25 True Crime TV Shows to Stream Right Now
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True crime is having a moment. Over the past handful of years, streaming services have produced docuseries and dramatizations on real-life murders, cults, frauds, plots, schemes, and mysteries. And audiences have eaten them all up. Some of the titles on this list are heavier than others, but all are masterful, binge-worthy examples of nonfiction storytelling. Here are the best true crime TV shows currently streaming.
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
The Jinx is synonymous with true crime. The 2015 mini series focuses on real estate mogul Robert Durst and those who turn up dead around him: his wife, his elderly neighbor, and his best friend. Throughout the six episodes, Durst opens up to filmmaker Andrew Jarecki (who also directed 2010’s All Good Things, a dramatization of Durst’s life starring Ryan Gosling) and gives viewers a jaw-dropping answer to his rumination, “What the hell did I do?”
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The Keepers
Sister Cathy Cesnik disappeared November 7, 1969. Two months later, her body was found. This seven-part docuseries digs into why the beloved Catholic high school teacher was murdered—and whether it was part of a larger plot to cover up enduring sexual abuse inside the Archdioces of Baltimore.
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Unbelievable
Starring Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and a never-better Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable is based on the true story of Marie, a girl accused of lying about an intruder raping her in her apartment. But when another woman is attacked three years later and hundreds of miles away, two detectives uncover an alarming pattern of nearly identical assaults that prove Marie told the truth.
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O.J.: Made in America
The O.J. Simpson case is one of the most famous murder trials in history. But this ESPN documentary series proves there’s so much you don’t know. Archival footage covers Simpson’s rise as a football star to mega-celebrity status, the racial climate in the 1990s, attitudes toward domestic violence, and how they all collided when Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman were murdered. It’s in-depth, captivating, and infuriating.
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The Investigation
In August 2017, Swedish journalist Kim Wall boarded a submarine constructed by an eccentric local inventor. She was never seen again. This quiet but compelling Scandinavian drama follows Jens Møller, the chief detective of the Copenhagen Police’s homicide unit, as he works the highest-profile case of his career.
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Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence
When Larry Ray, the father of a close friend, crashes with a group of Sarah Lawrence students, they start falling one-by-one under his influence. But Larry isn’t who he seems. This three-part docuseries follows the students who lost 10 years of their life to this man’s violence, including shocking footage of how deep his manipulation went.
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The Case Against Adnan Syed
The podcast “Serial” skyrocketed Hae Min Lee’s murder and Adnan Syed’s arrest in 2014. Five years later after the popular podcast, and 15 years after Syed was sentenced to life in prison, this docuseries builds on the case as Syed and his supporters work to appeal his conviction. Syed was released in September 2022, and a new episode is in the works documenting his new life as a free man.
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The Ripper
This docuseries isn’t about the 19th-century unsolved murders you might jump to when you hear “Ripper.” But in the 1970s, Yorkshire had a string of cases eerily similar to—and perhaps even more gruesome than—the famous Victorian murders. Over four episodes, the series delves into how the police’s apathetic attitude toward sex workers, who the killer targeted, kept him free for years.
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When They See Us
Ava DuVernay directs this Emmy-winning drama based on the true story of five teens who were accused of violently attacking a woman in Central Park. The show follows each of the teens, commonly known as the Central Park Five, intimately in this story of injustice and systematic racism. It’s deeply moving—and troubling.
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Under the Banner of Heaven
Based on the true crime book by Jon Krakauer, this mini series explores the role religious fundamentalism played in the murder of a young woman (played by Normal People’s Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her infant toddler. And while Andrew Garfield’s character Detective Jeb Pyre isn’t based on a real person, his portrayal of a man of faith coming to terms with fanaticism is something viewers won’t forget.
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Murder on Middle Beach
Barbara Hamburg was murdered in Connecticut in March 2010. This deeply personal docuseries, made by her son Madison, investigates the still yet-to-be-solved case through family interviews. But what if the secrets he uncovers point to a suspect that’s close to home?
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Bad Vegan
For something a little less murderous, Bad Vegan is a story about fraud, food, and making dogs immortal. Really. It all starts when vegan restaurateur Sarma Melngailis meets a prince charming named Shane Fox. When the two marry, Fox convinces Melngailis that he has mystical abilities … if she’s willing to pay the price.
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I’ll Be Gone in the Dark
I’ll Be Gone in the Dark is based on the book by the late Michelle McNamara, who spent years investigating a string of home invasions, rapes, and murders committed in California throughout the ’70s and ’80s. With book excerpts, survivor recounts, and interviews with those who knew McNamara closely, this docuseries is part true crime doc, part love letter to a woman dedicated to unmasking a killer.
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Waco
2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Waco standoff between government agents and Branch Dividians, a religious group led by self-proclaimed prophet David Koresh. This 2018 mini series starring Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch follows the 51-day deadlock, and an accompanying series called Waco: The Aftermath aired earlier this year.
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The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
Which is bigger: Gwen Shamblin’s hair … or her influence over the Remnant Fellowship, a Christian church that holds skinniness next to godliness? This true crime docuseries speaks with former Remnant members about their experience in the church, the constant push for weight loss, and the total control Shamblin had over every single person until her 2021 death in a plane crash.
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Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal
When a family accrues as much wealth, power, and influence in a community as the Murdaughs have over the decades, it’s only a matter of time before the skeletons come tumbling out of the closet—and that’s just what happens in this docuseries. Over three episodes, the influential South Carolina family of lawyers is implicated in various scandals and crimes … until two of the Murdaughs themselves are found dead.
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The Dropout
Almost everyone knows the story of fraudster Elizabeth Holmes, whose downfall was just as publicized as her meteoric rise as founder of Theranos. But watching Amanda Seyfried portray the big-eyed, deep-voiced, turtleneck-wearing Silicon Valley entrepreneur makes is simply captivating. Seyfried is so brilliant, she won an Emmy for the role and Jennifer Lawrence backed out of another Holmes-centric project after seeing her performance.
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Evil Genius: The True Story of America’s Most Diabolical Bank Heist
A pizza delivery man walks into a bank with a bomb around his neck. And that’s just the start of this bizarre, twisty true crime tale. The docuseries dives into the plot behind the robbery and the mastermind behind it all. By the end, Evil Genius seems more like a Quinten Tarantino film than a true crime documentary.
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The Staircase
There’s a lot wrong with The Staircase. For one, the documentary’s crew only had access to the defense team after being shut out by the district attorney. For another, the editor had an affair with the series’ subject: Michael Peterson, who was accused of murdering his wife Kathleen in their home. But, as flawed as it might be, The Staircase has amassed a cult following—and being part of the true crime community means you have a strong opinion on “the owl theory.” For a dramatization of the Peterson family, check out HBO’s mini series starring Colin Firth, Toni Collette, and Sophie Turner.
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Candy
Jessica Biel stars as Candy Montgomery, a 1980s housewife who may or may not have had something to do with the death of a fellow suburban mom, Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey). The five episodes follow Candy from her fateful housecall with Betty through the investigation and trial. It’s memorable not only for the bloody good story, but for a laugh-out-loud cameo from Biel’s real-life husband, Justin Timberlake. For another take on Candy’s story starring Elizabeth Olsen, watch Love & Death on Max.
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Wild Wild Country
In the 1980s, the Rajneeshpuram cult, led by a spiritual leader, established itself as its own city in rural Oregon. But while its citizens initially set out to establish an agricultural commune, the community’s leaders began poisoning nearby towns and plotting assassinations to grow their influence.
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Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey
Warren Jeffs is the current president of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints. He is also convicted of sex crimes involving minors. This four-part documentary series chronicles the power he exerted over not just his dozens of wives—some of which were children—but of the entire community of his followers.
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The Act
When Dee Dee Blanchard was found dead in her home and her daughter, Gypsy—who has multiple health conditions—was nowhere to be found, police feared she may have been kidnapped by the murderer. But when Gypsy is found alive the next day, things turn even more sinister. This limited series stars Patricia Arquette and Joey King as the toxic mother-daughter duo.
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LuLaRich
If you were on Facebook during the 2010s, you’re probably well aware of LuLaRoe. The company specialized in soft, brightly patterned leggings before their multi-level-marketing structure imploded. This docuseries has interviews with LuLaRoe’s founders on what went down, and the women “retailers” who suffered from the toxic business practices.
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Making a Murderer
This documentary quickly became a phenomenon when it premiered in 2015. The series covers the murder of Teresa Halbach and the two men convicted for the crime: Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey. With themes of class, education, and coercion, be prepared to watch all 20 episodes in a weekend.
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