5 True Crime Series You Must Watch on Netflix

Ready for a thrill? Or maybe you’re just fascinated by knowing what makes a human being bad. Are they inherently bad? Born to cause despair, cast evilness, and make others suffer. Or does something in their life make them turn for the worse? Regardless of which you believe, it’s easy to go down this rabbit hole riveted by thrill, fear, and adrenaline. Luckily, Netflix offers an enormous catalog of true crime series that share real stories with real facts, investigations, and sometimes answers to the questions we all have.

Today we’re sharing five true crime series you must watch that will leave you questioning, gripping your seat, needing answers, and drawing your conclusions from the alleged stories. So, ready to be creeped out? Lock your doors, shut your blinds, and grab your blanket to hide under because these five true crime series are insane.

Trigger Warning: The following true crime series contains themes that may be disturbing or upset some. Please take care when reading or watching, and seek support when or if you need it. Thank you.

1. American Nightmare, 2024

American Nightmare is a true crime series that tells the story of a woman who went through true horror, only to survive, be released, and then be blamed and accused of faking it all by the police. In 2015, Denise Huskins was kidnapped, drugged, raped, and held hostage in a violent home invasion.

If you’re a seasoned true crime junkie, then you know the first thought is “It’s always the husband.” But this case was so unlike anything the police had ever heard. Denise’s boyfriend, Aaron Quinn, quickly became the first and only suspect. In the 48 hours that she was missing, Aaron was viciously interrogated and tormented into admitting what he did to Denise. Despite telling his side of the story countless times, the police believed it was too outrageous. 

Aaron told investigators that intruders came into the home while he and his girlfriend were asleep. He was restrained, blindfolded, and then drugged with cold medicine while Denise was kidnapped. The series does an impeccable job of recreating the scene, with Denise Huskins slowly depicting the story. Getting the visual and verbal simultaneously offers a really immersive and captivating insight into her terror. 

Fourty-eight hours after she was kidnapped, Denise Huskins was suddenly released and safe on her parents’s doorstep. The police quickly decided this wasn’t a kidnapping but rather a Gone Girl-style plot to fake her death. The press, police, and media came for Denise and Aaron. The documentary really highlights the importance of good police work and investigation and that victims should be believed.

2. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, 2023

A domineering family, the Murdaughs, find themselves at the center of a scandal in this documentary. The story follows many twists and turns, beginning with the death of Paul Murdaugh’s friend, Mallory Beach. This, arguably, was the beginning of the end for the family. After a drunk night of partying, Paul drove his boat into a bridge, ejecting Mallory into the water, never to surface alive. Alex Murdaugh spent the next while trying to keep their name clean and pin the death on someone else, even though there were witnesses as to who was driving. This just speaks a little bit about the true power this South Carolina family had. 

Then, in June 2021, another shocking incident occurred. Alex Murdaugh seemingly reports the murder of Paul Murdaugh and Maggie Murdaugh. (Alex’s son and wife.) (Seemingly because he was the one to find them, owned the same gun that was used to kill them, and claimed he wasn’t on the scene during the crime, which was later deemed to be incorrect with the help of video footage from Paul’s phone.) 

The Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal does a great job piecing together the many shameful and disgraceful things the family desperately tried to cover up. 

3. The Staircase, 2022

The staircase is filled with ambiguity and uncertainty. It’s filmed in a way where it’s not solely centered on whether or not Michael Peterson did what is alleged but rather on whether or not his lawyers can get him off. Not familiar with the infamous Staircase case? In 2001, Michael Peterson (a successful novelist) found Kathleen Peterson dead at the bottom of the staircase. Michael claimed she fell after drinking some wine, but after investigators found lacerations and blood splatter that didn’t match the explanation, Michael was arrested for murder. 

Viewers can ride the wave of a sensational story while Michael Peterson is coached about appearing in court, seemingly never showing emotion that he was to stand trial for his wife’s murder. During the investigation, more scandals came to light about Michael Peterson, and they eventually tore the family apart. 

4. Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich offers first-person testimony on a case that won’t ever get justice. The documentary sheds light on the power that money can buy and what happens when it’s in the wrong hands. Jeffrey Epstein was a monster hiding in plain sight, able to buy his way out of everything. Being friends with high-powered people bought him everything he needed to become one of the most evil criminals the world has ever seen. This series will infuriate you. It will leave you angry, feeling as if everything was unjust, and questioning the people in power and how much more of the story we still don’t know. 

5. The Most Hated Man On The Internet, 2022

When Hunter Moore first started his website, “Is Anyone Up?” it was about band and concert culture. However, it quickly turned into a hub for revenge porn. People could post private photos of others without their consent, often with addresses, invading their privacy entirely. Rolling Stone dubbed Hunter “The Most Hated Man On The Internet,” and slowly but surely, victims did whatever they could to dismantle his website, piece by piece.

Finally

These five true crime series are a must-watch on Netflix. You’ll become captivated by stories, intruded by clues, and angry about outcomes. You’ll try to solve the cases by looking for signs that prove the alleged crime took place and praying that someone will be held accountable for it. Regardless of how much of a true crime junkie you are, these five series will satisfy your thirst for the genre while paying respect to the fact that they’re real stories with real victims.