The Best True Crime Series and Documentaries on Netflix
These riveting true crime series and award-winning documentaries on Netflix will keep you up nights.
Making a Murderer (2015)
A second season to this must-see and much-debated miniseries is finally in the works!
'The Keepers' (2017)
This investigation into the cold case of a murdered nun by her now middle-aged students is incredibly harrowing. But it's also one of the greatest true-crime series you'll ever see. It was so tough to make in fact, director Ryan White says he won't be doing a second season.
'The Staircase' (2018)
Did a man push his wife down the stairs and kill her or was it an accident? And this addictive miniseries doesn't even address the owl theory!
'Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist' (2018)
This fascinating new series goes behind the grisly death of a pizza deliveryman who was rigged with a bomb and forced to rob a bank -- and the two criminals behind the bizarre scheme.
'Wild Wild Country' (2018)
A riveting six-part documentary about the controversial Rajneeshee cult in Oregon. It's a wild, wild ride.
'Icarus' (2017)
First-time filmmaker Bryan Fogel accidentally stumbled on the biggest doping ring in sports history that's far, far bigger than Lance Amstrong. The film won the Oscar for Best Documentary.
'Wormwood' (2017)
In this mesmerizing miniseries, Errol Morris uses a mesmerizing blend of documentary and drama to tell the story of the mysterious, hushed-up death of a CIA employee in the '50s. Peter Sarsgaard plays the father, while the real-life son talks about his decades-long quest for the truth.
'The Thin Blue Line' (1988)
Long before true-crime series like "Making a Murderer" and "Serial," this dazzling documentary by Errol Morris examined the case of a convicted cop killer -- and proved his innocence. It's a landmark of documentary filmmaking.
'Brother's Keeper' (1992)
Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, who went on to direct the "Paradise Lost" films about the West Memphis Three and the Metallica doc "Some Kind of Monster," made this award-winning film. It's a true-crime doc about a murder involving a barely-literate man who may have killed his brother.
'Amanda Knox' (2016)
There have been some terrific documentaries on Netflix, but none of them have the propulsive, cannot-look-away thrill of "Amanda Knox." What makes this documentary so compelling is the fact that Knox, who was accused of killing her roommate while studying abroad in Italy, speaks directly to the camera for virtually the entire running time. You literally cannot look away. What that affords the viewer is a complicated and uncompromising look at a personality that has already been dissected countless times in the media. No matter what you think of Knox, you'll come away surprised.
'The Witness' (2016)
The vicious stabbing death of Kitty Genovese in New York City became infamous for the fact that none of her neighbors responded to her screams for help. Kitty's brother spent years researching the truth of that terrible night, leading to this amazing documentary that was shortlisted for the Oscars.
'Strong Island' (2017)
Filmmaker Yance Ford searches for answers in the shooting death of his brother in this heart-wrenching (and Oscar-nominated) documentary.
'Forensic Files' (1996 - 2011)
This true-crime favorite showcases cutting-edge forensic techniques that helped inspire "CSI" and countless other shows. Thrill at how experts are able to use DNA (even of plants and animals!) and other scientific breakthroughs to get evidence from the smallest crime scene details -- even a stepped-on tomato!
'The Murder Detectives' (2015)
This three-part series offers unprecedented access to a major British crime unit as detectives try -- over the course of 18 months -- to solve the stabbing death of a 19-year-old.
'The Seven Five' (2014)
Ex-NYPD cop Michael Dowd, who was convicted of racketeeering in 1994, recounts how he juggled his criminal career and his duties while working one of the most dangerous precincts in the city, the 75th. The rights to his riveting tale have been optioned for a feature film.
'Into the Abyss' (2011)
Werner Herzog's documentary about a man on Death Row, chronicling the last days before his execution, is tough going, but the film doesn't question whether or not the man is guilty of the triple murder for which he was condemned. Herzog's interviews with other Death Row inmates were compiled into the television miniseries "On Death Row."
'Murder Maps' (2015 - 2016)
This series takes a look at some of Britain's most notorious crimes. Of note: The Blackout Ripper, who struck during the London Blitz, and the Victorian-era "Borough Poisoner."
