The Best Crime Documentaries on Netflix

Netflix has become a leader in the true-crime genre with these docuseries and documentaries.

the tinder swindler
'The Tinder Swindler' | Netflix
'The Tinder Swindler' | Netflix

The past several years have seen a veritable explosion in true-crime stories, across virtually every platform. You can barely open a web browser without stumbling across a video, podcast, long-form story, or some other piece of content that exposes a horribly tragic crime and/or a horribly tragic justice process. The lesson, as always: When a nation gives you a corrupt and punitive justice system biased against minorities and the poor, make a documentary about it.

Netflix has played a major role in the proliferation of the true-crime genre—Making a Murderer is one of the most famous crime doc on the streaming service, helping to solidify the form's resurgence, but there are plenty more to sate your appetite. Check out these titles, a mix of feature-length docs and docuseries.

ALSO READ: The very best documentaries on Netflix and the best documentaries and docuseries of 2021

abducted in plain sight
Top Knot Films

Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)

Abducted in Plain Sight is the kind of documentary that infuriates/captivates anyone who watches it, as hordes of viewers can't quite believe the story of how the seemingly perfect Broberg family was nearly destroyed, singlehandedly, in the mid-'70s by a sociopathic neighbor, Bob "B" Berchtold, who was obsessed with their 12-year-old daughter, Jan. But this description doesn't do the documentary justice, as what unfolds happens to be one of the most mind-boggling cases perpetrated by an insanely conniving man who managed to kidnap Jan not once… but twice. While Abducted in Plain Sight is one of true crime’s craziest films in recent history, it’s also yet another terrifying look at how one man’s manipulation can destroy several lives, and how adults and the justice system continually fail young victims of sex crimes.

amanda knox
Netflix

Amanda Knox (2016)

Amanda Knox has been convicted and acquitted of murder twice as the primary suspect in the murder of her roommate while studying abroad in Italy. Directors Rod Blackhurst (Here Alone) and Brian McGinn (Chef's Table) revisit the embattled media sensation's tangly story here with peerless access to key players and new archival footage. The doc explores both sides of Knox's case—though Knox's participation gives you an idea of which way the film leans in terms of her guilt or innocence—ultimately asking viewers to put themselves in her situation, then ask "Do you suspect her?" or "Do you believe her?" Dust off your conspiracy theory walls.

american murder the family next door
Shanann Watts/Netflix

American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)

How do you reframe a narrative previously told in tabloid headlines and cable news chyrons? As with any true-crime story, it's challenging, and this doc about the extremely publicized case of Chris Watts who killed his pregnant wife Shanann and their two young daughters, Bella and Celeste, is both horrifying and extremely grim. By showing the suburban Watts' family dynamics primarily through Shanann's social media accounts and text messages, and the investigation from police body cameras, interrogation room footage, and courtroom shots, filmmaker Jenny Popplewell creates a striking doc that feels more like a found-footage film, with no new talking-head interviews, no recreations, and no voiceovers. For some, the no-frills approach of American Murder will be alarming, but it's the kind of true-crime doc that will stick with you.

athlete a
Netflix

Athlete A (2020)

Not to be confused with HBO's At the Heart of Gold, Athlete A is Netflix's original documentary about the US gymnastics team scandal that shook the sports world when it was uncovered in 2017. It focuses on the heinous sexual crimes committed by former team doctor Larry Nassar, who abused the young athletes for years, and dives into the work of the investigative journalists at the Indianapolis Star who first broke the story. It's unforgiving, but allows these young women a catharsis for healing.

bad vegan
Netflix

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives (2022)

Was raw vegan restaurateur Sarma Melngailis the victim of a con, or was she the “vegan Bernie Madoff” as the media made her out to be? That’s the question that Bad Vegan, from Fyre director and Tiger King executive producer Chris Smith, attempts to untangle, which unsurprisingly is more complicated than one or the other. Yes, she was lured in by a con artist using the alias Shane Fox, who promised Melngailis success, riches, and immortality for her beloved rescue dog if she would only wire him hundreds of thousands dollars from her restaurant earnings which he gambled away at casinos, but the narrative is so wild that the four-episode docuseries leaves you with more questions than answers.

casting jonbenet
Netflix

Casting JonBenet (2017)

Casting JonBenet is both one of the cleverest and hardest documentaries to just sit back and enjoy. Using the unsolved 1996 murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey as a foundation, the film finds amateur actors, all local to the town where the tragedy took place, auditioning for parts in a dramatization of the story. The result is more disturbing than expected, though more fascinating in its exploration of the legacy of the mystery and others like it. When it comes to true-crime films, the facts almost always trump the storytelling. This is a major exception, one that should have you discussing much more than the cold case in question.

Los Muchachos, cocaine cowboys documentary
Netflix

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami (2021)

In Florida-set true-crime documentaries like Cocaine Cowboys and Cocaine Cowboys 2, filmmaker Billy Corben chronicled the excess of the Miami drug trade of the '70s and '80s with style and nerve. With this six-episode Netflix docuseries, he expands his scope to tell the story of Willy Falcon and Sal Magluta, a pair of Cuban drug kingpins who also went by "Los Muchachos." Though the two men don't appear as talking heads in the series, we hear from a wide range of their associates and adversaries, from ex-girlfriends to speedboat drivers to prosecutors. Unlike so many other crime sagas of the streaming age, Cocaine Cowboys strikes the perfect balance between epic sweep and gritty detail, presenting a familiar rise-and-fall narrative with Corben's signature blend of flash and wit.

the confession tapes
Netflix

The Confession Tapes (2017– )

After hours of grueling police interrogation, is it possible that you might find yourself confessing to a crime that you may or may not have committed? This has happened so often that Netflix released a docuseries about it. The Confession Tapes examines cases in which people convicted of murder detail how they believe they were forced into confessing under pressure, even in some instances where those convicted maintain that the claims are completely false. While the series may seem like just another true crime binge, over six stories told in seven episodes, The Confession Tapes narrows in on one specific phenomenon and its unfortunate grasp on the criminal justice system.

the confession killer
Netflix

The Confession Killer (2019)

Notorious serial killer Henry Lee Lucas confessed to killing over 100 people. In reality, Lucas is confirmed to have murdered his mother and 11 others, which is heinous enough—but what is nearly as much of a subject for concern is how Texas law enforcement was manipulated to fall into his trap of false confessions for the sake of their own ease. Instead of just giving a rundown on who the serial killer is, this five-part Netflix series examines the failings of law enforcement to show how they were played and neglected to seek justice for those whose cases remained unsolved. It's yet another tale about the holes in the criminal justice system, but one of the most compelling in recent history.

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
Netflix

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes (2019)

A chilling companion to Joe Berlinger's Zac Efron-led movie Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, this four-episode docuseries from the same director adeptly explores the life and psyche of infamous serial killer Ted Bundy and the frenzied investigation into his many heinous crimes against women. Never-before-heard audio from interviews conducted with Bundy during his time on death row is at the series' helm, but old news footage and fresh interviews with surviving victims and investigators tell the full, sordid story in a way that will satisfy even the most jaded true-crime fan.

crime scene the vanishing at the cecil hotel
Netflix

Crime Scene (2021– )

Crime Scene is an anthology from Paradise Lost trilogy and The Ted Bundy Tapes filmmaker Joe Berlinger, with each installment unpacking the infamy behind specific locations where crimes have taken place. In its first season, The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel, the series checks into LA's scariest hotel: the Cecil, which has experienced more than a few horror stories. The subject of this doc, though, is the death of Canadian traveler Elisa Lam, whose body was discovered in a water tank in the hotel in 2013. The series tries to make sense of theories that arm chair detectives have evaluated for years, ever since the case's surveillance footage went viral online, and there are enough peculiarities here to keep you from cutting your stay short. Then, for its second season, the series heads across the country and back in time to examine another site of infamy: Times Square. Although New Yorkers may still deride the tourist spot, it wasn't always full of Broadway shows and M&M stores, and the docuseries examines its history in the '70s and '80s when the neighborhood was mainly for drug use and sex work, allowing for the Times Square Torso Ripper to run rampant.

dirty money netflix
Netflix

Dirty Money (2018– )

White collar crime is still crime! From Alex Gibney (Going Clear), this docuseries investigates the world's biggest and baddest businesses—including Donald Trump's. Other subjects include a maple syrup heist (the most Canadian crime ever), the exploitative payday loan industry, and the VW emissions scandal. It'll surely have you shaking your fist at the global corporatocracy.

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann
Netflix

The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (2019)

If you have children, be warned before watching this docuseries because it's a parents' worst nightmare. Although it starts to drag over eight episodes, The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann attempts to make sense of one of the most publicized and confounding disappearances in British history. The doc examines the case of 3-year-old Madeleine McCann who went missing while on vacation with her family in Portugal when she was asleep in the hotel room and her parents ate dinner less than 200 feet away. As an unsolved mystery, it's still one that poses many questions—Are the parents covering something up, as the press long led people to believe? Or should we feel sympathy for them, as the documentary suggests?—but it does its best to break down a tragedy with recreations and insinuate this may not be a cold case forever.

don't fuck with cats
Netflix

Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer (2019)

A message of caution: Don't F**k with Cats doesn't f**k around. This three-part docuseries is the prime example of Netflix's recent territory of holy shit, how is this real subjects for documentaries, following a group of internet sleuths' hunt to catch somebody who is seemingly obsessed with getting clout by cruelly torturing and killing cats on camera. In an age where the true crime obsession has exploded, this series manages to call into question our own voyeurism and self-righteousness as it tells its own twisted story.

evil genius
Netflix

Evil Genius (2018)

Though true crime documentaries often follow the course of one incident, the best ones tend to unfurl like an onion, with layer upon layer of shocking developments. Netflix’s own Evil Genius, for example, which surprisingly tackles a bank heist, bombing, and ruthless scavenger hunt full of twists and turns, all allegedly at the hands of one woman, in four 45-minute episodes. The series looks at Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong’s seemingly diabolical plan of robbery and murder, examining what possibly could be the motive of this siege that perversely undermined authorities.

the innocent man
Netflix

The Innocent Man (2018)

Drawing from John Grisham's only nonfiction work of the same name, The Innocent Man follows two mysterious murders that occurred in the small town of Ada, Oklahoma in the '80s. This gripping series documents the early conviction and exoneration of former suspects, as well as the fate of two other convicts who maintain their innocence to this day while they remain behind bars. In the vein of other hit true-crime series, this Netflix original knows how to hook the audience by slowly unraveling details and alternate case theories.

jeffrey epstein filthy rich
Netflix

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)

With his access to vast wealth and proximity to incredible power, Jeffrey Epstein, the predatory billionaire at the center of an international sex-trafficking ring, is a uniquely gripping subject for an investigative documentary. So, it was hardly surprising that Netflix jumped on a four-part documentary series, directed by Lisa Bryan and executive produced by Joe Berlinger (Paradise Lost trilogy) and James Patterson, the author of countless bestsellers and a non-fiction book on the subject. While Epstein died under mysterious circumstances while in prison in 2019, viewers actively searching for conspiracy fodder with this doc will instead find a carefully sourced, self-consciously scrupulous attempt to untangle some of the mysteries in Epstein's biography, while also giving voice to the many young women he abused. Filthy Rich is an infuriating watch, as it largely leaves the figure it's about unknowable, but the survivors are heard and understood. Their stories shine a light on a case that's still yet to be fully cracked.

the keepers
Netflix

The Keepers (2017)

The Keepers takes the true-crime genre to another level by dealing in both micro and macro layers of a story involving sexual abuse, murder, police corruption, and the Catholic Church. At its center is the strange disappearance and death in 1969 of a schoolteacher nun named Sister Cathy Cesnik, a case that continues to be investigated by her former students, who the filmmakers follow. Numerous shocking twists are revealed over the course of the seven-episode series, as the haunting mystery turns disturbing exposé and then circles back around again.

making a murderer
Netflix

Making a Murderer (2015–2018)

Netflix's true crime hit was 10 years in the making, and it still didn't totally resolve the case of Steven Avery, who after spending 18 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit was convicted of murder and sentenced to life without parole. It's a heartbreaking story, and whether or not you think Avery is guilty, the show exposes disturbing truths about crime, justice, and the way America processes both. As the case continues to develop, the second season went deeper into those disturbing truths as a new defense lawyer took on Avery's case. 

murder among the mormons
Netflix

Murder Among the Mormons (2021)

Over the course of three twist-filled episodes, Murder Among the Mormons, Netflix's true-crime docuseries about a series of deadly bombings in Utah in 1985, reveals itself to be a canny study of belief, entangling Mormons in a con man's web of lies. On what a prosecutor interviewed in the series describes as a "beautiful day," two pipe bombs exploded at different locations in Salt Lake City, killing two; a third bomb blew up in a car the next day, injuring the rare document dealer Mark Hofmann, who the police eventually learned planted the first two bombs in an effort to get out of an elaborate scheme involving a set of potentially valuable papers to the church. Though Hofmann's story is disturbing, there's a warmth and curiosity to the series that helps it stand out from more traditionally grisly true-crime fare, shedding light on how a master of deception can move through the world with such relative ease.

night stalker netflix
Netflix

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)

Richard Ramirez, dubbed the Night Stalker, terrorized LA in the '80s by targeting no particular demographic on a serial killing spree and spreading fear with devil worship imagery at the height of the Satanic panic. This four-part docuseries is about his brutal murders, but frames them in a way that becomes a police procedural. Director Tiller Russell emphasizes the struggles of the detectives investigating the case, the media frenzy around the events, and the haunting stories of the victims. For true-crime obsessives curious about the details of the case, it can make for a frustrating viewing, but it's largely an admirable effort that makes for a fascinating series about the way cases like this become political and cultural footballs.

the staircase michael peterson
Netflix

The Staircase (2004; 2018)

Before French filmmaker Jean-Xavier de Lestrade’s The Staircase was picked up by Netflix in 2018, the mid-2000s series was one of the first auteur true crime series that its many successors have since modeled their stylistic choices and formats after. The series follows the lengthy trial against Michael Peterson, the author accused of murdering his wife in 2001 after Kathleen Peterson was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their home. Peterson has maintained his innocence, even with one crazy revelation after the next and the emergence of interesting theories that strongly suggest that an owl might have done it. While the case approaches a two-decade long stretch, the show illustrates that whether Peterson is innocent or not is besides the fact: If the system doesn't even work for a wealthy and well-known white man, then who does it serve? The mess of the criminal justice system is nearly as haunting as the murder's mystery itself.

strong island documentary
Netflix

Strong Island (2017)

Not all true crime fits the "true crime" label. Yance Ford's portrait of his brother, William Ford Jr., a black 24-year-old teacher who was shot and killed on April 7, 1992 by a 19-year-old white man, could become a Thin Blue Line- or Serial-like dissection of a shocking crime. But the personal connection floods the movie with a different kind of emotion, using facts and photos and interviews to weave together a visual elegy that blossoms into a conversation on criminal justice and the Black population.

surviving r. kelly
Lifetime

Surviving R. Kelly (2019–2020)

For years, it was basically an open secret in the music industry that R&B artist R. Kelly was a predator. At 27, he married then 15-year-old singer Aaliyah; throughout the late '90s and early 2000s, many allegations of coercing underage women to have sex with him and child pornography charges emerged; and reports of a sex cult he headed were even revealed in 2017. After years of these allegations being cast aside, this docuseries finally brought the full case to the surface, giving a large platform to the women affected to share their stories. It's a harrowing look at how victimized Black women are treated, as well as the lengths celebrities in power can go without being seriously scrutinized.

tiger king
Netflix

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness (2020)

On paper, a docuseries about big cat owners sounds bizarre enough, but Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness surpasses all expectations. You see, people who are eccentric enough to own lions and tigers are eccentric enough to do things like run a cult, commit and cover up arson, and even orchestrate a hit on somebody. All of that, and, if you can imagine, more unfolds in this seven-part series from documentarians Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin who spent five years looking into the practices of big cat owners in the US—particularly Joe Exotic (AKA "the tiger king"), his ethically questionable zoo, the network of big cat-owning, equally insane peers, and the assassination Joe attempted to organize against "animal sanctuary" owner/self-proclaimed nemesis Carole Baskin. As it intends to show that nobody is a hero, this doc follow the chaos to its bitter, unraveled end.

the tinder swindler
Netflix

The Tinder Swindler (2022)

If there’s one thing to learn from this film, it’s that you should never lend a man you just met any money. Meeting women on Tinder and convincing them that he was the son of the “king of diamonds,” Simon Leviev would start long-distance relationships with dating app randos, eventually convincing them to give him their credit card numbers to finance trips around the world and promising to pay them back. (He did: With fake and bounced checks.) The story is a whirlwind, and The Tinder Swindler did bring enough attention to Leviev’s crimes that he was caught using a fake passport and charged with counts of fraud, theft, and forgery.

trial by media
Netflix

Trial By Media (2020)

Trial By Media, executive produced by George Clooney, is a true-crime docuseries with an actually refreshing angle on the genre. While some of these kinds of series touch on community and media reactions of violent murders and political scandals, this seven-episode anthology is squarely about that, stepping outside of the inner circle of each case and reflecting on the larger societal context and impact of major cultural moments, such as the tragic killing of Amadou Diallo in 1999 after being shot by NYPD 41 times and its fallout on the city's racist policing tactics, Jenny Jones and the lawsuits that came out of "gotcha" talk shows, the wild story of disgraced Illinois governor Roy Blagojevich whose swirling corruption scandal landed him on the Celebrity Apprentice. A fascinating look back at the last 30-odd years of history, Trial By Media will reframe these cases that you may or may not have heard of in brand-new light.

the trials of gabriel fernandez
Netflix

The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez (2020)

Some documentaries make your stomach turn; this one will enrage you. Over the course of six episodes, documentarian Brian Knappenberger (Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press) investigates each and every misstep of the LA justice system and Child and Family Services to prevent the abuse and eventual murder of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez. The series is one of the hardest of the bunch to watch, being absolutely unforgiving in its plea for our systems to be better at supporting the most vulnerable, but it's a story that needs to be heard.

unsolved mysteries
Netflix

Unsolved Mysteries (2020– )

In 2020, Netflix and the producers of Stranger Things rebooted the classic cold case series Unsolved Mysteries with its original team, and the result was a match made in true-crime fan Heaven. Save for the inclusion of a host and goofy reenactments, the format of telling confounding stories of disappearances, disturbing murders, and paranormal experiences with interviews and investigations is just how you remember it, hooking viewers with the inclusion of eerie, unfamiliar cases. Even though there's no Richard Stack, the philosophy of the series remains the same: "Perhaps you may be able to help solve a mystery." There may be only a few addicting episodes that you can easily binge, but they'll send you on a super sleuth spiral, prompting you to use the information at your disposal to crack these stories that feel like they're just on the brink of resolution.

wild wild country
Netflix

Wild Wild Country (2018)

The cult formula reigns here in Wild Wild Country: There's a charismatic leader, his devoted followers, behavior that deviates form the norm, all culminating in events that lead to an ending both tragic and terrifying. Wild Wild Country examines the case of the Rajneeshee movement that flourished before its demise in '80s rural Oregon as leader Osho and his partner Ma transformed the way of life for thousands. While their radical antics shook a small, quiet town and law enforcement, eventually we see the machinations behind the largest bioterror attack that the country has seen, instigated by the cult, and their other various crimes in order to keep themselves in power. For those intrigued by cults, you’re in for a treat, as this under-the-radar moment in Oregon's history is no less wild than the more infamous groups you’re likely already familiar with.

wormwood
Mark Schafer/Netflix

Wormwood (2017)

Legendary documentarian Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line) traipsed on over to Netflix to release this intriguing blend of documentary and fiction, about the history of the CIA and its attempts to control human minds. The premise highlights both the bizarre and troubling work done on MKUltra, a project that had agents slipping LSD to unsuspecting citizens, just to see what happened, while focusing on the mysterious death of CIA scientist Frank Olson. The docudrama may not be a new form, but actors like Peter Sarsgaard elevate what tends to be serviceable dramatizations into a more complex collage of what is clearly bounds for further conspiracy theorizing. Morris and his subjects knows there's more to this story.

worst roommate ever
Netflix

Worst Roommate Ever (2022)

If you thought this docuseries would be filled with wild stories about roommates being useless at cleaning or partying too hard, you are in for a rude awakening. Produced by horror studio Blumhouse, Worst Roommate Ever features truly some of the worst roommate stories of all time, from an elderly conwoman who had bodies of her tenets buried in her backyard to a serial squatter who made his roommates’ lives a living hell. Watching all five episodes will convince you to never look for a housemate over Craigslist—or anywhere, really—ever again.

why did you kill me
Netflix

Why Did You Kill Me (2021)

In the opening moments of Why Did You Kill Me?, the familiar Windows XP theme music plays as an anonymous user boots up a computer. It immediately evokes a time and place of digital innocence, which is when the events explored in Fredrick Munk’s documentary took place. Much of the story happens on MySpace, when after 24-year-old Crystal Theobald was murdered by gunfire from a passing car in 2006, her mother Belinda Lane tasked a young niece with making a fake profile to try to get more answers from the gang she believed was involved. As the revenge mission takes many dark turns and explores the gang's perspective, the movie ends up complicating and interrogating Lane's understanding of justice. It's the type of lesson one typically doesn't learn from hiding behind a computer screen.

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