Category: Shows

Show: Forensic Files

Forensic investigations take center stage in murder and other cases

Forensic Files
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About Forensic Files

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

More shows like Forensic Files: Forensic Files II, The New Detectives, Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science, Forensic Investigators, Forensic Justice, Forensics, Forensics NZ, Solved: Extreme Forensics

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✓ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

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Show: Lethally Blonde

Murders related to the adult entertainment industry

Lethally Blonde
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About Lethally Blonde

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 of The 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.

If you’re a fan of Sex, Lies & Murder and The Playboy Murders, check out Lethally Blonde.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 1 (2024-)

Where to stream: Discovery+, Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video

More shows like Lethally Blonde: The Playboy Murders, Sex, Lies & Murder, Sex & Murder

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✘ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Cruise Ship Killers

Murders and unsolved deaths aboard cruise ships

Cruise Ship Killers
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About Cruise Ship Killers

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

See also this list of true crime shows

✘ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✓ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✓ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks

Murderers and their family members share their stories

Evil Lives Here
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About Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks

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

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✘ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✘ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Evil Lives Here

Family members of murderers and other criminals share their stories

I Am a Killer
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About Evil Lives Here

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.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 16 (2016-)

Where to stream: Discovery+

More shows like Evil Lives Here: Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks, The Devil You Know, I Lived with a Killer

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✘ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✘ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: I Am a Killer

Convicted murderers share their stories

I Am a Killer
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About I Am a Killer

If you’ve ever wanted to hear about the motivations behind murders from the perpetrators themselves, then I Am a Killer is the show for you. It presents first-person accounts of people convicted of murders, who share their stories. Sometimes, they even own up to their crime.

Rather than investigating the mystery of who committed the murder, episodes start with the answer to that question and focus on the killer’s story first. Then, the victims’ families and friends share the impact of the murder on their lives, and detectives detail some parts of their investigations, but not as much as other true crime shows. Because I Am a Killer emphasizes first-person accounts, it doesn’t have narration, letting viewers hear the story from those involved firsthand.

While the show focuses more on the perpetrators’ stories, it is more balanced than the defendant-focused Accused: Guilty or Innocent? by incorporating the perspectives of victims’ loved ones.

It’s a fascinating look into the minds of killers and sheds light on the complicated nature of the stories people tell themselves when accused of a violent crime.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 6 (2018-)

Where to stream: Netflix

More shows like I Am a Killer: Evil Lives Here: The Killer Speaks, Facing Evil with Candace DeLong, I (Almost) Got Away with It, I Am a Killer: Released, The Killer Speaks, I Am a Stalker, Accused: Guilty or Innocent?

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✘ Narration
✘ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Killer Relationship

Relationships gone wrong, ending in murder

Killer Relationship
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About Killer Relationship

Hosted and narrated by Faith Jenkins, a former prosecutor who was also a judge on Divorce Court, Killer Relationship shares stories of relationships gone so wrong that they result in murder. Most of the cases are intimate partner homicides, but some involve other close relationships.

Jenkins provides a bit of commentary on some of the cases, drawing on her experience with domestic violence cases and on Divorce Court, and the show includes some police interviews and insight from victims’ family and friends. No trial clips, though, just foreboding stories of how some relationships, even seemingly stable ones, can end in murder.

If you’re a fan of Dateline and its spouse-did-it episodes, check out Killer Relationship.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 3 (2022-)

Where to stream: Hulu, Peacock

More shows like Killer Relationship: Dateline, Fatal Affairs, Meet, Marry, Murder, My Lover, My Killer, Fatal Vows, Happily Never After, Snapped

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✓ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Fatal Encounters

Two lives converge in murder

Fatal Encounters
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About Fatal Encounters

Two people have no idea that their lives will intersect with a murder. Fatal Encounters is a true crime show that counts down the lives of two individuals up to the point of a murder, detailing the events that preceded and caused it. For many of the episodes, the victim and killer’s lives only intersect through homicide. Other victims and killers were well known to each other.

The show is about the big reveal: not who the killer is, as many true crime shows emphasize, but which person is the victim and which is the killer, or what incited the murder.

Episodes are not always about cases involving only two people, but the focus is on two individuals, so the show leaves out some details about other victims and killers involved in some of the homicides, devoting less time to their stories or backgrounds. And because the focus is on the countdown to the murder itself, the subsequent investigations are deprioritized.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 3 (2012-2015)

Where to stream: Hulu, Discovery+

More shows like Fatal Encounters: The Last 24/A Time to Kill, Final Moments, Killision Course

See also this list of true crime shows

✘ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✓ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Betrayed

A true crime show similar to a crime drama

Betrayed
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About Betrayed

If you’re looking for a true crime show that is more drama than documentary, check out Betrayed. Betrayed relies heavily on dramatizations of murder cases, with each episode telling these stories through fictionalized re-creations that follow the events before the crime, to the murder and investigation. Interspersed between these dramatizations are interviews with detectives and victims’ family and friends, but the focus of the show is on the re-creations, which parallel crime dramas by following the story in a linear fashion, complete with narrative techniques like tension, conflict, and foreshadowing.

The show focuses on murders perpetrated by someone the victim knew, who ultimately betrayed them by killing them. Episodes begin with a roundup of all the possible suspects, then detail events before the crime that may have contributed to the killer’s motive, then follow the murder and its investigation.

Adding to that crime drama feel are voice-over narrations by the actors playing the victims, who describe each event leading up to and after the murder from their point of view.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 4 (2016-2020)

Where to stream: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery+

More shows like Betrayed: Blood Relatives, A Crime to Remember, Love, Honor, Betray

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✓ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts

Show: Murder Calls

A true crime show that focuses on 911 calls related to murder cases

Murder Calls
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About Murder Calls

Murder Calls revolves around 911 calls made during or after a specific murder, some from the victims, but mostly from those finding the victim after the murder. The show opens with a warning that these calls may be graphic and disturbing, but only some actually are.

No narration between interviews with detectives and victims’ families and friends; instead, the show flashes short descriptions on the screen to fill in information. It includes police interviews and sometimes extended 911 calls, which provide more information on cases that you may have seen on other shows. In addition, episodes often add additional 911 calls.

The Show Elements

Seasons: 3 (2017-2020)

Where to stream: Hulu, Tubi, Max, the Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery+

More shows like Murder Calls: Hear No Evil, Calls from the Inside

See also this list of true crime shows

✓ Police interviews
✘ Trial clips
✘ Narration
✓ Re-creations
✘ Experts
✓ Victims’ families and friends

Latest Posts