It seems like every day, a new true-crime drama or docu-series gets released on Netflix. With The Tinder Swindler, Inventing Anna, and Worst Roommate Ever on the charts this week, it’s almost impossible to escape the genre. More than once, I’ve found myself spiraling down a rabbit hole of murder-mystery, real life cult stories, and basically any true crime podcast I could get my hands on. I’m not alone in this obsession it seems, as Crime Junkie, Murder Mystery & Makeup, Serial Killers, and Dateline are among Spotify’s most popular podcasts – all of which are true crime. However, the contemporary true-crime obsession has been criticized, and the ethics of the use of real, traumatic stories for entertainment has been called into question by critics. The wave of true crime documentaries and dramas has seen more often than not the exploitation of victims in favor of almost idolizing the perpetrators of these horrific crimes. Despite this phenomenon, when done with care, many impactful stories have been told through the genre.
Defined as any podcast, film, or television series that recounts or examines actual crimes with true details about those involved, True Crime is usually murder-oriented – but not exclusively. The release of Tiger King marked the start of the pandemic in March 2020, and following its immense success, over 10 different true crime series have peaked at #1 on Netflix, according to The Ringer. Parrot Analytics has stated that the documentary genre became the fastest growing sector of the streaming industry, and even more so since the pandemic. The true-crime genre specifically has also seemed to popularize linearly with the rise of streaming services.
The success of Tiger King also revealed how profitable the genre really is, a factor which drives true crime sensationalism and the exploitation of these real stories. When entertainment is put before thoughtful representation, problems arise. In the case of Tiger King, the main purpose was entertainment, and so any meaningful messages, such as raising awareness of animal cruelty and sexual abuse in private zoos, get lost in translation. Joe Exotic became the face of the story, a quirky and big personality which quickly turned into an internet meme, and, in turn, demonised his ‘rival’ Carole Baskin. While Joe Exotic is nowhere near Jeffery Dahmer or Epstein’s of the True Crime world, he is still a criminal. Yet the severity of his actions has been lost in the entertaining drama and spectacle of the series. Herein lies the issue with popular true crime, also visible on a smaller scale. Nowadays, many YouTubers and other influencers use rape and murder trials as entertaining ‘storytime’ videos, with little consideration or sensitivity for the victims. The popularity of this genre in the mainstream media also pipelined to an even darker side of the internet, where serial killers and criminals are have grown fan-bases built on unhealthy idealisation.
The list of popular true crime documentaries and dramas is never ending, yet when done right, the True Crime genre has seen some real masterpieces. While the Netflix limited series When They See Us, which tells the story of the Central Park Five, never achieved the levels of success of Tiger King and other popular titles, it has been revered by critics for the coming-of-age themes, which run throughout the chilling yet real-life story of the wrongful and prejudiced conviction of five black and Hispanic children. When watching, the viewer is simultaneously captured and angered by the system, and there is a clear discussion being had about incarceration in the United States, as opposed to prioritising of mere spectacle and drama.