In the month of November, I consumed a lot of short fiction/entertainment because I didn’t have much time to read for long periods of time or watch any full-length movies. I honestly don’t know how I did it but when I sat down at the end of the November to write down all that I’ve watched, I listed a total of T E N crime docuseries.
So if you’re looking for some TV series to speed through during your Winter Holidays at home, I’d suggest you grab a hot beverage of your choice and buckle down for some mini reviews that’ll hopefully help you weed through your current crime docuseries to watch list.
A few disclaimers before I begin:
- All these movies, TV shows, and Crime docuseries are on Netflix
- Please, please, please look into trigger/content warnings before you go into these shows. Often times, there’s police/detective/agent interviews and victim interviews that go into intense detail of the crimes that were committed or inflicted on the person. There’s also visuals, graphics, and all forms of content both oral and visual that may be harmful or disturbing to people. I won’t be able to list all potential trigger/content warnings for each show because there are a ton but here are a few: rape, sexual assault, death, pedophilia, robbery, murder, abuse, and suicide.
- When I talk about ranking when it comes to these shows, I am not referring to the content of the docuseries. All crimes in these docuseries are tragic and horrifying. I am talking about the docuseries itself and how it’s edited or produced.
TOP TIER SERIES
THE RIPPER
Episode Count: 4
This was one of the first shows in my crime movie/show streak. This has to be one of my top favorite docuseries out there, if not my favorite. It has so much real life footage from 1970’s and 1980’s England and it’s so very gripping. The amount of data and the amount of work that went into solving this case was insane. It felt like the entire country of England was involved in the hunt for this killer at one point. If you’re confused why the serial killer “The Ripper” is associated with the time period of the 1970’s, it’s because this series isn’t follow Jack the Ripper but a more modern one. If you watch enough crime docuseries you’ll know that the way docuseries are usually laid out is they try to weave together three different storylines. One story line follows the actual crimes that are happening, the other is the good hard investigative work the police or detectives are doing, and the last storyline is basically dedicated to showing all the things that went wrong in the investigation. Usually, they’re interwoven but this docuseries saved all the criticisms of the investigation towards the end of the series and it was such an effective and powerful move because it leaves you in such a state that you’re going to be yelling out “I’m sorry did they really just do that?”. I also love the social commentary in this show. Somethings were addressed and somethings weren’t but it made you frustrated enough that it had you thinking about it. Again, using real raw footage from the late 70’s was such a wise move because not only are you drawn into the scene but you’re also drawn into the social dialogue. Certain victims were talked down up and it was so frustrating to hear the discussions about them. In fact, other victims themselves talked down on the other group of victims because of their “lower” social stature. Ironically, this is the time period that brought upon social activism for female empowerment and equality. We got to see real life footage of protests and women testifying how it felt to be living in a society where women were being murdered left and right. I keep coming back to the last few episodes but honestly, they really elevated the shock factor of this series by ten. Those episodes makes you wonder why this killer got as far as he did in his series of crimes.
NIGHT STALKER THE HUNT FOR A SERIAL KILLER
Episode Count: 4
This is also one of my top favorite docuseries. The editing and production in this show is amazing. The neon lights, music, and transitions of California at its peak blended together to create an intoxicating atmosphere. I love the contrast between the snippets of the golden era California and the darker side of California that was haunted by a murderer that broke all boundaries of known cruelty and horror. The 1980’s California setting, storytelling, and the victim and investigator interviews really draw you into the series. The series also has opening credits featuring voice clips that I believe are from the Night Stalker and if the series wasn’t chilling enough, his voice definitely brought the temperature down even more. This show is full of triggering content. The series discussed some of the most gruesome crime cases that were so diverse but similar in the scale of how disgusting and horrifying they are. “Night Stalker The Hunt For A Serial Killer” doesn’t really go into the Night Stalker’s past and set up any background for who he is. Instead, it relies on the victims and the investigators to provide the narrative on the hunt for the notorious serial killer. Most of the plot was carried through the narratives of the two lead homicide investigators assigned to the murders and other cases. As a reporter in the series said, the two lead investigators had great chemistry and bounced off each other in a way that made for real great journalism. One of the investigators was a new homicide detective who’s loud, bubbly, and a go getter, a complete contrast to his more wise, reserved, partner who’s an already established homicide investigator who hunts down well known serial killers such as the Hillside Strangler. We also get to hear from the victims, their families, the investigator’s families, and reporters who were following the investigation. There were so many people from so many areas of California who were affected and in danger from the Night Stalker that it established this sense of community and as watchers, it wasn’t hard to form an emotional connection to this hunt and all those who were affected.
DOCUSERIES
EVIL GENIUS: THE TRUE STORY OF AMERICA’S MOST DIABOLICAL BANK HEIST
Episode Count: 4
On the gruesome scale, this show was the least gruesome. It follows an outside source, who I believe is the producer of the docuseries, involving himself with a convicted criminal to figure out a mysterious crime with the oddest series of events. The crime that’s being explored in this series involves a pizza delivery man with a strap on bomb vest who was forced to rob a bank and deactivate the bomb by going on a quest or adventure of some sorts. Considering one of the main witnesses to this odd crime is no longer able to provide his side of the story, investigators and people all around the world were left stumped by the events of the “most diabolical bank heist”. Who was innocent? Who was involved in this crime? Was the pizza delivery man on in this bank heist? I have never heard of this case before watching this show but I’m really glad I found it. The series had so much involvement and direct contact with the convicted/suspects in a way that it gave you more background into the why and who behind the crimes. This bank heist featured such an interesting and cunning set of characters. There was this level of familiarity with the main suspect, the lady in the movie poster, because of how much the producer of the series talked to her, both physically and through letters. Seeing the convicted’s accounts of what happened vs what is proven to have have happened through forensics and other evidence makes this heist even more diabolical than it is already.
THE INNOCENT MAN
Episode Count: 6
Well if this isn’t the most frustrating show, I don’t know what is. This series explores two murders in the same district/area that are investigated and prosecuted by the same group of people. Somehow, “coincidentally”, a pattern in the investigators techniques quickly appears where they arrest two people for the first murder and two people for the second murder as well. This show really goes into the concept of coerced confessions and the injustice in our justice system. It’s disgusting how far people go to ignore hard physical evidence that goes against the prosecution and how badly people can mess up a trial. I personally have never known the extent people go to get confessions and the concept of coerced confessions. This series really showcases the weak points of our justice system and where we are failing not only the innocently convicted, but the victims, the victims family, and the system as a whole. The most shocking thing about this series is that it’s based on a non-fiction book by John Grisham. John Grisham had written a book, “The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town” about one of the two murders in the series. If you don’t know John Grisham, he’s a fiction author who writes a ton of novels usually centered around crime and court room style dramas. He also appears on the show to recount facts about the case as well as about the justice system as a whole.
CATCHING KILLERS
Episode Count: 4
This series has four episodes and follows three different serial killers. The third serial killer featured in this series has two episodes and my oh my, they were the most frustrating episodes to watch. This case had so many twists that when you think you got a hold of who you think the killer is or where the investigation is going, things took a sharp 180 degree turn. It honestly was so frustrating to see because while this case was ongoing and all these leads were being pursued and untangled, so many women were losing their lives. If you don’t want to watch an entire series and only have tune for a few episodes, I highly suggest watching episodes 3 and 4 of this series, you won’t regret it.
MONSTERS INSIDE ME: THE 24 FACES OF BILLY MILLIGAN
Episode Count: 6
This series was eye opening. I believe that this case is the first case where we got to see someone with Billy’s diagnosis being tried for a crime that forensically tied back to his body, regardless of which personality occupied his body at the time. This show really went into Billy’s life and the various treatments he received as well as how the psychology and investigative departments handled cases such as these back then. Most of the crime series I saw are focused on the hunt for the serial killer or victim testimony/interviews. This series didn’t do that. We didn’t really get to hear from the victims much in this series and I think that was an element that would have been important to add to the narrative of Billy’s story and I can see why it might be upsetting to some people. This series really goes into how both the justice and the medical department really failed him in his journey to adapt to his situation. There were a lot of current time medical and psychological professionals who added to the narrative in describing the treatments Billy underwent as well as how he was treated as a convicted criminal. It’s shocking how much of a disconnect there still is in the medical departments on Billy’s diagnosis.
CRIME SCENE: THE VANISHING AT THE CECIL HOTEL
Episode Count: 4
This series, unlike the others wasn’t memorable because of the investigation. Instead, it was memorable because of the setting of the crime and because of the narrative of the victim herself that was embedded into the episodes. It was so chilling to hear the actress read Elisa Lam’s actual messages and posts throughout the series. The docuseries forced us viewers to form an emotional connection to this person who we know has passed away right from the beginning of the first episode. While the series did a great job in making sure that Elisa Lam was the center of this investigation, I couldn’t help but get annoyed by the influence people on social media had on this case. I think this is the first big case that blew up in our modern, social media driven world. In fact, Elisa Lam was already widely known because of her online presence on Tumblr. So it wasn’t surprising that when that weird video got posted on the internet, everyone on YouTube and blogging world was set on tracking her down. I think that it was amazing that such a community was formed to close this case but at the same time, I think that many lines were crossed at times that deterred the investigation and generated leads that ended up destroying people’s lives. As much as this show is about Elisa Lam, I think it also raises the question on the influence of social media in investigations. How does it affect the victim’s family? Does it result in people forgetting the victim in the case? To quote my friend, everyone knows about the Cecil Hotel but not many people know about the name Elisa Lam.
MOVIES AND TV SHOWS
MINDHUNTER [TV SHOW]
Episode Count: 19 [S1: 10 episodes, S2: 9 episodes]
This show has two seasons and it’s not a docuseries. It follows the creation and the rise of the modern day behavioral science unit in the FBI, an investigative unit that profiles criminals to help narrow down the suspect pool. The first season was a bit slow and the main character was pretty annoying. He started off as an innocent, curious guy willing to learn and understand the why behind criminals and their motives to commit the crimes they do. As the first season progressed, he got pretty cocky and big headed. Besides the characters, I really enjoyed the technical side of the show that honed in on the creation of the dialogue that we see so commonly in investigations as well as on tv shows like Criminal Minds. For example, the series showed the behavioral science unit developing terminology such as “serial killer”. The first season takes a bit to build up and reach a pace that we are used to seeing in the modern day investigative TV hits like Criminal Minds or NCIS. My favorite episodes in the series were those in season 2. The first season really focused on developing the unit as well as setting the general baseline for the science and terminology needed to generate the profiles. But the second season focused on the unit on the hunt for one serial killer and putting into practice the terminology and science they were developing. I really loved the serial killer plot line show cased in season 2. The pacing and the action make the show a lot more gripping. I loved the social dialogue and the historical significance of the setting of the serial killer case in the second season. It was a powerful and necessary dialogue. This show got cancelled after the second season and I’m pretty sad about it because throughout the first two seasons, we get to see snippets at the end of each episode of a man who’s starting to venture into a cynical world until it’s clear that he’s made his fantasy into reality and started to kill people. I don’t want to spoil who this mystery serial killer is but those snippets were so terrifying and creepy, it would have made for a killer (pun intended) season if the show wasn’t discontinued.
ZODIAC [MOVIE]
I’m not going to lie, I watched this movie mainly because it had Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. because I can’t get enough of these two together. I was not disappointed by it. I liked how the movie was following a diverse set of characters who all got dragged into the investigation. The movie follows three characters who devote so much of themselves into the investigation that their personal lives start to crumble into total chaos. I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this movie as I know how the investigation wraps up but the movie kept me interested and hooked onto the downfall of these characters. It wasn’t a hard to follow movie and it had a nice quick pace that made it easy to watch and interesting at the same time.
EXTREMELY WICKED SHOCKINGLY EVIL AND VILE [MOVIE]
I love the subtlety of this movie. I’m a bit embarrassed that it took me this long to watch it but that’s how I work with hyped things lol. I tend to give whatever hyped book/movie time to settle down before I pick it up. This movie follows Ted Bundy as a boyfriend and a father figure and doesn’t follow him around as he commits the crimes he’s famous for. We get to see his girlfriend’s life get turned upside down as she deals with who he is and all of his trials and convictions. My favorite thing about this movie is the subtlety. In 2021, we all know that Ted Bundy did commit those crimes. But the movie was focused on portraying Ted as this innocent boyfriend who gets “unjustly” accused of all these horrendous crimes and didn’t give us any scenes where we get to see the crimes being committed. Instead, it plotted seeds that showcase Ted Bundy slipping or doing certain things only serial killer Ted Bundy would do, not what good boyfriend Ted Bundy would do. We see him in places where the murders were committed, we see him doing things that a killer would know how to do, and we get to see it in his eyes when he’s being tried or shifted around in prison. I did wish the final trial scene was far more impactful and longer in length. I thought the ending was a bit rushed but all in all, it was a good movie.