Everything We Know About All the True Crime Shows on discovery+

'Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård' | discovery+
'Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård' | discovery+

Dark, twisted, and impossible to look away from — there’s a reason why true crime is one of the most addictive genres out there. For those who can’t get enough, discovery+ offers what it describes as the largest library of true crime content in streaming, with new shows and documentaries being added all the time. And at just $4.99 a month ($6.99 for the ad-free version), the platform is one of the most affordable ways to get your fill of ripped-from-the-headlines dramas and paranormal investigations. Here’s everything a fan needs to know:

What true crime shows are available on discovery+? 

Discovery+ not only houses all the true crime series found on the ID channel (that’s Investigation Discovery), but also a slew of originals only available on the streaming platform — which adds up to more than 70(!) different ways to get your true crime fix. Some highlights: popular favorites A Crime To Remember and Disappeared (missing persons cases) and the niche offering Ice Cold Killers (read: murder investigations in frigid locations). There are also social justice documentaries that shed light on inequity in the system, like Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio FourAtlanta Child Murders, and Sugar Town, which follows the "Houdini-handcuff suicide" of Victor White III while in police custody. There are plenty of full-length documentaries into well-known cases, too, like JonBenet Ramsey: What Really Happened?, which follows one of the most infamous cold cases in American history.

'JonBenet Ramsey: What Really Happened?' | discovery+

How about new original series? 

Beyond tried-and-true favorites from their cable channels, discovery+ also plans to debut new series and documentaries in the true crime category on the regular. Upcoming additions include the documentary Unseamly: The Investigation of Peter Nygård (premiering February 5), which tells the true story of a Canadian fashion mogul accused by more than 80 women of rape, sexual assault, and sex trafficking. There’s also The List of Ten, set to debut February 23, following how a routine parole check on Joseph Naso led to the discovery of a vague list of locations and disturbing “trophies'' from sexual assaults and an ensuing up-against-the-clock investigation.

If you’re looking to shake up your usual Wednesday night, though, search for American Detective with Lt. Joe Kenda. The host Kenda, whom ID fans know from Homicide Hunter, this time swaps his own case files for profiling some stranger-than-fiction cases across the US — and the equally interesting detectives who helped bring the killer to justice. The show also has an unusual format (for streaming), releasing new episodes every Wednesday, rather than all at once, so it’s easier to catch up. 

Where can I find these on the platform? 

No need to launch a full scale investigation to track these shows down. Discovery+ curates them all into an easy-to-find “True Crime” category on the home screen. To make choosing what to watch even simpler, all the series and documentaries are then divided into subcategories like “Connections That Caught a Killer” (think bad neighbors, family members, and close acquaintances) to “Ripped From the Headlines” (People Magazine Investigates and On the Case With Paula Zahn live here) to “Serial Killers” (e.g.: Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and Samuel Little).
 
For those with choice paralysis, navigate to the “True Crime” collection on the discovery+ home screen, where you’ll find a tasting menu of the genre with an episode or two of relevant series set neatly into one easily streamable place.

I want to follow along with an investigation — what shows should I watch? 

The “Investigations” category is where you’ll want to head. Here, you can follow detectives as they try to crack the case, or walk through what helped them catch a real-life criminal, like in North Woods Law or Still A Mystery. Onision: In Real Life, a new original series, lives here, too, and follows the controversy surrounding YouTuber Greg Jackson, A.K.A. “Onision.” 

Coming up in this category is The Chameleon Killer (February 19), a new series that follows how ancestral DNA and new clues revived a serial killer investigation from 1985. The killer is thought to have been behind murders from California to New Hampshire, using fake identities along the way.

'If I Can't Have You: The Jodi Arias Story' | discovery+

Which shows will keep me on the edge of my seat?

At a time when every day is starting to feel exactly the same, we could all use a bit of juicy gossip — especially if it’s someone else’s. For that, the “Love and Obsession” category will do nicely. Here’s where discovery+ categorizes all those “you have to see it to believe it” type of stories between significant others, unrequited lovers, and “unlikely” predators. You’ll find the aptly named Wives With Knives, which documents women who stabbed their husbands, and Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry? where people uncover the hidden, shocking secrets of their spouses. (Really, some of them are spies, snipers, bank robbers…) 
 
New in this category is If I Can’t Have You: The Jodi Arias Story, which premieres just in time for Valentine’s Day on February 12. Arias was famously convicted of killing her on-again, off-again boyfriend, Travis Alexander, in 2008, in a dramatic trial that was televised live. Since then, Arias has been labeled a deviant and sociopath, but this documentary looks to tell her whole story with the help of never-before-seen interviews and diary entries.

What should I watch if I ‘want answers’?

There are things in this world we may never fully understand… but the Ghost Adventures crew has been trying to seek “the truth” for 24 seasons, all of which are available on discovery+. From seeking out demons at historic crime scenes, to hitting up long-gone serial killers for their motives, to trying to make contact with the Black Dahlia herself, Ghost Adventures may not be “true crime” by the traditional definition, but it’ll keep you on the edge of your seat nonetheless.