True crime is one of the hottest genres right now. These shows educate viewers on what really happened to a missing or murdered person, offer alternative explanations on behalf of falsely accused persons, or try to resolve lingering questions about past cases.
Many of these shows end up on streaming services, allowing viewers to binge-watch their favorites. The looser restrictions on streaming also mean that crimes can be shown accurately even if they are gory or disturbing. There are several such shows available on Netflix — viewers may want to avoid watching some of these right before bed.
Unbelievable is an important true crime series on Netflix that more people should talk about. Rather than dealing with a serial killer, it tells the true story of a sexual assault survivor. In this docudrama, police detectives try to piece together what actually happened to a woman who first claimed she was the victim of a heinous crime, then recanted.
This true crime series has topics in common with Law & Order: SVU and would appeal to people who enjoy that series. However, it is harder hitting because the story is true, and as the case unfolds, it demonstrates how difficult it is for sexual assault survivors to get justice.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Robert Stack hosted the original Unsolved Mysteries, which presented cold cases, unsolved disappearances, and other true crimes and solicited the help of the audience to get answers. Netflix rebooted Unsolved Mysteries in 2020, and many of the cases are little-known, but fascinating, pieces of true crime history.
As with the original, many of the cases shown are as disturbing as they are interesting. For example, “Missing Witness” tells the story of a young mother who disappeared after coming forward with evidence against her stepfather.
Inventing Anna‘s popularity quickly reached viral levels after Netflix released it, which is one reason it is still available in October 2025. This scripted series tells the true story of heiress Anna Delvey, who gained most of her money by conning others. She was Russian-born and came to the United States, where she pretended to be a German socialite to con some of the wealthiest citizens out of their money.
While this true crime series doesn’t examine a violent crime, it does bring up important social issues. Many people are concerned about the divide between the extremely wealthy and the rest of society, especially as billionaires put their money into politics. Inventing Anna offers a glimpse into the culture of the uber-wealthy and asks questions about why the victims were so easily conned, while also being relatable to people who do not have that kind of wealth.
When They See Us is the story of the Central Park Five — five teenagers who were accused of and eventually arrested for the rape of a jogger in Central Park. The five boys were innocent, but it wasn’t until 25 years later that they were finally exonerated of the crime.
This true crime series is must-see viewing for anyone who is concerned about racial bias and other inequities in the American criminal justice system. It shows firsthand how these biases contributed to the destruction of these boys’ lives and how slow the system is to repair errors and restore freedom to those who should not have lost it in th first place.
Night Stalker is the type of true crime series that is best not to watch right before bed. This documentary details the search for Richard Ramirez, a serial killer responsible for a bunch of seemingly unrelated rapes and murders in California for a decade. In only four episodes, Night Stalker details the entire crime, investigation, and aftermath.
Ironically, Ramirez’s reign of terror began when Los Angeles was celebrating its lowest crime rates in a decade, and Night Stalker shows how the atmosphere in the city went from positive to terrified as the murders came to light. It follows the investigation, shows how Ramirez was eventually caught, and details his trial and conviction, including his 2013 death from cancer.
This series is special because it not only captures the zeitgeist of the years these crimes were taking place, but also how the investigation affected the detectives who were in charge of catching the killer and were under pressure to close the case.
A Paedophile in My Family: Surviving Dad is a brand-new offering launched on Netflix on October 21. This true story is about a British survivor of childhood sexual abuse who has bravely come forward to tell the world what happened to her and how she survived it.
This documentary is not for the faint of heart, as it goes into the details of the abuse in addition to exploring how the adults in Emily’s life missed the signs and what happened after her dad got out of prison. However, it is an important story to tell so that other children can be more easily protected from potential predators in their own homes.
The Trials of Gabriel Fernández is one of the most disturbing true crime documentaries that Netflix offers. This six-part series tells the story of the murder of an eight-year-old boy in Palmdale, California, and the content was so upsetting that a therapist was needed on set while the film was being made.
Unlike many true crime series, this one is not a scripted re-enactment. It is a true documentary that includes interviews with family members, police, and journalists, as well as information about the death of a child whose mother and mother’s boyfriend abused him and who was failed by multiple systems supposedly designed to protect him.
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is one of the best stories about Ted Bundy. There have been many books and movies about this prolific serial killer (The Silence of the Lambs was based in part on him, for example), but most of them are about Bundy himself.
This scripted movie doesn’t directly tell Bundy’s story. Instead, the story is told from the point of view of his overly loyal girlfriend, who refused to believe that he had done the horrible things he was accused of, even when presented with proof. The movie co-stars Jim Parsons as the prosecutor who is determined to put Bundy away, which is a strong departure from the role he played in The Big Bang Theory.
What true crime dramas are on your must-watch list? Leave a comment and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forum.
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