public eye, hopefully resulting in an arrest, conviction, or explanation for families.

Where to watch Unsolved Mysteries: Netflix

“The Vow” (2020–2022)

NXIVM leader Keith Raniere was found guilty of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and fraud, to name a few offenses. This immense story is told over two seasons and examines the how and who of his cult, which operated with funding via seminars that promised to help the weary and lost reach their full potential. With a focus on who fell prey to Raniere’s mechanisms of deceit, viewers get to consider not only who gets sucked into cults, but who is left in shambles when the lies come crumbling down.

Where to watch The Vow: Max

“The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin” (2021–2022)

Cults can start anywhere, and what’s hokey to some can be mighty appealing to others who are lost or down, or with low self-esteem. Gwen Shamblin Lara tapped into those vulnerabilities to grow her faulty diet program, Weigh Down Workshop, which ultimately aided in launching the Remnant Fellowship, a pseudo-Christian cult built on her personality and beliefs, declaring all other churches fraudulent. While the series originally had fewer testimonies to go off of, a twist of fate in 2021 inspired a slew of more people to discuss the guru with the updo.

Where to watch The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin: Max

“Wild, Wild Country” (2018)

The Rajneeshpuram commune operated in the United States in direct conflict with the nation’s values. Originating in India and settling in Oregon, they were all for free love, meditation, and de-centering of the Christian God, which led to many conflicts with local residents and national authorities. Wild, Wild Country isn’t quick to judge, but rather unfurls the unbelievable story of guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his followers during their tenure as paragons of a new religion in conservative America — and the violent fallout they caused within the surrounding community.

Where to watch Wild, Wild Country: Netflix

Related content:

• The 25 best serial killer documentaries

• The best true crime documentaries on Netflix

• The best true crime documentaries on Max

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.