Exhumed: Killer Revealed is a fairly typical true crime show that focuses on exhumations as the key to solving murders after lengthy periods of time. These include cold cases, undetermined deaths, and deaths first ruled as suicides that are later ruled as homicides.
Some cases in the series are covered in other shows, but Exhumed: Killer Revealed emphasizes the first murder of the two when two homicide cases are linked and in instances when a case has gone cold and leads to the need for exhumation. One example is the Sharon Reeves case in Episode 7. In other cases detailed elsewhere, the show provides more information on the exhumations than other series.
A true crime show focusing on poison as the weapon of murder
About Poisonous Liaisons
Poison is the method of murder in this true crime show. Killers use various substances to murder victims ranging from romantic partners, to co-workers, to family members, and they sometimes elude the authorities until they attack a new victim and investigators get suspicious.
Featuring many historical cases from periods when pathologists didn’t routinely test for poisons, Poisonous Liaisons includes cases from the UK, US, and Australia by both women and men, including many serial poisoners.
Each episode details two cases through the stories of detectives, medical examiners, and other experts, such as historians, criminologists, forensics professors, and retired detectives. Episodes exclude interview or trial clips, keeping the descriptions of cases succinct.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 1 (2019)
Where to stream: Tubi, Peacock, True Crime Network, Amazon Prime Video
More shows like Poisonous Liaisons: Poisoned Passions
Narrated and hosted by Bill Kurtis of Cold Case Files, American Justice uses specific cases to take deep dives into different issues in the American criminal justice system, such as policing, battered spouse syndrome, crimes of passion, and wrongful conviction. It focuses on murder but includes cases involving fraud, the mafia, school shootings, kidnapping, and other crimes, with an emphasis on trials and high-profile cases, sometimes bringing on jurors (such as a few from the OJ Simpson case).
American Justice also discusses many historical cases, such as the outlaws of the Old West, the history of the mafia, Watergate, and the Lindbergh kidnapping.
A&E re-booted the show in 2023 (and called it Season 15, strangely), narrated by Dennis Haysbert. Both the earlier and newer versions are quality true crime television that not only cover the investigation and prosecution of crimes but relevant issues brought up by these investigations and prosecutions. Highly recommended.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 29 (1996-2008, 2023-)
Where to stream: Hulu, Discovery+, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video
More shows like AmericanJustice: Cold Case Files, The Jury Speaks, Trial by Media, Trial File, What Lies Beneath
A true crime show highlighting the work of forensic anthropologists
About Skeleton Stories
Some true crime shows include a case here or there that involves a forensic anthropologist, but Skeleton Stories devotes an entire show to the work of these bone specialists, who provide an expert eye for medical examiners in cases where bodies are unidentified or exhumed, or bones are found long after murders occurred.
This show details specific techniques used to solve murders and other mysteries through episodes featuring one to two cases, which are described by several forensic anthropologists who worked on them. They demonstrate the science behind decomposition, the identification of a body or cause of death, or how forensic anthropologists look for trauma from a weapon, really getting into the weeds of forensic examination.
Like some of the other shows from the same era, Skeleton Stories omits or changes some names, even those of killers. Be prepared to learn a lot from this show, especially about bones and anatomy. It’s a great watch for forensics enthusiasts and science buffs.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 2 (2005-2007)
Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video
A look inside the motivations behind serial killers and their murders
About Making a Serial Killer
How does someone become a serial killer? That’s the question that Making a Serial Killer asks, detailing the background, childhood, and family elements that influenced a person’s transformation into a serial killer.
This true crime show includes lesser-known serial killers, and murderers that may not really qualify, and describes their homicidal careers and eventual capture.
Investigators involved in the cases are joined by experts like psychologists, retired homicide detectives, and sociologists (Brian Frederick, Judy Ho, Carolyn Canville, Brian Harris, and Jooyoung Lee), who offer their opinions on the motivations and psychology behind the killers’ exploits.
The show profiles American and Canadian serial killers Don Miller, Jesse Matthew, Donna Perry, Sheila LaBarre, William Devin Howell, Todd Kohlhepp, Bruce McArthur, Willie Inmon, Anthony Shore, and Ronald Dominique.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 1 (2021)
Where to stream: Peacock, Tubi, The Roku Channel, Amazon Prime Video
More shows like Making a Serial Killer: American Serial Killers: Portraits in Evil, Becoming Evil: Serial Killers, Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America, Made for Murder, Mark of a Serial Killer, Murderous Minds: Inside Serial Killers
A showcase for forensics and Canadian true crime cases
About Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science
Hosted and narrated by actor Graham Greene, this forensics-based true crime show emphasizes one item or mistake the killer made in a homicide case: exhibit A.
Not to be confused with Netflix’s Exhibit A, this series focuses on cases in Canada—murder, sexual assault, bombings, and otherwise. Its use of the Dutch angle camera technique and noir-ish saxophone music lends a ’90s style that dates the show, but some of the cases will draw you in, such as those that detail exonerations from DNA testing and an art forgery case.
Exhibit A includes re-creations (which tend to be on the cheesy side) and discussion of investigations by the detectives and forensic scientists involved in the cases, but it excludes archival footage. Very few episodes incorporate surviving victims or their family members and friends, and they change the victims’ names. Most episodes are about 22 minutes in length.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 5 (1997-2001)
Where to stream: Tubi, Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, True Crime Network, The Roku Channel
More shows like Exhibit A: Secrets of Forensic Science: Forensic Factor, Forensic Files, Forensic Investigators, Forensic Justice, Forensics,The New Detectives, Solved: Extreme Forensics
Medical examiners take the lead in this true crime show
About Secrets of the Morgue
Secrets of the Morgue puts medical examiners, forensic pathologists, and forensic anthropologists at the center of each episode of the series, which emphasizes autopsy reports more than most true crime shows, while still relating the subsequent murder investigations.
In each episode, medical examiners describe the specific details of autopsies in all types of murder cases, their technical elements, and how this information helps them identify a body, find the cause of death, or figure out the weapon used in a homicide.
The show includes detectives and others involved in the cases, along with a stock group of experts specializing in sociology, violent crime, forensic pathology, and homicide investigation (Mark Mendelson, Jooyoung Lee, and Jane Turner), who weigh in on the psychology and investigative aspects of each case.
The show also includes interviews with victims’ loved ones, re-creations, and police interviews in select cases, but no trial clips.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 1 (2018-2019)
Where to stream: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery+
What if someone you love turns out to be a murderer?
About Someone You Thought You Knew
We all wonder if we truly know the people close to us—our partner, family members, friends. But what if we don’t really know someone at all, and they are, instead, a murderer? That’s the scary premise of Someone You Thought You Knew.
This true crime show consists of the usual elements—narration, re-creations, excerpts from police interviews, and testimonials from victims’ families and friends, who share their stories and reveal their surprise at finding out who their loved ones really are.
About half of the cases appear on other shows, such as Dateline, and the presentation is pretty typical of most true crime shows, so if you’re looking for something new and different, skip this one.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 2 (2018-2019)
Where to stream: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Discovery+
Retired homicide detective Joe Kenda shares stories from his 23-year career
(Note: This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
About Homicide Hunter
A memoir of sorts, Homicide Hunter with Joe Kenda focuses on the murder cases and other investigations of one detective throughout his 23-year career: Joe Kenda of Colorado Springs, Colorado. Kenda boasts a 92% solve rate and provides a master class in investigation at a time before DNA testing. He recounts many of the hundreds of cases he has worked, solving murders of all types, during his career in Colorado Springs, like an uncle sharing war stories. Colleagues involved in the cases, and local reporters, also appear in the series.
Not every detective could carry an entire true crime series; Kenda succeeds. He often throws in what has become his catchphrase, “Well my, my, my,” upon an eye-opening discovery. Standout episodes include cases from his early career detailing what he learned and how he became a detective (see Season 4, Episode 14, “My First Case”), and he sometimes brings in the perspective of his wife and family, who show up in Season 8, Episode 19 (“Married to the Job”) and Season 9, Episode 20 (“The End”).
The show is a rare look into a lengthy investigative career, the stress of the job, the psychology behind interrogation, and personal aspects of being a detective, such as Kenda’s feelings at crime scenes and the toll his work took on his family.
Kenda also hosts two specials, Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up and Homicide Hunter: Devil in the Mountains, as well as American Detective with Joe Kenda, which brings in other detectives to share their cases.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 9 (2011-2020)
Where to stream: Hulu, Discovery+
More shows like Homicide Hunter: American Detective with Lt. Joe Kenda, The Case That Haunts Me, Detective, Detective Diaries, The Detectives Club: New Orleans, The Detectives: Murder on the Streets, Detectives: My Killer Case, Homicide Hunter: Devil in the Mountains, Homicide Hunter: Never Give Up, I Am Homicide, The Killer Closer, Murder Chose Me, Real Detective
A humorous look at strange murders, murderers, and evidence
(Note: This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
About Bizarre Murders
For a lighter, comical take on murder cases, check out Bizarre Murders. Hosted by former FBI agent Steve Moore, this true crime show presents dramatized versions of strange murder cases and characters, through re-enactments and commentary on them. The show omits interviews with detectives, experts, or victims’ loved ones, choosing instead to present a semi-humorous version of a case, with some details changed.
Moore provides sardonic and amusing asides to the often dumb mistakes killers make and adds his expert perspective on the cases. Episodes include weird situations like vampires, cannibalism, a murderer obsessed with Dexter, and nicotine poisoning. Sometimes the murder itself isn’t bizarre, but the people involved are (e.g., Mexican wrestlers), or the evidence is weird (hot dog bun, anyone?). Episodes are on the shorter side, approximately 22 minutes, great for brief bites when you’re jonesin’ for some true crime.
The Show Elements
Seasons: 1 (2018)
Where to stream: True Crime Network, Tubi, The Roku Channel
True Crime Docket 