WARNING: This article contains discussion of stalking, rape, murder, and other heinous crimes.
Netflix’s Monster anthology has taken the world by storm, but there are plenty of underrated true crime-inspired series that deserve the same praise. Since the flagship series premiered in 2022, the Netflix original series has dramatized infamous cases throughout history, from prolific serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ed Gein to defendants in high-profile criminal proceedings like the Menendez brothers. The fourth of Monster‘s 10 projected seasons— subtitled The Lizzie Borden Story— has finally dropped as part of Netflix’s Q3 rollout, but it has unsurprisingly garnered wildly mixed reviews for its disturbing content and rampant creative liberties taken.
Each installment thus far has left viewers divided, but Monster‘s poor critical reception hasn’t been enough to jeopardize the show’s longevity. If anything, the anthology seems to thrive on its controversy, using its contentious reputation as leverage for future seasons. Nevertheless, adapting real-life cases for screen has always been a difficult line to walk, and entertainment can all too quickly give way to exploitation. Consequently, any fictional series inspired by true crime has the responsibility of presenting its subject matter with civility and respect for the real people impacted by the show’s source material— which, thankfully, the best often do.
The Watcher
Considering The Watcher was created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan— the same minds behind the Monster anthology— you may assume they suffer from the exact same pitfalls, but the 2022 series is a different beast entirely. Based on an article chronicling the crimes of the eponymous Watcher of Westfield, The Watcher uses its true crime basis as just that: a starting point for a mostly fictional series.
As is the case with every Ryan Murphy production, The Watcher has its fair share of outlandish twists, but it nonetheless remains one of Netflix’s best psychological thrillers of all time. There’s also a clear attempt to respect the real former residents of 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey, changing crucial details to make it less of a direct recreation of their trauma. Furthermore, the finale may be anticlimactic, but that’s a testament to the case’s lack of resolution; the story was never meant to have a satisfying ending, which is a sad yet realistic reality for most true crime.
Unbelievable
Meanwhile, the 2019 miniseries Unbelievable stays unwaveringly rooted in reality to an uncomfortable degree— but that discomfort is precisely the point. Inspired by the 2008–2011 string of reported sexual assaults in Washington and Colorado, Unbelievable focuses on the aftermath of rape and the absurdly hostile experiences many survivors are forced to go through in their pursuit of justice. As de facto face of the movement Marie, Kaitlyn Dever’s performance is nothing short of harrowing, forcing the viewer to contend with the unimaginable pain of being treated like a criminal for speaking the truth.
Unbelievable is a highly acclaimed series, even taking home the 2020 Peabody Award for Entertainment.
Similarly, Toni Collette and Merritt Wever are infallible as Detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall, an unexpectedly dynamic duo that vows to investigate the case with the severity it deserves. Each episode evokes anger, incredulity, and pure heartbreak, feeling more like a confrontation of our system’s shortcomings than a typical weekend binge. Though it is rarely given the attention it deserves in true crime communities, Unbelievable is a phenomenal Netflix miniseries that is too painful to rewatch but too important to ignore.
The Act
The Act is, without a doubt, one of the most recognizable shows that draws upon true crime, but it wasn’t without its own controversies. Regardless, the shocking content in The Act never felt glamorized or presented as anything other than a tragedy in the making. Based on the murder of Clauddine “Dee Dee” Blanchard (Patricia Arquette), The Act deconstructs Dee Dee’s complex web of lies she used to convince the world that her daughter, Gypsy-Rose (Joey King), had a multitude of life-threatening illnesses, including cancer.
In reality, Dee Dee was posited to be experiencing factitious disorder imposed on another (also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy), purposely medically abusing Gypsy as a way of preventing her daughter from gaining independence or bodily autonomy. Arquette and King deliver career-best performances that keep the viewer on the edge of their seat, and the dramatized limited series is irrefutably one of the most renowned examples of true crime television released in the past decade.
When They See Us
Likewise, When They See Us takes the notorious case of the Central Park Five’s wrongful incarceration and brings it to life in devastating detail. Creator Ava DuVernay first introduces the five main figures— Kevin Richardson (Asante Blackk), Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse), Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome), and Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez)— and invites you into their lives in Harlem before pulling the rug out from under your feet with a sudden and unexplained arrest.
From there, the drama transitions to the unjust trial by jury that ends in the five adolescents facing time in prison. Scene after scene is a rattling, downright somatic experience, rousing the viewer with every emotion that passes each actor’s face as the justice system unforgivably fails them. When They See Us is by far one of Netflix’s most powerful shows, and the story of the Central Park Five will not soon be forgotten.
Baby Reindeer
Whether you were a major true crime lover or simply needed a good thriller, it was impossible to avoid Baby Reindeer after its 2024 release— for good reason. The psychological drama centers on aspiring comic Donny Dunn (Richard Gadd) who, after a kind gesture gone awry at his bartending gig, is relentlessly stalked by unassuming patron Martha Scott (Jessica Gunning). As the dread ramps up, Donny’s unease morphs into a rocky road to self-discovery as the man confronts his past trauma of being sexually assaulted.
Unlike the vast majority of true crime-inspired shows, the story’s survivor is in a position of power at the show’s helm— literally, as Gadd created the decorated miniseries based on his own experience being stalked. Baby Reindeer‘s near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score is a well-earned reflection of the thriller’s meticulous attention to detail and truly affecting storytelling, but the drama’s many accolades barely skim the surface of its pristine quality.
The Dropout
At the same time, many of the most compelling true crime stories don’t involve death, sexual assault, or other life-altering attacks. The Dropout retraces the steps of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, a woman who was convicted of fraud after making a seemingly reputable name for herself in the health technology sector. After Holmes convinced friends, investors, and Forbes magazine that she had revolutionized blood testing with secret, cutting-edge technology, Theranos took a dive in 2015 after the truth came out: none of it was real.
With a bit of exaggeration and a lot of delightfully uncanny scenes led by star Amanda Seyfried, the acclaimed Hulu series vividly paints a slightly larger-than-life picture of one of the most confounding cases of the century. Yet, the story isn’t quite over, as it was recently announced that Nathan Fielder created a documentary— You Can See Everything— in conjunction with Holmes prior to the start of her sentence.
Black Bird
Based on the autobiographical novel by James “Jimmy” Keene, Black Bird follows a fictionalized version of Jimmy (Taron Egerton) striking a terrifying deal with the government. In return for the commutation of his 10-year prison sentence, the young man agrees to befriend suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) and attempt to elicit an admissible confession for his crimes.
As the miniseries progresses, Paul Walter Hauser’s portrayal of Larry Hall devolves into one of the most unnerving depictions of a real-life serial killer in modern television history. With so many disturbing moments and a claustrophobic sense of tension, Black Bird is a truly excellent true crime series that stands out because of its palpable gravity and dedication to showing the sometimes ugly, always unsettling truth.
Mindhunter
Of course, Mindhunter has always been in a league of its own when it comes to true crime-inspired television. The two-season crime drama doesn’t zero in on one specific case, instead implementing the real framework of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit to dissect numerous infamous killers ranging from Edmund Kemper (Cameron Britton) to Dennis Rader (Sonny Valicenti) to Charles Manson (Damon Herriman).
Though Mindhunter takes an unflinching look at America’s most notorious criminals, they’re never romanticized or treated as if they were misunderstood. Via interviews with FBI Agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Trench (Holt McCallany), Mindhunter cements its legacy as a masterpiece by deconstructing the cults of personality and morbid fascination society has with killers— and, in turn, the true crime genre in general. To that end, Netflix’s Monster anthology may have commercial appeal, but no other true crime series is as thought-provoking or stirring as Mindhunter.
- Release Date
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2017 – 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Joe Penhall
