Let's be honest: True crime shows and documentaries are all kinds of addictive. It's why people gawk when they see flashing lights or accidents in real life, they want to know what's happening. TV true crime offerings let viewers do just that from the comfort of their own homes, passing judgment on those involved from the safety of their couches and beds.
Whether it's a scripted version of notorious crimes like Hulu's The Act, which retold the story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard, or a documentary featuring those directly involved in the crime, like Jan Broberg and Abducted in Plain Sight, true crime content is some of the best kinds of content. Especially now while most of the country adheres to social distancing and stay-at-home orders to battle the spread of the coronavirus.
Below, check out our rundown of some of the most fascinating—and at times horrifying—true crime shows and documentaries to binge watch.
This Netflix true crime series followed internet sleuths who attempted to track down Luka Magnotta in 2010 after he reportedly shared a graphic video killing cats. Magnotta was eventually convicted of murdering a student and broadcasting the death, charges he denies.
Based on the book of the same name, this four-part FX series explores a man's search for his father only to discover he believes the father who abandoned him is the infamous Zodiac serial killer.
The original true crime series, NBC's Dateline has a plethora of twisty tales to get lost in, from murders to disappearances and everything in between. Episodes are available to stream here, on the NBC app and on Peacock.
Netflix's six-episode series chronicled the abuse and murder of an 8-year-old boy and the investigators who dug into the case and how it slipped through the cracks of the system.
There are two seasons of Ryan Murphy's true crime series, the first following the trial of O.J. Simpson and the second all about the murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
In The Act, Patricia Arquette and Joey starred as real-life mother-daughter duo Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose Blanchard. Gypsy Rose is currently in prison on charges stemming from the murder of her mother who for years convinced Gypsy and the outside world she was suffering from numerous ailments. The story is also the subject of the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest.
The Netflix series following Steven Avery, who was once wrongfully convicted and imprisoned on sexual assault charges, the murder of Teresa Halbach and subsequent investigation and arrests, captured audiences when it premiered in 2015. Its second season featuring the appeals process of Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey premiered in 2018.
The story of Joe Exotic, the one-time big cat zoo owner, and his ongoing feud with big cat rights activist Carole Baskin dropped on Netflix in March 2020 and has been the talk of the town ever since.
This six-part Netflix series followed Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Ma Anand Sheela, the controversial community of followers in the Rajneeshpuram community in Oregon and the crimes later committed.
The story of former Everwood star Jan Broberg needs to be seen and heard to be believed. The documentary, streaming on Netflix, tells the tale of Broberg's two different abductions by a neighbor, the neighbor's sway over her family and so much more.
After the world learned about Adnan Syed and the murder of Hae Min Lee in the podcast Serial, the story became an HBO docu-series from director Amy Berg.
The Netflix documentary series from Ryan White explored the unsolved murder of a beloved nun, Sister Cathy, a teacher at a Catholic high school. The series explored theories that there was a cover-up in connection with the murder and abuse of students at the school.