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Netflix has no lack of true crime documentaries to watch, but deciding which one’s worth your time can be challenging. Luckily, we’re here to help. Below we’ve rounded up a curated list of some of the best true crime documentaries on Netflix right now. They include brand new documentary films and long docuseries, and cover topics ranging from serial killers to terrorist attacks to false imprisonment.

Consider your next true crime watch settled.

“Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror” (Netflix) Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror

The newest doc of the bunch is the film “Oklahoma City Bombing: American Terror.” To mark the 30th anniversary of the deadly terrorist attack, the movie chronicles the bombing, aftermath and manhunt for Timothy McVeigh through the eyes of those who were actually there. The bombing of the federal building was the deadliest homegrown terrorist attack on U.S. soil, killing over 167 people.

The true crime documentary has become so ubiquitous in the age of streaming, it’s likely to pop up on your algorithm even if you’ve never watched a single one. Turning the gruesome details of sequestrations, deadly cults, unsolved child murders and killer clowns into trashy serialized programming, these dime-a-dozen content fillers are, not unlike certain types of synthetic opioids, cheap to make and highly addictive.

In his clever nonfiction exposé, Zodiac Killer Project, British critic-turned-filmmaker Charlie Shackleton gets at the heart of what makes these docs so successful on both a psychological and schematic level. He deconstructs the genre but also manages to deepen it, creating his own suspenseful true crime feature while demonstrating how such features are created.

It’s a tough balancing act that the director, whose previous works dissected teen movies (Beyond Clueless) and horror flicks (Fear Itself), pulls off with a mix of earnestness and cheekiness.

A combination of Hulu, Netflix, Peacock and The Roku Channel will allow you to stream a huge amount of true crime for $25 per month.

There’s just something about true crime, isn’t there? Something that shoots that corkscrew sensation up your spine like nothing else can, a window into the darkest parts of humanity that you can look through from the comfort of your couch. If true crime is your favorite genre and you’re looking to stream without busting your budget, I’ve created a bundle of four streaming services for less than $30 per month that will help you do it!

Which true crime streaming services should you grab?

Peacock

Hulu

Netflix

The Roku Channel

Peacock

The bundle starts with Peacock, which carries a fantastic amount of true crime in its library. The streamer offers titles like “Dateline,” “Prosecuting Evil with Kelly Siegler,” “Dr. Death: Cutthroat Conman,” “TikTok Star Murders,...

Peacock has ordered up their own limited scripted series based on the John Wayne Gacy murders, and Deadline reports today that Michael Chernus (“Severance”) will star.

Titled John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, and starring Chernus as John Wayne Gacy, the upcoming Peacock series comes from “Dr. Death” creator Patrick Macmanus.

Chernus said in a statement, “The direction that the writers are taking with this project is important, focusing on the victims and their families as well as those who finally brought John Wayne Gacy to justice. While Gacy was the perpetrator of these horrific crimes, I’m relieved that he won’t be the main focus of the series.”

“It’s heartbreaking for me to think of what his victims (all young men and boys) could have done with their lives had the system not failed them so tragically,” Chernus continues. “I believe in the power of storytelling and...

In the wake of indie horror movie Gacy: Serial Killer Next Door earlier this year, Peacock has ordered their own limited scripted series based on the John Wayne Gacy murders.

The new Peacock series comes from “Dr. Death” creator Patrick Macmanus.

Variety reports, “The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association winter press tour. The series is inspired by the 2021 Peacock/NBC News Studios docuseries John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise, with the scripted series sharing the same name.”

Here’s the official synopsis from Peacock: “From 1972-1978, thirty-three young men were kidnapped, murdered and buried in a crawl space beneath their killer’s house. And no one was the wiser. Not for all those years. Why? He was charming and funny. Had a good, All-American job. Was a community leader. He even volunteered to entertain sick kids… while dressed as a clown. ‘Devil In Disguise: John Wayne Gacy...

Real-life serial killer John Wayne Gacy has been the subject of a handful of horror movies over the years, played by Brian Dennehy in To Catch a Killer (1992), Mark Holton in Gacy (2003), and William Forsythe in Dear Mr. Gacy (2010). And then there’s 2010’s Dahmer vs. Gacy (yeah…) and the same year’s 8213: Gacy House, the latter a found footage horror movie.

Up next? Quiver Distribution is getting set to release brand new indie horror movie Gacy: Serial Killer Next Door later this month, and the official trailer has arrived this week.

In director Michael Feifer’s horror movie, “A teenager’s life in a quiet suburb changes drastically when John Wayne Gacy, a famed serial killer, becomes his neighbor. His curiosity leads to dark secrets and a frightening journey from innocence to a dire clash with evil.”

Gacy: Serial Killer Next Door hits On Demand and Digital on January 30, 2024.

Ryker Baloun,...

Warning: contains major spoilers for Black Mirror episode “Loch Henry”.

A brushed cymbal, a laidback fretless bassline, jazz drums and some sleazy horns. Oh yeah, you think, crime. Then wait a minute, what’s that sound? An accordion?! Where are we – the mean streets of 1970s Chicago or the chirpy colour of a French 1960s Jacques Demy picture?

I’ll tell you where we are: Jersey.

Part of the Channel Islands between the UK and France, Jersey enjoys judicial independence and self-government, just like its most famous export (after tax avoidance): 1980s maverick detective Jim Bergerac.

Played by John Nettles between 1981 and 1991 on BBC One, Jim Bergerac was a police detective turned Pi, and the sheriff ’round Jersey’s picturesque parts. Handsome, troubled, popular with the ladies, and the driver of a signature burgundy Triumph Roadster, Bergerac used to be Mr Sunday Night. For a decade, just after Songs of Praise,...

With another 205.33 million hours viewed last week, “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” is Netflix’s No. 2 English-language TV series of all time. Now above “Bridgerton” Season 2, “Dahmer” only ranks behind “Stranger Things 4.” Given the very significant gap, things will likely stay that way.

If you think 200-plus million hours of viewing in one week is a lot, it is. But “Dahmer” did a massive 300 million hours the previous week. In its opening week, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” shocked by delivering the biggest Week 1 results (196.2 million hours viewed) for any Netflix series on record, English-language or otherwise. “Dahmer” debuted on a Wednesday, giving the Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan drama starring Evan Peters a two-day head start on many other Netflix premieres. With some variation, the streaming service typically premieres projects on Fridays.

“Dahmer” has now topped Netflix’s global Top 10 for three weeks in a...

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky’s “Brother’s Keeper,” which, as Berlinger says, is “one of the granddaddies of the true-crime docu movement.”

It’s true that the 1992 film about the bizarre murder trial of Delbert Ward, who was accused of the “mercy killing” of his brother in rural upstate New York, was an early entrant in our collective societal obsession with the unscripted true-crime format, which in recent years has crossed over to the scripted side.

As one of the founding fathers of the format that has piqued our interest in true crime to the point where limited series including “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” “The Staircase,” “The Dropout,” “Inventing Anna,” “Dr. Death,” “A Very British Scandal,” and several more are all competing in the same Emmys’ cycle, Berlinger has some unique insight into the nonfiction-to-dramatized evolution.

“I can think of no other...

Top Chef leads the field with five nominations for the fourth annual Critics Choice Real TV Awards, which were announced today. Netflix scooped a dozen noms to top all networks and platforms.

Launched in 2019, the Critics Choice Real TV Awards celebrate programming across platforms and also recognize industry leaders with special awards highlighting career achievements. The 2022 ceremony hosted by Randy and Jason Sklar is set for June 12 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.

“Given its ongoing popularity across broadcast and cable networks, streaming services and other platforms, it’s clear that unscripted programming is deserving of special recognition by the Critics Choice Association,” said Ed Martin, President of the Critics Choice Association’s TV Branch. “The exciting programs and diverse personalities selected by our five nominating committees represent the best that this multi-faceted genre has to offer.”

Here are the nominees for the fourth annual Critics Choice Real...

The final “Ozark” episodes, which dropped on April 29, topped Netflix’s No. 1 English language show of the week globally.

“Ozark,” which stars Laura Linney, Jason Bateman and Julia Garner, amassed 78.4 million hours viewed across the week. “Ozark’s” total was just about double the hours seen of the No. 2 show — “Selling Sunset” Season 5 (34.31). Meanwhile, “Anatomy of a Scandal,” which was last week’s No. 1, came in third with 30.17 million hours viewed for the week of April 25 – May 1.

“Bridgerton” Season 2, starring Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, fell to No. 4 globally (29.74 million hours), while LGBTQ love story “Heartstopper” took the No. 5 slot with 23.94 million hours viewed.

“Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacey Tapes” took No. 6 with 20.91 million hours. Viewers were also eager for the last go-round of “Grace and Frankie.” The final episodes of its seventh season landed, appropriately, at No. 7 with 15.47 million hours viewed.

“The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” took the No.

The fourth and final season of “Ozark” is Netflix’s No. 1 English-language TV series, according to the streamer’s newly released Top 10 rankings.

Part 2 of Season 4 dropped on April 29, following the January debut of Part 1. Available in its entirety for only three days of the April 25-May 1 viewing window, “Ozark” Season 4 was viewed for 78.4 million hours.

“Selling Sunset” Season 5 clinched the No. 2 spot for April 25-May 1, its first full week of availability since its April 22 premiere. The season garnered 34.3 million hours viewed, following 28.4 million the week before. “Anatomy of a Scandal” came in third with 30.2 million after topping the previous week’s chart, ending the reign of “Bridgerton” Season 2, which came in fourth in the newest viewing window with 29.7 million.

Other English-language TV series on the chart are “Heartstopper” Season 1 (23.9 million), “Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes” (20.9 million), “Grace and Frankie” Season 7 (15.5 million), “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On...

“Anatomy of a Scandal,” the David E. Kelley series starring Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend and Michelle Dockery, has unseated “Bridgerton” Season 2 for most-viewed English language show of the week globally on Netflix.

“Anatomy of a Scandal” racked up 75.56 million hours viewed, making it No. 1 on the English language TV Top 10 List. It was also in the top 10 in 89 countries. “Anatomy of a Scandal” also made it to No. 1 on the U.S. weekly chart.

“Bridgerton” Season 2, starring Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, landed in second place on the global chart, with 46.13 million hours viewed for the week ending April 24.

Since Season 2 premiered last month, Netflix subscribers have tuned in for 656.16 million hours. Last week, Netflix announced “Bridgerton” Season 2 had become the most-watched English language show ever on Netflix, with “Bridgerton” Season 1 a close second. It landed fourth on the U.S. chart for the week.

Other top 10 series on the...

Continuing his efforts to chronicle every American serial killer in brutal, fetishistic, detail, Joe Berlinger’s new Netflix series “Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes” operates on the same wavelength as his 2019 “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” — obvious, lurid, and compulsively watchable. Ostensibly about the 60 hours of interviews made by Gacy while on death row, “Conversations” is oddly less interested in using his own words to psychoanalyze the former construction worker turned murderer.

Continue reading ‘Conversations With A Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes’ Review: A Superficial Look at the Infamous Serial Killer at The Playlist.

Limited series “Anatomy of a Scandal” has ended “Bridgerton” Season 2’s reign as the No. 1 English-language TV series on Netflix, according to the streaming service’s newly release Top 10 rankings.

For the week of April 18-April 24, “Anatomy of a Scandal” was viewed for 75.6 million hours in its second week of availability, while “Bridgerton” racked up 46 million and landed in the No. 2 slot on the list for the first time since it debuted the week of March 21. In third was new limited series “Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes” with 37.5 million hours, and new reality dating series “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On” was in fourth with 29 million.

The rest of the Top 10 English-language TV series included “Selling Sunset” Season 5 (28.4 million hours), “Bridgerton” Season 1 (17.3 million hours), “Hearstopper” Season 1 (14.6 million hours), “The Creature Cases” Season 1 (13.6 million hours), “Married at First Sight” Season 10 (12.8 million hours) and the Obamas’ new show...