The Best True Crime Documentaries for All You Armchair Detectives Out There

Chillingly told through recordings of the man himself, Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes reconstructs the events that led to the deaths of at least 33 young men. As a respected businessman who was known to dress up as a clown for parties, Gacy's crimes are a chilling example of how some criminals use the cover of conventionality to exact terrifying acts.

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Once known as “America’s Dad,” Bill Cosby was accused of sexual assault by more than 60 women. Showtime’s We Need to Talk About Cosby explores the comedian's influence on pop culture, and the alleged crimes that led to him spending three years behind bars. The documentary is even more crucial since Cosby’s 2018 convictions have since been overturned by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

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To coincide with the release of Blonde, Netflix dropped The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes. By compiling archival footage and interviews with Monroe’s close friends and colleagues, the documentary explores the events leading up to the icon’s untimely death.

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HBO’s Mommy Dead and Dearest explores the haunting story of Dee Dee Blanchard's murder, and the extensive lies Dee Dee had told about her own daughter Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s health. Both Gypsy and her boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, were convicted of the murder, and the documentary explores the tragic sequence of events that led to the crime.

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On January 11, 2013, Black teenager Kendrick Johnson was found dead inside the gymnasium of Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Georgia. Disturbingly, his body had been concealed in a rolled-up gym mat. Finding Kendrick Johnson explores the harrowing mystery surrounding a young man’s death, and his family’s ongoing search for justice.

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Told through archival audio recordings of Jeffrey Dahmer himself, Netflix’s documentary series pieces together the murder spree that led to the serial killer’s eventual arrest. Conversations with a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes is a chilling account of the murders of 17 young men and boys, and the killer’s predilection for cannibalism and dismemberment.

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A refreshing break from serial killer documentaries, Sour Grapes tracks the rise and fall of Rudy Kurniawan, a fraudulent wine merchant who tricked some of the world’s biggest collectors. Authenticated by prestigious auction houses, Kurniawan’s wines proliferated the mainstream with ease: Sour Grapes explores how he conned so many people.

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The 2017 disappearance of Kim Wall shocked the world. The Swedish journalist was last seen departing on Peter Madsen’s self-built submarine in Copenhagen, where she planned to interview the inventor. Suspicions were raised when Madsen was located without Wall, and his story changed on multiple occasions. Undercurrent deciphers what happened to Wall in her final hours.

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This documentary explores the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), and its controversial leader Warren Jeffs. Having broken off from the Mormon Church, the fundamentalist sect practices polygamy, and trains its female members to serve their husbands from a very young age. Jeffs earned a place on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List in 2006, and the Netflix series interviews escapees about what really took place inside the FLDS compound.

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Netflix's Our Father tells the shocking true story of Dr. Donald Cline, a fertility specialist based in Indiana who used his own sperm to inseminate many of his patients throughout the '70s and '80s. However, Cline kept the fact that he was the sperm donor a secret and didn't receive consent from any of his patients. Netflix tracks the terrifying story, including one person's discovery that they might have as many as 90 half-siblings.

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During the '80s, Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, also known as Osho, drew a large following. Together with his personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela, Osho created a community for his followers on a large ranch in Wasco County, Oregon. The space was meant to serve as a place where Osho's worldwide followers could come to live. However, the new city quickly caused tensions with nearby residents, especially when alleged acts of bioterrorism and violence started taking place.

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Jan Broberg Felt was abducted as a child by family friend and neighbor Robert Berchtold on two separate occasions in the 1970s. Abducted in Plain Sight features interviews with Broberg Felt and pieces together how Berchtold ingratiated himself with one Mormon family, in order to allegedly groom their daughter. Broberg Felt's story has been adapted for a new Peacock series called A Friend of the Family, starring Colin Hanks, Mckenna Grace, Anna Paquin, and Jake Lacy, so it's the perfect time to learn more about Broberg Felt's incredible story.

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In 2006, Cyntoia Brown received a life sentence after being convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated robbery. A 16-year-old Brown claimed that she was the victim of sex trafficking, and had acted in self-defence when she shot and killed Johnny Allen, 43, after he'd paid her $150 for sex. She subsequently served 15 years in prison of a life sentence, before being granted clemency in 2019.

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Netflix's true crime documentary tells the story of Suzanne Sevakis, a 20-year-old woman killed in an apparent hit-and-run in 1990. The Girl in the Picture explores the truth about Suzanne, from her abduction by a fugitive when she was a child, to the life she was forced to live thereafter. Understandably hard to watch, The Girl in the Picture is a terrifying true story that seeks justice for Suzanne and her son Michael Anthony Hughes, and interviews friends and family members about what really happened.

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Sophie: A Murder in West Cork tells the shocking story of French TV producer Sophie Toscan du Plantier, who was murdered outside her vacation home in Ireland on December 23, 1996. The brutal murder shook the local community, and this documentary pieces together what might have happened to the 39-year-old mother -of -one. From interviewing possible suspects to exploring strange details about the crime scene, Sophie: A Murder in West Cork attempts to solve a chilling crime that's long had no answers.

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The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist tells the story of Hawaiian linebacker Manti Te’o, and the catfish who threatened his reputation and career in the NFL. In 2012, Te'o tragically lost his grandmother and his girlfriend on the same day. However, it soon transpired that Te'o's girlfriend wasn't real. Instead, a catfish was behind the character, and Netflix's documentary tells both sides of the unbelievable story.

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Leah Remini is one of Scientology's most famous defectors, and along with former high-ranking executive Mike Rinder (who just published a book), she runs my favorite podcast, Scientology: Fair Game. Prior to podcasting, Remini and Rinder made three seasons of the two-time Emmy-winning show Scientology and the Aftermath, an A&E series exploring the alleged crimes and abuses instigated by members of the "religion" against its members.

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Mother-of-two Andrea Knabel has been missing since August 2019, when she disappeared without a trace while walking home late at night. While her family continues the search, Finding Andrea pieces together a timeline of what might have happened, and questions whether any secrets she had might have influenced her disappearance. Featuring interviews with multiple family members and acquaintances, Finding Andrea attempts to shine a light on a very suspicious case that remains unsolved.

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In 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner went missing. Seven years later, he reappeared, having escaped his captor and rescued five-year-old Timothy White, who'd also been snatched by convicted sex offender Kenneth Parnell. Hulu's Captive Audience tells Steven's incredible story, and explores what happened when his abduction was turned into a TV movie. And in 1999, when three women were brutally murdered, the Stayner family found itself at the center of another national investigation that changed their lives forever.

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Elizabeth Holmes' story has been well documented, and has just received the adaptation treatment in Hulu's The Dropout, starring Amanda Seyfried. In January 2022, Theranos' founder was convicted of “one count of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud for intentionally deceiving investors,” per The Wall Street Journal. While Holmes awaits sentencing, delve into HBO's documentary about the healthcare startup that promised to change the world, before it all came crashing down.

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