Killer in the Family

I wrote one of the reviews of this show and I don't now remember the show it was so bad I've blocked it from my memory.

I was very interested to see cases from GB that I had not seen before. Since Laura Richards's work is on seeing the patterns in family killers, the show can seem repetitive. However, that very repetitiveness is exactly her point. There are patterns of escalation and patterns of behavior that can be used to help police, family members and friends in assisting a victim.

Obviously, Richards does much more work and investigation than she can present in a 35-40 minute show. While she may explain the reasons, she does not excuse the offenders. Most of the "tooting her own horn" some reviewers have complained about comes at the beginning of the show as part of the introduction. I feel that it is important to know her qualifications, especially if you are a new viewer.

One facet of this show that I appreciate -- as I do in all true crime shows -- is her interviews of the friends, families and living victims. These interviews add depth by showing the impact the killer's actions have had on those who love the victim. I have to say that I applaud her work, as we are still a little too willing to overlook the signs of abuse and the dangers such abuse poses.

Is the show perfect? By no means. Could it be improved? Most definitely. Is it still worth watching? I believe so.

The cases covered on this show are very interesting, which is why it is a shame that this show doesn't really do them justice. Everything about it feels "dumbed down." The host likes to repeat her credentials ad nauseum, which you should really only highlight if you're going to speak in depth about your subject matter in an intelligent manner. The psychoanalysis she provides of the murderers are things you, the viewer, already know if you've watched any crime TV in your life whatsoever. Just so.....basic. This show is ok, but not really appealing to intellects.

The show had a catchy dark title drawing you in. The commentary is wooden and self absorbed bordering on egotistical. The victims story's could be amazing but it's low budget presentation and constant reference to the "criminal psychologist" with cut shots of note taking smacked tedium.

A potential show I would have enjoyed ruined by it being presented by someone with now character charm or screen present and who seemed uncomfortable speaking to the people involved.

2 stars. Would have given it 1 but I like the concept just couldn't get through 15 minutes!

This series is currently on Netflix. Each episode features a real crime in the UK. As I do not live there, it was interesting to see cases I had not heard of before. It chillingly features murderers who kill or as they put it "wipe out" their families. The host is Laura Richards a CriminalPsychologist who annoyingly reminds you of her name and job title repeatedly.I feel she does give some interesting insight but falls a little short on WHY these people kill their families. However, the program did get a lot of access to surviving family members for interviews and things like home movies so the viewer gets a personal account of the crime and the devastating affects of family murders.