The Best True Crime Shows on Netflix Right Now

Directed by: Domini Hofmann

Admit it—we’ve all had bad roommates. Sharing a room with someone who was dirty, noisy, ate your food from the fridge, or didn’t pay rent on time might be difficult. I hope you’ve never had a worse experience than the people in this documentary. The series depicts unexpected and suspenseful roommate situations that went illegal or lethal. I binged quickly. Taylor Gates

This true crime miniseries follows John Gotti and the FBI’s case against him, which led to his 1992 conviction. This novel explores Gotti, a mysterious mobster with high-end criminal connections, and his activities and lifestyle, which many find menacingly appealing. The series delves into 1980s New York’s glamorous criminal underbelly as well as Gotti’s biography. Get Gotti is a true crime sensation that chills and thrills. Jake Hodges

Creator: Julia Willoughby Nason & Jenner Furst

A timeless tale. The wealthiest boy in town gets into trouble, but his family buys someone off. The South Carolina Murdaughs elevate this cliché. Netflix’s Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal examines the boat tragedy that murdered popular girl Mallory Beach and how intoxicated and abusive driver Paul Murdaugh went unpunished. Alex Murdaugh, the psychopathic family patriarch, orchestrates this isolated tragedy into a web of deceit and injustice.

Executive Producers: David Ginsberg, Jake Laufer, Jonas Bell Pasht, Peter Dinklage, Jonah Bekhor

The docuseries How to Become a Tyrant returns Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) to discuss cult creation and how charismatic leaders enchant people. How to Become a Cult Leader is a six-episode series that analyzes cults like the Manson Family, Peoples Temple, and Heaven’s Gate and how they subjugate minds. The docuseries depicts the entire process using archive footage, interviews with former members and specialists, and animated elements.

Cast: Charles Coffey, John Ingram, Jim McIntyre

Catching Killers offers a unique look at real-life homicide investigators. Catching Killers revisits notorious killings and examines efforts to stop evil, including the realities of current forensic science that has allowed detectives to unearth new, undeniable evidence. The riveting series Catching Killers uses terrifying facts and dramatic truths to help police solve some of the most brutal murders in history.

Creator: Floyd Russ

Cast: William B. Evans, Rick Deslauriers, Phillip Martin

American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing revisits the 2013 Patriot’s Day terror ten years later. American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing features exclusive interviews with Boston Police Superintendent William B. Evans, FBI Special Agent in Charge Rick Deslauriers, and Investigative Reporter Phillip Martin, among others, who reveal new information about the shocking terrorist attack. American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing is a remarkable documentary series that uses archive material and terrifying reenactments by Floyd Russ throughout three episodes. Yael Tygiel

Cast: Will Hanrahan, Tony Kent, Jane Monckton-Smith, Roberta Babb

British crime series My Lover, My Killer, narrated by executive producer Will Hanrahan, investigates tragic real-life examples of infatuated partners murdering their victims. The horrifying real crime docuseries My Lover, My Killer has six episodes in the first season and ten in the second, each focusing on a separate terrible narrative. Friends and family of the victims testify in My Lover, My Killer, coupled with footage from their lives and interviews with criminologist Jane Monckton-Smith and psychologist Tony Kent. Yael Tygiel

Creator: Skye Borgman

I Just Killed My Dad delves into Anthony Templet’s odd and honest confession to murdering his father. I Just Killed My Dad covers Templet’s life before and after the tragic event in three episodes. Skye Borgman (Abducted in Plain Sight) directs the docu-series, which examines Templet’s mental health’s dramatic effects. I Just Killed My Dad explores the shocking event through interviews with his mother (Teresa Thompson), step-brother, investigators, and lawyers. Yael Tygiel

Created by: Nanette Burstein

Killy Sally is a riveting look at former bodybuilder Sally McNeil, who was accused of murdering her violent husband, Ray McNeil. In three melancholy episodes, Killer Sally lets McNeil, her children, and friends spend hours recalling memories and revealing secrets as they confront domestic violence. Killer Sally examines the bodybuilding couple’s fragile relationship from their initial encounter to their marriage and the justice system’s outmoded approach of McNeil’s tragic narrative. Killer Sally is a sorrowful yet unusual true story that revamps an old case. Yael Tygiel

Directed by: Miles Blaydon-Ryall

First genuine crimes occurred, then a high budget Hollywood film cast Emma Watson (Beauty and the Beast) in a film about them, and now Netflix has the real criminal masterminds telling the truth. The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist explores the affluent gang who robbed Los Angeles’ richest residences in the early 2000s, including Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan’s (Mean Girls) home. In the three-part documentary The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist, Perez Hilton, the crew that committed the crime, and other high-profile victims are interviewed. Yael Tygiel

Directed by: Rob Miller

This series combines internet and real crime. Most Hated Man on the Internet examines Hunter Moore, the founder of IsAnyoneUp.com, who has enabled revenge porn’s meteoric rise in recent years. His unashamed claim to be a “professional life-ruiner” says it all. It’ll disgust you, but watching Charlotte Laws fight for her daughter and Moore’s other victims’ justice is rewarding and empowering. Taylor Gates

Directed by: Chris Smith

Bad Vegan, about trendy vegan restaurant owner Sarma Meingailis in New York City, is aggravating and eye-opening. She and her husband Anthony Strangis were arrested in 2016 for ordering Domino’s Pizza, demonstrating coercion. Coercive control is insidious, as shown in The Tinder Swindler and Dirty John. Anthony exploited Sarma, her mother, and her employees. Anthony exhibits his manipulative and domineering nature by convincing her he required the money for a secret club that worshipped a strange deity to gain immortality. From forging bogus identities to stalking and impersonating Sarma, he controlled her life until their imprisonment. For a four-episode docuseries on an astounding narrative, go no further. Therese Lacson

Directed by: Tiller Russell and James Carroll

Richard Ramirez terrorized California in the mid-1980s. Ramirez, one of America’s most horrible killers, was pummeled by the public mob that recognized his face before his capture. The docuseries alternates between gruesome murders and serial killer sensationalism, yet it’s a whole portrayal of a monster. The documentarians investigated the criminal and detectives Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno, who were hunting him. Night Stalker can teach even rampaging killers like Ramirez something new. Therese Lacson

A relaunch of John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer’s long-running series, Unsolved Mysteries is a unique true crime series. Cold cases and paranormal cases characterized the first series. Robert Stack narrated earlier seasons, but the remake relies on solo episode documentaries that range in style and content. The episodes examine serial killers and unresolved cases from around the world. The show revived cold cases due to its popularity. This is for those who don’t like multi-episode documentaries. Therese Lacson

Directed by: Joe Berlinger

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel seems ludicrous, yet it solves Elisa Lam’s riddle. This documentary covers the Cecil Hotel’s terrible history for those unfamiliar. A legendary rest stop for criminals and serial murders, including Richard Ramirez, the motel situated on Skid Row, Los Angeles. For blind viewers, Crime Scene is instructive but contains sensationalism and questionable reenactments. Others believe Elisa’s death was supernatural, and her story has intrigued people for years. Crime Scene shows the sadder truth. Therese Lacson

Directed by: Jesse Vile and Ellena Wood

This video about a prolific killer who attacked West Yorkshire and Manchester women in the late 70s and early 80s is not about the 19th-century London killer. As expected, the story is awful, but The Ripper’s highlight is its investigation and criticism of police and public responses. The docuseries focuses on the public’s culture during the Yorkshire Ripper attacks, even though we understand the killer’s identity. Even though the authorities presumed The Ripper was a man, victim blaming and slut-shaming were at their peak, and women were advised to stay home and travel in groups. This British real crime documentary should be your next watch, but it will make you outraged at the world. Therese Lacson

Directed by: Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin

Tiger King, a seven-episode docuseries, is so crazy that you may find yourself saying, “Well sure things can’t possibly get even weirder than this.” You’re 100% wrong. Tiger King follows Joe Exotic, a flamboyant and confident Oklahoma big cat zoo owner. Joe Exotic’s tale of lies, firearms, a presidential bid, and murder-for-hire is unbelievable. You gotta see this to believe. Adam Chitwood

Directed by: Brian Knappenberger

First off, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is difficult to see. The show warns viewers at the start of each episode that “This program includes images and dialogue relating to child abuse which may be disturbing to some viewers.” The disclaimer stays on screen for 20 seconds, but I still think it’s inadequate. The sights and sounds will disturb you, but they are not predatory. The short documentary series follows Gabriel Fernandez, an 8-year-old kid who was tortured and beaten to death by his mother and boyfriend over eight months. In a groundbreaking move, the LA district attorney charged Gabriel’s mother, lover, and four social workers who ignored and downplayed his abuse until his death. This is a difficult but important documentary that exposes the faults in government systems meant to safeguard children from the awful abuse and torture Gabriel endured. Not a series to binge before bed, but a must-see. Tom Reimann

Directed by: Ryan White

Netflix’s The Keepers initially resembled other watercooler true crime shows. The episode claimed to investigate Sister Cathy Cesnik’s 1969 disappearance and murder, including the circumstances, suspects, and other details. Cesnik may have discovered horrible sexual assault at all-girls Archbishop Keough High School. In particular, women accused two school priests, most notably Father Joseph Maskell, of forcing female pupils to perform sex acts on him and others. Thus, Sister Cathy was murdered to remain silent after deciding to end the abuse.

The Keepers shows how abuse has lasting, terrible impacts on victims in a powerful, painful, but necessary way. If we disregard this abuse as “not our problem” or something better handled quietly, how can we prevent it in the future? The Keepers gives these victims a voice and lets them tell their story. Sister Cathy’s murder mystery is just a prelude to an emotional and moving story that portrays her as a hero who died doing the right thing. Adam Chitwood

Directed by: Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos

Making a Murderer is a fantastic example of true-crime’s pros and cons. This is an addictive show, the kind of too-insane-to-be-true story that makes you click Next Episode because the facts don’t match together. Written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, the docu-series follows Wisconsin citizen Steven Avery, who was falsely convicted of murder and served 18 years in jail. Avery was charged anew with the murder of Teresa Halbach some years after his release, a case with controversy, odd layers, and the unlikely involvement of Avery’s then-16-year-old nephew Brendan Dassey. Avery and Dassey remain imprisoned. The footage of Dassey’s pressured confession is heartbreaking, but the film has been criticized for not providing all the facts and for the creators’ apparent bias. Making a Murderer makes a good case for an innocent man being imprisoned. Mistaking the binge-worthy argument for the only one is dangerous. VInnie Mancuso

Directed by: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade

The Staircase, a 2004 Canal+ miniseries, was so gut-wrenching, nerve-twisting, and intricate that Jean-Xavier de Lestrade and the other directors returned to the subject in 2012 to shoot three more episodes. Netflix has all 13 episodes, which cover the American court system, systematic homophobia, self-deception, masks, empathy, and the ridiculous hoops we’ll leap through to avoid unpleasant truths. The Staircase’s main question: Did novelist Michael Peterson batter his wife, Kathleen, to death until she slid down the stairs? Did Kathleen fall in an accident Peterson wasn’t there to see? The precise movements of De Lestrade’s meticulous look create painfully fascinating ambiguity. Mr. Peterson’s words will impact your impression of him, and the unusual lawyers engaged will affect how you see judicial cases from now on. The Staircase twists so much that you may get a stomachache. Drink ginger ale before watching. Greg Lawrence

Directed by: Maclain Way and Chapman Way

Directed by: Clay Tweel

The Innocent Man, bestselling novelist John Grisham’s only non-fiction true crime book, was published in 2006. The popularity of this story predates the docuseries, but it doesn’t diminish it. The six-episode investigation, in which Grisham is an on-camera participant, tells the story of two murders and possibly false convictions in a small Oklahoma town and the human cost of a failed U.S. justice system. Adam Chitwood

Directed by: Geno McDermott

The news that one of our top tight ends had murdered multiple people hit me like a Tom Brady spiral in the chest since I’ve been a Patriots fan since middle school. The Mind of Aaron Hernandez tries to explain that, but it’s hard, if not impossible. The documentary explores Hernandez’s drug use after his father’s death and how he joined a bad crowd despite his football success. Hernandez was recruited by hundreds of universities and left his hometown UConn for Florida to escape his issues, but they just got worse there. By the time he returned to New England to play in the pros, he thought he was untouchable. Hernandez shot his future brother-in-law Odin Lloyd in cold blood because he threatened to divulge his true identity—that he was bisexual. Hernandez killed at least two others and nearly killed a fourth. This tragic incident was written about in newspapers and publications, but seeing it in video form is frightening, especially given Hernandez’s potential after signing a $40 million deal. This is a terrible story for everyone, athletic or not. Jeff Sneider

Directed by: Trails Scott

The Family is a good true crime series without murder. The five-episode show explores The Family, a covert conservative Christian group, and its unexpected impact on world events. That a massive and important group could remain secret for so long is one of several horrible disclosures in this show, which illuminates American politics’ darkest side. Adam Chitwood

Directed by: Yossi Bloch and Daniel Sivan

This documentary series is fascinating since you never know what to believe. The film The Devil Next Door is about Clevelander John Demjanjuk, who was accused of being “Ivan the Terrible.” He was caught and extradited to Israel for war crimes trial, and scores of Holocaust survivors recognized him. I’ve read enough crime books to know that eyewitness evidence is the least reliable because memory fades with time. Since it’s more of a mystery than other true crime shows on this list who know the perpetrator, I won’t ruin the ending, but the Holocaust is possibly the biggest crime ever committed, so the stakes are high.

Demjanjuk’s counsel, Yoram Sheftel, called himself “the most hated man in Israel” throughout the trial, and the documentary centers on him. Sheftel is Jewish and wears a large Star of David necklace in interviews, yet he defended a Nazi who seemed guilty of something. That moral issue and the series’ last shot of trees elevate it. This intriguing documentary will keep you wondering until the end. The Devil Next Door is binge-worthy, like a book that keeps you reading late. Jeff Sneider