Evil Lives Here: Shadows of Death highlights the impact of a murder on the lives of three or four people involved in a case, including victims’ loved ones, detectives, and sometimes a family member or friend of the killer.
Part of the Evil Lives Here franchise, the show differs from the original Evil Lives Here and its cousin Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks by spotlighting the stories of victims’ friends and family members and only sometimes including the voice of someone who lived with a killer, as in the other two shows.
The series is more like a conventional true crime show due to its heavier emphasis on the investigation and story of the murder itself, rather than the hints of evil in the killer or the events that led up to the homicide, like Evil Lives Here. The storytelling style is similar to Evil Lives Here but not in its focus on the perpetrator of the crime.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 5 (2020-)
Where to stream: Discovery+, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Shadow of Doubt looks at homicide cases where there is some kind of doubt or question about a suspect, conviction, or other part of a murder investigation, such as cases involving false confessions, questions about the true shooter in a murder involving multiple perpetrators, and whether a person’s death was actually a suicide.
Episodes include detectives and victims’ friends and families, who discuss the case and its investigation, as well as re-creations, like in many other true crime shows. The difference with Shadow of Doubt is the inclusion of one of the suspects in most episodes, who casts doubt on their role in the murder, sometimes with little believability. Episodes don’t reveal the suspect’s role in the murder until the end.
It’s an intriguing premise, but doesn’t really make the show unique from others.
Sometimes friends aren’t friends at all and the last person to discover this sad fact is the victim of a murder. So is the premise of Murder Among Friends, which introduces viewers to a group of friends involved in the homicide of one of their own.
The motives for these murders range from jealousy, to revenge, to evil desires, and the show emphasizes salacious and creepy stories, such as those involving sex, cults, or vampirism. Episodes mostly focus on friend groups in their teens and twenties, those more likely to fall prey to groupthink.
Complete with narration, police interviews, the testimony of victims’ loved ones, and re-creations, the show is pretty standard fare for the true crime genre, with the only unique aspect being its focus on murders that happened in friend groups. If frenemies are what you’re looking for, check out Murder Among Friends.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 2 (2016-2018)
Where to stream: Discovery+, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
A classic in the true crime genre, Forensic Files focuses on forensic investigations in crimes like homicide, sexual assault, bombings, and non-criminal deaths and medical mysteries. The show premiered in 1996, during a time when various forensic techniques emerged, particularly the explosion of DNA testing. The show is so classic that it was brought back as Forensic Files II in 2020.
Featuring shorter episodes (about 22 minutes each), Forensic Files describes specific cases using techniques like fingerprinting, DNA testing, bite mark analysis, soil testing, forensic botany, forensic acoustics, handwriting analysis, facial reconstruction, and many more. One of the show’s strengths is how it brings on forensic specialists who explain these techniques and the processes involved. They are joined by detectives investigating the crimes, and victim’s loved ones.
One notable episode (Season 11, Episode 22) features the murder of Kathleen Peterson (before the documentary The Staircase) and includes an interview with since-disgraced blood stain analyst Duane Deaver.
Warning: Crime scene photos in the show are sometimes graphic and unblurred.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 14 (1996-2011)
Where to stream: Tubi, The Roku Channel, Peacock, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video
Lethally Blonde looks like a show about cases involving blonde murderers, but in actuality, not all of the killers in its episodes are blonde, and not all of the episodes focus on the murderer. All of the cases, however, feature victims or killers who worked in the adult entertainment industry, from pornography and Only Fans, to exotic dancing and bikini modeling, work that influenced the eventual murders that occurred.
Perhaps executive producer Holly Madison (former Playboy model and producer ofThe Playboy Murders) wanted to follow up that show with even more salacious stories of sex and murder. Hence the title. But if you’re looking for a show that fits the literal meaning of the title and features only killer blondes, you’ll be disappointed. Some are killers, and some are victims. Some are blonde, some aren’t.
Madison provides commentary, as in The Playboy Murders, and detectives and victim’s loved ones recount the stories of the murders, investigations, and the careers that led to the crimes.
You might ask yourself, Are there really enough murders at sea for an entire true crime show? Believe it or not, there is more than one series in this niche. Cruise Ship Killers focuses on murders and other deaths that occurred on pleasure cruises or at their ports of call. Some of the deaths are suicides, some are unsolved disappearances, and some are actual homicides complicated by the fact that they occurred at sea, with investigations impacted by the complex legalities of a jurisdiction based on maritime law or the absence of a body.
Presented in a linear fashion, each episode follows the story from the reasons the victim went on the cruise, to their death or disappearance, to the investigation and trial, fictionalizing the stories to protect those involved and including pseudonyms for most episodes.
Cruise Ship Killers is a bit slow-paced, with languid narration, re-creations, and commentary from a stock group of experts, including crime writer J.H. Moncrieff, retired detective Damian Turner, and former medical examiner investigator Kim Witt. Some episodes include stories from the victims’ friends and family (Season 1 only), but with less focus on them than other shows, and only a few episodes include the investigators involved. The show is reminiscent of the relaxed style of Heartland Homicide.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 2 (2020-2022)
Where to stream: Tubi, Peacock, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video
More shows like Cruise Ship Killers: Deadly Waters with Captain Lee, Dark Waters: Murder in the Deep, Dark Waters of Crime
A heartbreaking story of murder, told through social media
They’re everywhere on social media. Those videos of the perfect vacation, perfect family, perfect marriage. But reality hides behind the perfection, sometimes a dark reality covered up by posed photos and curated videos. Peacock’s new documentary TikTok Star Murders illustrates the imperfections hidden by viral social media videos and how a life can turn to darkness.
The documentary tells the story of the murder of Ana Abulaban by her husband Ali, as well as Ali’s murder of Ana’s friend Rayburn Barron. It documents Ali’s rise to fame on TikTok, the breakdown of his and Ana’s marriage—one filled with physical and emotional abuse and coercive control—culminating in the murders of Ana and Ray.
The film presents an intimate look at the shocking case and Ali and Ana’s troubled relationship, shown through many TikTok videos and photos from both Ali and Ana. To tell the story, Ana and Ali’s friends and family members are joined by reporters, investigators, attorneys, and a psychologist describing what happens in an abusive relationship and why it is so difficult for many victims to leave, and leave safely. Along with TikTok videos, the documentary includes video and audio recordings Ali made as the relationship broke down, the abuse Ana suffered, and even Ali’s audio of the murder itself, as well as interview excerpts with him in jail and clips from his trial.
It’s a horrifying depiction of domestic abuse, the fantasy of social media, the masks people wear, and how the pursuit of fame can drive a person’s life.
Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks extends the concept of the original Evil Lives Here to include the voices of the killers themselves. As with Evil Lives Here, family members of killers recount the signs they noticed that led up to the killer’s crimes, but in The Killer Speaks, they also ask their criminal family member about their crimes, seek the truth, and listen to the killer’s side of the story.
Producers of the show speak with the killers from prison, and some of these murderers come clean, while others don’t, holding steadfastly to their innocence or already disproved version of the story. Other killers contradict the stories their family members tell, further clouding the truth.
Similarly to Evil Lives Here, episodes relate the cases completely from one or two family members’ perspectives, rather than the murders or subsequent investigations, or the experiences of victims’ families.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 1 (2023-)
Where to stream: Discovery+, Hulu, Max
More shows like Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks: Evil Lives Here, The Devil You Know, I Lived with a Killer, I Am a Killer
Most true crime shows focus on investigations of murders, as told by detectives and victims’ loved ones. But if you’re looking for a different perspective on murder cases, check out Evil Lives Here, which gives voice to family members of murderers and perpetrators of other heinous crimes. Through heartbreaking descriptions, they detail stories of living with abusive spouses and parents, evil cult leaders, psychopathic children, and serial killers and rapists before, and sometimes during, their crimes. The show sheds light on how, sometimes, the killer’s family are also victims of their evil ways.
Some of these family members share the warning signs or abuse they experienced, and others recount stories about the pain the murders caused them or the difficulties raising a problematic child who turns into a criminal, especially when their appeals for help from law enforcement and mental health professionals go unanswered.
Episodes relate the stories completely from one or two family members’ perspectives and focus on their experiences and the signs they noticed, instead of the murders or subsequent investigations. And because the emphasis is squarely on these family members, episodes underscore their voices and so exclude narration. Adding to their stories, episodes include some police interviews and 911 calls.
Evil Lives Here is a shocking and emotional show that fills in the picture of a violent criminal’s life. Many episodes are tough to watch, but it is a quality show that is well worth it.
A stellar true crime show doesn’t just have compelling cases, it has attention-getting writing and a narrator with a voice and rhythm that can deliver that writing with panache. Most shows offer run-of-the mill narrators who possess a strong voice but don’t leave their mark on the genre. If the case is interesting enough, they’ll suffice, but sometimes you want to sink into the voice of a narrator who envelops you into the world of a case. If you’re the type who likes to listen to your true crime rather than watch, check out how these seven experts spin their tales.
1. Keith Morrison, Dateline
Keith Morrison isn’t just a narrator or interviewer, he’s a storyteller. He delivers the lines of a Datelineepisode like your favorite uncle telling a scary bedtime story (check out his tellings of “The Night Before Christmas” and other Christmas classics). His episode intros set the stage for murder cases that might not be that interesting by themselves, but he makes them so, very, interesting. He hits the words with just the right tone, inflecting his trademark creepiness just enough to compel you to listen.
Actors Paul Winfield and Keith David match the amazing writing of the original City Confidential with their fluid storytelling and strong voiceovers. Winfield’s voice sounds like a semi-distant relative of Morgan Freeman, and David’s sounds like a friend sharing an easy conversation over coffee. Before describing specific murder cases, each episode features an initial segment laying out the history of the city or town where they occurred, and Winfield and David make even the most podunk of towns intriguing.
Not afraid to include lightness and humor when appropriate, the classic series required voiceover actors who could step up to the plate and deliver the lines with precision. Winfield and David met that challenge. The show’s revival in 2021 brought on actor Mike Colter, who has a great voice but lacks the personality of Winfield and David, and the episodes fail to live up to the intriguing writing of the 1998-2005 episodes.
Paul Winfield narrating City Confidential
Keith David narrating City Confidential
4. Bill Kurtis, Cold Case Files and American Justice
Before retiring, Bill Kurtis had a long career as a journalist and news anchor, but his narration of true crime shows and documentaries doesn’t sound like a typical news reporter. Kurtis has a smooth, rich voice that keeps you listening while lulling you into stories revolving around cold cases and the criminal justice system. Kurtis’ voice alone is worth watching any show or documentary he narrates, but coupled with the amazing writing, it makes Cold Case Filesand American Justicemust-watch shows. Kurtis also narrates the series Cold Case Files: DNA Speaks.
Cold Case Files
American Justice
5. Stacy Keach, American Greed
Veteran actor Stacy Keach, known for the show Mike Hammer and many other television and film roles, brings his voice to another top-shelf show: American Greed. Keach relates stories of corruption, greed, and corporate and financial crimes like that grandfather who tells stories around the fireplace on a cold winter night. You’ll want to pull up a blanket and pillow and sink into the episodes.
American Greed
6. Christine Estabrook, Deadly Wives
Actress Christine Estabrook is another narrator who delivers the smart writing of a true crime show with just the right punch. Deadly Wives is a clever show that sometimes injects humorous asides about women who kill their spouses, and Estabrook knows just how to convey them. Wives kill their spouses, Estabrook narrates the cases, and her voice adds a hint of sarcasm—you can almost hear her rolling her eyes at the women’s mistakes and lies. It’s a shame the run of the show was so short.
Deadly Wives
7. Joe Alaskey, Murder Comes to Town
Murder Comes to Town, which focuses on murders in small towns, has two narrators who vary in style (Joe Alaskey and Anthony Call), but Alaskey wins the race for the creepier narration. He sounds like the voice-child of Paul Winfield and Vincent Price and delivers words like “murder” and “bloody corpse” with an electricity that sends a chill across the screen and up your spine. When Alaskey died in 2016, actor Anthony Call took over the narration, without the same creepy flair as Alaskey.
True Crime Docket 