8 Best True Crime Documentaries, Films and Series to Watch
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8 Best True Crime Documentaries, Films and Series to Watch

Best True Crime Documentaries: 8 Films and Series Worth Watching

Key takeaways

  • These eight picks include both films and series, organized by viewing experience rather than as a definitive ranking.
  • Choose The Thin Blue Line for a landmark investigative film, or Making a Murderer and The Staircase for extended case coverage.
  • O.J.: Made in America and Icarus explore wider social, media and institutional contexts.
  • Check content notes and regional streaming availability, and remember that a documentary is one account of a real case.

Table of contents

Quick picks: which true crime documentary should you watch?

If you want… Try… Format
A film that helped reshape the crime-documentary form The Thin Blue Line Film
A long-running, debated case Making a Murderer Series
A deep dive into a major American trial O.J.: Made in America Miniseries
A tense investigative story The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst Series
A highly emotional account of family and loss Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father Film
A case viewed through a wider community The Keepers Series
A documentary about deception beyond traditional murder cases Icarus Film
An unusually extended look at one murder trial The Staircase Series

Best true crime documentaries to watch

1. The Thin Blue Line (1988) — best for a landmark investigative film

Errol Morris’s film examines the murder of Dallas police officer Robert W. Wood and the conviction of Randall Dale Adams. Rather than relying only on conventional interviews, it uses stylized reenactments and conflicting accounts to examine how testimony can shape a case.

It’s a strong choice if you want a compact film with a clear investigative focus and a lasting place in documentary history. Its approach also offers a useful reminder: reenactments are a filmmaker’s interpretation, not footage of events as they happened.

Format: Feature documentary
Content note: Murder, criminal investigation and discussion of violence.

2. Making a Murderer (2015) — best for a long, contested case

This Netflix series follows the criminal cases involving Steven Avery and Brendan Dassey in Wisconsin. Across its episodes, it presents questions about evidence, police conduct, legal representation and the way a complicated case becomes a public story.

Choose it if you’re interested in a sustained investigation rather than a single evening’s viewing. The series is also a useful example of how editing and point of view can influence viewers’ impressions. Its presentation is not a substitute for the full court record or independent legal analysis, so it’s worth separating concerns raised by the documentary from conclusions established in court.

Format: Multi-episode documentary series
Content note: Murder, sexual violence and criminal investigations.

3. O.J.: Made in America (2016) — best for crime, celebrity and social context

Ezra Edelman’s five-part documentary looks at O.J. Simpson’s public life and the murder trial that made him a central figure in American news. Rather than treating the case as an isolated courtroom drama, it places the story within wider discussions of race, celebrity, policing and Los Angeles.

This is a good pick if you want a detailed miniseries that goes beyond the basic sequence of events. Its scope makes it more demanding than a one-off documentary, but it offers context for why the trial became such a defining media event.

Format: Five-part documentary miniseries
Content note: Murder, violence and discussion of racism and policing.

4. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015) — best for an investigative series

This series follows real estate heir Robert Durst and his connection to several criminal investigations. Its episodic structure lets the filmmakers build a trail of interviews, records and questions over time, making it a natural choice for viewers who like documentaries that unfold like investigations.

The appeal is the reporting process, not simply a succession of dramatic turns. As with any crime documentary, keep the distinction between the filmmakers’ framing, allegations and legal findings in view.

Format: Multi-episode documentary series
Content note: Murder, disappearance and discussion of violence.

5. Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008) — best for an intimate, emotionally difficult story

Filmmaker Kurt Kuenne made this documentary in memory of his friend Andrew Bagby, with the intention of creating a record for Bagby’s young son. It begins as a personal tribute and develops into a painful account of grief, family and the criminal justice system.

This is often recommended to viewers seeking a deeply personal documentary, but it deserves a clear content warning: the subject matter involves murder, a child and devastating family loss. If you’re looking for a restrained or emotionally lighter watch, choose another title on this list.

Format: Feature documentary
Content note: Murder, child loss and intense grief.

6. The Keepers (2017) — best for a case and its surrounding community

This Netflix series investigates the unsolved murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a Baltimore nun and teacher, while also exploring the experiences and claims of former students. Its focus extends beyond the search for answers to the effects of alleged abuse and the challenges people face when trying to make their accounts heard.

Pick it if you want a series that pays attention to a community’s memories as well as investigative questions. Because the subject involves serious allegations, it’s important to distinguish what the series establishes from what interviewees allege or believe.

Format: Multi-episode documentary series
Content note: Murder, alleged sexual abuse and trauma.

7. Icarus (2017) — best for a documentary that changes direction

Bryan Fogel begins Icarus with an experiment about doping in sport. The project expands into a story involving the Russian doping scandal, showing how an investigation can shift as new information and participants reshape its scope.

This is a good option if you’re interested in deception, evidence and institutional accountability but don’t want another murder investigation. It has a different pace and subject from the other picks, while still engaging with wrongdoing and the difficulty of uncovering it.

Format: Feature documentary
Content note: Discussion of doping and institutional misconduct.

8. The Staircase (2004; later expanded) — best for a detailed courtroom-focused series

The documentary series follows novelist Michael Peterson’s legal case after his wife, Kathleen, was found dead. Its extended timeline gives viewers a close look at lawyers, expert testimony and the competing interpretations that develop around a case.

Choose it if you want to spend time with a single investigation and see how a courtroom case unfolds across episodes. The long format is part of the appeal, though it may feel slow if you prefer a tightly edited film. Different versions of the series contain different amounts of material, so check which edition a service is offering.

Format: Documentary series
Content note: Death, forensic evidence and a criminal trial.

How to choose the right true crime documentary

For a single-sitting watch: Start with The Thin Blue Line or Dear Zachary. Both are feature films, but they’re very different emotionally: one is an investigative landmark, while the other is an intensely personal account of grief.

For a case that develops over several episodes: Try Making a Murderer, The Jinx or The Staircase. Their longer runtimes allow space for multiple perspectives and procedural detail, but also ask for more patience.

For context beyond the investigation: Choose O.J.: Made in America or Icarus. The first places a famous trial within a larger social and media landscape; the second follows a story that expands beyond its initial premise.

For sensitive subject matter: Check content notes before watching, especially for murder, sexual violence, child loss or abuse. You can also look for a documentary that focuses more on institutions or reporting, rather than on graphic detail.

How to watch true crime documentaries critically

A documentary is a crafted account, not a complete case file. Filmmakers choose which interviews, documents and events to include, and the order in which viewers encounter them. That structure can make a story compelling, but it can also shape how persuasive a particular interpretation feels.

As you watch, consider a few questions:

  • Does the documentary distinguish established facts from allegations and opinions?
  • Which people are interviewed, and whose perspective is missing?
  • Are important claims supported by records or corroborating sources?
  • Does the film explain uncertainty, or does it present one interpretation as settled?

These questions don’t require viewers to dismiss a documentary. They help keep a film’s argument separate from the wider record.

Where can you stream these documentaries?

Streaming availability varies by country and changes over time, so don’t assume a title is included with a subscription in your region. Netflix’s documentary-series, documentary-film and true crime pages can help you check its current catalog. For other services, search the title directly and confirm whether it’s included, available to rent, or available to buy.

The takeaway

For a classic investigative film, start with The Thin Blue Line. For an extended case, choose Making a Murderer or The Staircase. If you want a wider social perspective, O.J.: Made in America is the clearest fit. Check content notes and regional availability before settling in—and remember that even a persuasive documentary is only one account of a real case.