But while we still love a good whodunnit set in a sleepy village, the rise of true crime across streaming services and podcasts has risen exponentially, our appetite for delving deep into cases showing no signs of abating. Why? Partly, of course, human nature both loves a mystery and a has a fascination with that which is gruesome or evil, gawping in transfixed horror at how the depths that humanity can sink to. But, while these shows – whose popularity kicked off with This American Life’s wildly successful Serial – are obviously grittier, the grip they hold us in may come back to the same motivations as our penchant for cosy crime. After all, they reinforce a sense of morality, they grip us with the mysterious circumstances, they remind us of our own good fortune, and they usually offer a satisfying sense of closure. These are the shows to stream now to satisfy your inner sleuth.
Waco: American Apocalypse
Netflix
In 1993, self-styled prophet David Koresh led a religious cult known as the Branch Davidians based at the Mounty Carmel Centre in Axtell, near Waco, Texas. When a government raid, ordered on the basis that the group was stockpiling illegal weapons at its compound, led to a siege that lasted 51 days, there were deaths on both sides, concluding with fires and gunshots inside, and 76 bodies – including those of 25 children – found inside. Directed by Tiller Russell, this three-part programme tells the events that led to the infamous tragedy. Watch it.
Girl In The Picture
Netflix
We may be reaching back into last year for this one, but if you haven’t seen it, do be prepared: the awful revelations in Skye Borgman’s documentary are truly staggering. Starting with a seemingly simple hit-and-run in Oklahoma when a 20-year-old woman is found by the roadside, her groceries strewn around her, it soon becomes clear that there is much more to this story than meets the eye. First, there’s the fact the hospital staff do not find her injuries to be consistent with a hit-and-run, thus placing her older husband under suspicion and resulting in their two-year-old son being taking into foster care. Second, when the hospital contacts victim Tonya Hughes’ mother, they are told that the real Tonya died many years ago at just two years old. And third, the ‘husband’ transpires not to be her husband or the father of her child at all, but her own father – a convicted felon with a sickening string of crimes and aliases. Its greatest success is that it puts the victim front-and-centre, as these shows very much ought to do. Watch it.
The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker
Netflix
In 2013, hitchhiker Kai Lawrence, who was of no fixed address, took a ride from Jett Simmons McBride, who confessed to a series of disturbing crimes. When McBride drove his car into a pedestrian in broad daylight, Kai took a hatchet out of his backpack and struck McBride repeatedly in the head. When his press interview went viral in the wake of the incident, Kai became an internet sensation and was glorified as a hero. But soon, another dark seam to this tale started to unravel, with Kai – who by this time had accrued a number of online fans – being convicted of first-degree murder. Watch it.
Death In The Dorms
Hulu
Sending a child off to university should be a moment of great joy and pride for a family. For a few, it spiralled into a nightmare. This US-based docuseries tells the story of six colleges around America where murder has cut short those dreams and aspirations cruelly short. Extremely sobering viewing. Watch it.
Madoff: Monster Of Wall Street
Netflix
Charting the rise and then the fall of Bernie Madoff, the financier who was imprisoned for orchestrating one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in Wall Street history, this documentary is pacy and thriller-ish in its telling. Two floors down from his pristine ‘risk-less’ trading empire in Manhattan, Madoff – who is cast dually as a controlling bully and as a warm family man – runs a secret unregistered investment advisory firm, taking people’s money and then giving it to others. It is, in short, a ponzi scheme – and one that made him $64bn by the time the man that this documentary calls a ‘financial serial killer’ was caught in 2008. Watch it.
Web Of Death
Hulu
One of the things that the rise of true crime has done is make sleuths of us all. Some, however, take it to another level. Armed with their computers, enquiring minds and the support of the true crime community, Web Of Death looks at the role these armchair detectives have played in solving mysteries that have confounded or simply been forgotten about. Watch it.
Stolen Youth: Inside The Cult At Sarah Lawrence
Hulu
From the Academy Award-nominated director Zach Heinzerling comes Stolen Youth, a deep dive into the Sarah Lawrence College students who fell prey to the dark influence of Larry Ray. He was, in his own words, ‘building an army’ and, in this often harrowing account, the survivors of his cult talk about how they fell under his spell. Watch it.
Rolf Harris: Hiding In Plain Sight
ITV
This two-part documentary looks at the rise and subsequent fall of the titular disgraced children’s TV presenter and one-time ‘national treasure’. Harris, who died in May of this year, deceived millions for decades, during which time he sexually abused children and young girls. This series tells his story, and specifically that of his daughter Bindi’s friend, whom Harris groomed from the age of just thirteen. Watch it.
By Nancy Alsop
August 2023
