In these days of lockdown and self-imposed quarantine, many people have turned to Netflix out of sheer boredom. Netflix has always been popular, but it understandably more so these days.
Tiger King recently took the world by storm and proved to be yet another notch in Netflix’s increasingly sturdy and revered true crime belt. These are some of the others. These are ten Netflix true crime documentaries to watch after Tiger King.
Making A Murderer (2015-)
Chances are that if people are a true crime aficionado, they’ve already seen Making a Murderer. This was the Tiger King of 2015. It tells the story of accused killers Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey, an uncle-nephew duo who allegedly conspired to kill a woman named Penny Beerntsen. The documentary was favorably compared to HBO’s seminal The Jinx, although some critics took issue with its supposed one-sided arguments and willful omission of key evidence in favor of better storytelling.
The Staircase (2004-18)
The Staircase originally aired throughout 2004 and 2005. A two-hour sequel aired in 2013, and three new episodes were commissioned by Netflix in 2018. Luckily, all thirteen episodes can be seen on Netflix, and the documentary comes highly recommended. It concerns Michael Peterson, a novelist who was accused of murdering his second wife, Kathleen. It’s a great story, and the documentary even won a Peabody Award in 2005 owing to its excellence in storytelling.
The Keepers (2017)
The Keepers makes for a quality quarantine binge, as it only contains seven episodes. But those seven episodes are packed with explosive detail and intriguing questions.
The story concerns the unsolved murder of a Catholic high school teacher named Sister Cathy Cesnik, who suspected that a priest at the school was sexually abusing the students. The documentary time-hops between the ’60s, the ’90s, and the present day, but is always riveting and never confusing.
Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting An Internet Killer (2019)
This is even more of a binge-worthy series, owing to the fact that it’s only three hours long. Don’t F**k With Cats is a different sort of true crime documentary, as its subject is not immediately made known.
Rather, the story and its primary subject are slowly revealed through hints, clues, and revelations. As such, they won’t find any spoilers here. The case is very messed up.
Casting JonBenet (2017)
Casting JonBenet is a different sort of true crime documentary, so one’s mileage may vary. But those willing to experiment will find a lot to love. Rather than tell the story of JonBenét Ramsey, a familiar story to anyone who grew up in the 1990s, Casting JonBenet concerns actors who are auditioning for the documentary re-enactments. These actors then give their perspectives and opinions on the case itself, creating a tapestry of rich memories and fascinating speculations.
Amanda Knox (2016)
Amanda Knox is a swift 90 minute documentary about the story’s namesake, who was convicted for the murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher. She was later acquitted by the Italian Supreme Court.
She spent four years in prison before her exoneration in 2015 and faced numerous character assassination tactics owing to her cold and seemingly remorseless personality. Did she actually do it? Or was she the victim of a major legal blunder?
Wild Wild Country (2018)
Wild Wild Country was released through Sundance in 2018 before it was picked up by Netflix.
It tells the story of an Indian guru named Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and his cult, the Rajneeshpuram. This cult was responsible for the 1984 bioterror attacks in Oregon (the first bioterrorist attack in American history) and conspired to assassinate Attorney for the District of Oregon, Charles Turner. The series won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary, and it’s not hard to see why.
Evil Genius (2018)
Evil Genius tells one of the most bizarre stories in true crime history. The victim is Brian Wells, a pizza delivery man who was sent on a wild goose chase across Erie, Pennsylvania before he was killed by a homemade explosive device that was attached to his neck.
Maybe the storytelling is a little convoluted, and maybe the series lacks an overall thematic statement, but Evil Genius contains one of the darkest and weirdest cases in true crime.
Abducted In Plain Sight (2017)
If Abducted in Plain Sight proves anything, it’s that people can never trust anyone. This documentary tells the story of Jan Broberg Felt, an American teenager from Idaho who was kidnapped by a family friend on two separate occasions. The first kidnapping came when she was 12, and the second occurred just two years later. It’s a truly bizarre case that will confound everyone.
Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)
Ted Bundy is one of the most notorious serial killers in history, and The Ted Bundy Tapes doesn’t really add much to the story or the conversation. That said, it does serve as a personal look into a story that has largely remained “a story.”
The documentary shows interviews with Bundy himself, victims who survived his attacks, family, friends, and law enforcement, and also contains archival footage from when the case was still in the news.
