Over the past few years, popularity within the true crime genre has skyrocketed and caused streaming services to really push out new and interesting content. It appears that nothing is more intriguing than cuddling up with a blanket and watching the latest true crime special that has hit Netflix. I consider myself a true crime show enthusiast and, therefore, have compiled a list of some of the most thrilling series, documentaries, and retellings across both Netflix and Hulu that will have you on the edge of your seat.
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Casting JonBenet
Copyright: Netflix
The case of the six-year-old Colorado pageant queen who was murdered in her own home has been one of the most popular unsolved cases of all time. This Netflix documentary is not technically a true crime show, but it is definitely one of the most interesting crime documentaries I have seen. This documentary follows a casting process for a fictional film and tells JonBenet’s horrific story in a new and never before seen way.
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Casey Anthony: An American Murder Mystery
Copyright: ID: Investigation Discovery
This Hulu 3-part docuseries follows the story of Casey Anthony and her involvement with the murder of her three-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony. This special includes interviews with the parents and past friends of Casey Anthony as they offer their thoughts, feelings, and speculation about what happened around the death of young child. This docuseries goes inside the courtroom and the viewer feels as if they are one of the jurors, following along and trying to figure out if Casey is guilty of killing her only child.
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Abducted in Plain Sight
Copyright: Netflix
Although this true crime documentary came out in 2017, it was not until it hit Netflix in 2019 when it gained traction and had the Internet going crazy. It follows the almost unbelievable story of a family who fell into the antics of their manipulative neighbor who abducts their daughter not once, but twice. This story is almost too wild to believe, including twist and turns every few minutes that take the viewer by surprise.
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The Act
Copyright: Hulu
Next in line for stories that seem almost unbelievable, this newly added Hulu dramatic retelling of the Gypsy Rose story will leave you will all types of feelings. This series is based on the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother Dee Dee Blanchard, who suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Due to this, Gypsy Rose was made to pretend she was sick to the point where she was not allowed to walk, and lived under the harsh control of her mother. Fed up with the living conditions, Gypsy Rose befriends a boy online who helps her to “take care of her problem.” A sad story with an even more unfortunate ending, the writers do a good job of showing the life of the mother and daughter pair before the demise of Dee Dee.
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Evil Genius
Copyright: Netflix
This Netflix four-part docuseries follows the strange story of the 2003 murder of Brian Wells. This whole incident appears fairly normal on the surface, but once you dig down things just get more and more unbelievable. This unusual case kept unfolding and when you think there cannot be any more to the story- there is. This docuseries is totally binge worthy, and I had to stop myself from finishing it all in one night. This series does have some unnecessary footage of the death of Wells, so please proceed with caution if you decide to watch!
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Amanda Knox
Copyright: Netflix
Very rarely do you stumble upon a true crime documentary and actually get to hear the side from the accused murderer themselves. This Netflix documentary follows the story of a Seattle college student who goes to Italy to study abroad, and the subsequent death of one of her roommates. This documentary does its best to remain unbiased as she was in fact convicted and then acquitted for the 2007 murder, yet many people still speculate her to be the killer.
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Forensic Files
Copyright: Netflix
What true crime show list would be complete without the addition of the classic Forensic Files? Available to stream on both Netflix and Hulu, this series is fourteen seasons long with each episode telling an new yet unfortunate story, showing how forensic science is used to solve a plethora of cases.