On the heels of such sweeping successes as Making a Murderer and The Jinx, networks are racing to put out the next big true crime documentary. And while there’s no doubt that there’s nothing more thrilling than a murder mystery, sometimes you watch so many that they all blend together and all you dream about are strange and compelling murders. These harrowing must-watch true crime documentaries will leave you saying, “Hmm, no thanks; actually I’d rather not.”
The Keepers
This new seven part series from Netflix a breathtaking account of several women who begin looking into the murder of their beloved teacher while they were students in 1969. When they uncover a massive cover-up of rape and sexual assault, they take on local police as well as the Baltimore Archdiosese, which is cool so at first you’ll be like, “Ok wow, yes.” Then halfway through the second episode you’ll be saying, “Oh, no no no.” Then about ten minutes into the fourth episode, you’ll think, “You know what, this is important and actually done in a way that finally gives these victims a voice.” But then at the end of the seventh episode you’ll scream, “Nope!” Of course, by then, you will have watched the whole thing. Whoops!
Mommy Dead and Dearest
In this offering from HBO, a victim of Munchhausen’s by proxy faces trial after the murder of her mother/abuser. It’s a lot to take in and will leave you with complicated opinions and emotions. And even with its short run time, it’ll leave you feeling like, okay, but I also could have not watched this at all and been totally fine??
The Staircase
An oldy but a goody, The Staircase is a rollercoaster of a documentary about novelist Michael Peterson as he faces trial for the murder of his second wife, Kathleen. It’s a dark tale about an extremely unlikable man and even as you watch obsessively without stopping between installments, you’ll be saying, “Actually, you know what? No.”
The Witness
A troubling look at the 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese in which there were 38 witnesses who looked on and did nothing. It’s enough to make you say, “Wow people really hate women,” before ultimately adding, “I want to stop watching but I haven’t and I’m not going to!”
Law & Order: SVU
This one isn’t a true crime documentary but it is like, come on. You could be watching literally anything else. Honestly, what are you doing right now?
Well, there you have it! Five disturbing true crime dramas that you’ll keep watching until you’re like “Wow, I could have been doing literally anything else, huh.”
