45 Best True-Crime Documentaries Streaming In 2024

True-crime documentaries are experiencing perhaps their biggest boom period –- especially due to the presence of streaming. The worlds of novels and podcasts have also been swimming in content dedicated to notorious figures, and streaming sites keep churning out the mysterious, creepy, real-life content. Being a true-crime fan has gone from being a small niche interest to a widespread hobby for many people, and there are plenty of true-crime docs available for consumption. Whether it's due to their editing, the shocking nature of the content, or their political relevance, these are some true-crime docs worth your time and attention.

Updated on May 9, 2024: The world of true crime is a fascinating one, and as long as people break the law, there will be documentaries telling these wild stories. So check back here monthly as we keep you up to date on the very best true-crime documentaries out there.

Having previously directed "Zion" and "Untold: Malice at the Palace," documentaries about a wrestler and an NBA arena skirmish respectively, documentarian Floyd Russ once again delves into a deep and fascinating story that begins with a sport. "American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing" is a meticulous, compelling, and moving documentary about the terrorist bombing at the finish line of the 2013 Boston Marathon. Through first-hand interviews with witnesses, victims, and investigators, this documentary details how local and federal authorities were able to find and apprehend the responsible parties through digital media analysis and called-in tips. All the while, the documentary captures the remarkable "Boston Strong" moment, when the city willingly shut down and came together as one to allow law enforcement to catch the bombers.

• Director: Floyd Russ
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 175 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

What could be worse than being abducted from your home, sexually assaulted, and held for ransom? Not being believed. In 2015, Denise Huskins was dubbed the "real-life Gone Girl" by the media and publicly accused of staging a hoax by the police after her too-shocking-to-be-true kidnapping from her boyfriend Aaron Quinn's Northern California home on the night of March 23. Faced with injustice at every turn, Huskins and Quinn were only ever vindicated when a police detective unrelated to the case went above and beyond to reveal the truth. "I don't know what needs to happen to me, what needs to happen to any woman, for them to be believed," Huskins says in the docuseries. Filmmakers Felicity Morris and Bernadette Higgins, known for their popular Netflix documentary "The Tinder Swindler," return with "American Nightmare," a three-part docuseries exploring the couple's harrowing story, full of some of the most unpredictable twists in the history of true-crime entertainment.

• Director: Bernadette Higgins and Felicity Morris
• Year: 2024
• Runtime: 3 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

A strange, dark story involving large-scale theft, fake identities, elaborate cons, and even a supernatural element, "Bad Vegan" is a hard to believe but totally true documentary series that began long ago in a place of good intentions and stated purity. Sarma Melngailis used to run Pure Food and Wine, a highly regarded New York City restaurant where everything on the menu was both completely free of meat and animal products and organic too. Then Melngailis fell in love and married Shane Fox and brought him into the business. However, he wasn't really a curious businessman with an interest in healthy, sustainable living. He was actually a con artist named Anthony Strangis, who somehow convinced his wife to illegally hand over millions of dollars from Pure Food and Wine's coffers into his personal accounts because he claimed he could use the money to entice mystical forces into granting her dog eternal life.

• Director: Chris Smith
• Year: 2022
• Runtime: 4 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%

Centra Tech was ahead of its time, not because it was the first company to issue a cryptocurrency debit card like it claimed, but because it turned out to be running one of the first high-profile crypto fraud scams before these kinds of crimes became commonplace. Filmmaker Bryan Storkel lets Centra's proud co-founder and unreliable narrator Ray Trapani tell the story of how he achieved his dream of becoming a criminal by scamming customers and investors out of millions alongside his partners Sam Sharma and Robert Farkas. Relying on the luck of blind trust for their success, the trio's scheme didn't take much to unravel once New York Times journalist Nathaniel Popper caught wind of their shady practices. A cautionary tale or prideful how-to? The documentary teeters on the line but reveals one thing for sure: it pays to be a skeptic, or in Trapani's case, a narc.

• Director: Bryan Storkel
• Year: 2024
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

In the world of documentary filmmaking there is perhaps no name more respected than Ken Burns, and for good reason. From topics such as complicated wars to important historical figures to significant athletes the man has seemingly covered it all. Released in 2012 and co-directed with his daughter Sarah, the documentary details the people and events involved in the Central Park Jogger case of 1989. It benefits heavily from Burns's signature usage of archival footage and photographs used to fully immerse the viewers in the flow of events. It's as important a story now as it was back then, and this documentary showcases it perfectly and with ample craftsmanship. 

• Director: Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon
• Year: 2012
• Runtime: 119 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Kristine and Michael Barnett adopted Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian-born American with dwarfism, in the spring of 2010. Two years later, they claimed to be victims in their own real-life version of the 2009 horror film "Orphan," accusing Natalie of being a disturbed adult masquerading as a child. They convinced an Indiana court to legally change Natalia's age from eight to 22 years old and abandoned her in a Lafayette, Indiana, apartment. In 2019, the Barnetts were charged with neglect; however, due to the statute of limitation, no evidence revealing Natalia's true age could be used in her defense. In the two-season Investigation Discovery docuseries "The Curious Case of Natalia Grace," Christian Conway and Jackson Conway seek the truth by platforming the perspectives of the Barnetts, neighbors, Natalia's new adoptive parents, and Natalia herself, culminating in a DNA test that puts this mystery to rest once and for all — or so it seems.

• Director: Christian Conway and Jackson Conway
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 12 episodes
• Rating: TV-14
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56% (Audience Score)

A woman named Tonya Hughes is found dying on a roadside, ostensibly the victim of a hit-and-run accident. But when authorities conduct a standard investigation into foul play, they don't find any evidence of murder, but they do uncover a massive web of awful crimes and secrets that go back decades. "Girl in the Picture" unfolds slowly as it works backward, piecing together the complicated identity of Hughes and her disturbing relationship with her dangerous husband. And then there's the extra, alarming wrinkle of how Hughes' 2-year-old son disappeared, along with his father, after that car accident.

• Director: Skye Borgman
• Year: 2022
• Runtime: 101 minutes
• Rating: NR
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%

"I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth Vs. Michelle Carter" is a two-part documentary focusing on the death of Conrad Roy. Split into two parts -– "The Prosecution" and "The Defense" -– the documentary goes into detail about how Michelle Carter's texts influenced Roy's suicide. The documentary doesn't choose to fully paint Michelle as a villain — never condoning her actions, but offering elaborations on her mental state. It's far from a pleasant watch, but it's still a riveting look at a tragic and complicated situation in which there were no true winners. Directed by Erin Lee Carr -– the same director behind "Mommy Dead and Dearest" –- the documentary pulls zero punches in discussing a very uncomfortable subject matter. 

• Director: Erin Lee Carr
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 143 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

Real estate heir Robert Durst's attorneys kept him out of prison for years, despite overwhelming evidence and an admission of guilt that he committed multiple murders. Durst is cold and aloof as he recounts the disappearance of his wife, the murder of his close friend Susan Berman (right before she planned to tell police that Durst killed his wife), and the fact that he managed to escape justice — for a while, anyway. "The Jinx" is a fascinating, unsettling character study, made all the more unnerving when Durst basically incriminates himself on an open mic in a stunning final scene. A second season, which premiered in 2024, follows Durst's arrest and trial for the murder of Berman while introducing more of the strange characters who surrounded him.

• Director: Andrew Jarecki
• Year: 2015/2024
• Runtime: 12 episodes
• Rating: TV-14
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Who killed Sister Cathy? That is the question that the Netflix documentary "The Keepers" asks over the course of its runtime. The seven-episode documentary series takes a look at the murder of nun Catherine Cesnik back in the late '60s. The series, unfortunately, does not end with the reveal of Cathy's murderer, as the killer was never caught. It instead showcases the ripple effect it had on the people around Cathy. The documentary features interviews with friends, family, fellow students and key investigators who all elaborate on these multilayered events. 

• Director: Ryan White
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 7 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

LGBTQ+ people of the early 1990s found a safe haven in New York City's gay bars. But that feeling of community was violently stripped away when a great number of men started disappearing, followed by the emergence of their brutalized remains. Over four tense and compelling episodes, "Last Call" looks back on this dark and frightening time, with contributions from the people who lived through it, lost loved ones, and fought hard against a bigoted general population and authorities who didn't seem to care if the killer — clearly targeting gay men — was ever identified or apprehended.

• Director: Anthony Caronna
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 214 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Unlike most true-crime documentaries, which are told by curious but ultimately external filmmakers, "Love Fraud" is an on-screen crusade. Directors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady depict the stories of the many women done wrong by Richard Scott Smith, a scam artist who charmed his way into their lives, married them — some simultaneously and under fake names — and robbed them of their life savings and credit. Then, the filmmakers hire a bounty hunter to find Smith, and hopefully allow his victims to bring him to justice.

• Director: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 4 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Bernie Madoff is arguably the most notorious financial criminal in modern history. Convicted of charges including money laundering and fraud, Madoff earned a 150-year federal prison sentence after his Ponzi scheme, which scammed billions, fell apart. He didn't act alone — and there's no way he could have, according to "Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street." Purporting to tell the true story, which is far more complex than what's common knowledge, this docuseries utilizes re-enactments and interviews with Madoff in prison and his victims to suggest that the financial manager was a fall guy. Hoping to avoid reprisals from dangerous and violent elements, he got away with his crimes for so long because the banking system and regulatory bodies ignored his actions.

• Director: Joe Berlinger
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 4 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

"McMillions" and "LuLaRoe" would honestly make for a great double feature. The miniseries focuses on the now infamous scam Monopoly promotion run by McDonald's for over a decade. Based on the famous Hasbro board game, the contest promised various large cash prizes — none of which were ever won legitimately. It goes into massive detail about this incredible scam run amok. It's far from graphic or disturbing, but it definitely excels due to its exemplary editing and stimulating subject matter.

• Director: James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte
• Year: 2020
• Runtime: 6 episodes
• Rating: TV-14
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

If you've seen "The Act," starring Joey King and Patricia Arquette, then you'll be familiar with the events surrounding Gypsy Rose Blanchard. However, this feature-length documentary shows that truth is most definitely stranger than fiction, showcasing the story in its stomach-churning entirety. It details the sinister machinations of Gypsy's Mother Dee Dee and what led to her murder in 2015. Also detailed in the documentary is the topic of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, how Dee Dee was a textbook case of it, and how Gypsy was a victim of it. If you found interest in the dramatization, then this documentary is most definitely required viewing.

• Director: Erin Lee Carr
• Year: 2017
• Runtime: 82 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

"Murder in Boston" explores a notorious murder in New England that, even 30 years later, remains heavily scrutinized, as it permanently altered the lives of everyone involved and even the surrounding community. In October 1989, Chuck Stuart called 911, claiming that his pregnant wife, Carol, was shot by a Black man in Boston, historically one of the most racially charged and racially separate cities in the United States. Race — and Boston's reckoning with racial tensions — became a factor in the case, creating sides in the wake of a violent and mysterious tragedy. Decades past the events, "Murder in Boston" weaves news and archival footage with contemporary interviews of those who lived through this difficult historical period to explore complicated issues and the context surrounding the case.

• Director: Jason Hehir
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 3 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

By exploring multiple time periods and slowly revealing connections between them, "The Puppet Master" tells the story of a con artist as audacious as he is deceptive. In 1993, a bartender named Rob convinced a British college student that he was actually an MI5 agent, a friend's suicide was related to a campus terrorist cell, and they had to hit the road for their own safety. Flash-forward a few years and miles away to the Clifton family, where divorced Sandra was romanced by a rich guy named Dave, who bought her a car and drove a wedge between her and her grown children. Spoiler: Rob and Dave are the same guy, and he's not in prison.

• Director: Sam Benstead and Gareth Johnson
• Year: 2022
• Runtime: 3 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

While working as a fringe investigative journalist in the 1990s, David Holthouse was privy to an odd and frightening night in the remote forests of Northern California. Someone wound up brutally murdered, and witnesses were convinced it was the work of Sasquatch, aka Bigfoot, the forest monster of legend. In "Sasquatch," Holthouse tries to piece together the who, what, and why of the bizarre murder. In doing so, he delves into a secretive community in the area, where former hippies dropped out of society and illegally farmed marijuana. This created a violent and complicated culture and a drug war that raged for decades — one more enigmatic and brutal than even Sasquatch.

• Director: Joshua Rofé
• Year: 2021
• Runtime: 3 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Before its Netflix release in 2018, "The Staircase" began life as French miniseries by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade released in 2004. The series looks at the trial of Michael Peterson, who was convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen back in 2001. The title is based upon Michael's claim that a drunken Kathleen has fallen down the stairs resulting in her death. Lestrade, the director, was given the keys to the kingdom in terms of information and assets — being present for and allowed to film the entirety of the trial. If you have yet to hear the story of Kathleen Peterson's death, then this expertly crafted documentary will provide you with ample information.

• Director: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade
• Year: 2004
• Runtime: 13 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

An unsettling and surprising look at the factors that lead to dangerous cults, "Stolen Youth" explores one that formed at prestigious Sarah Lawrence College. In 2010, an adult man named Larry Ray moved into his daughter's dorm. He insinuated himself into the lives of her friends as a spiritual guide and wise mentor. Within a year, he built a sizable following, and convinced his acolytes to break ties with loved ones. This was just the beginning. "Stolen Youth" examines the development of cult abuse, as well as Larry Ray's fall at the hands of law enforcement, which took nearly a decade.

• Director: Zach Heinzerling
• Year: 2023
• Runtime: 3 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%

Former members of Synanon, the drug rehabilitation program turned cult, come together in this four-part HBO docuseries examining its rise to prominence and eventual fall. Originally founded in 1958 by Charles Dederich, an Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) member who sought to treat drug addicts, the program's practices were seemingly effective during its early years. However, Synanon increasingly became more unconventional and controlling over time, transforming into more of a communal social experiment rather than a rehabilitation program. Former members featured in the docuseries recall the organization's infamous therapy sessions known as the "Synanon Game," in which members verbally attacked each other. Disturbing practices swiftly escalated after the death of Dederich's own wife, including encouraging wife-swapping among married members, women shaving their heads, men getting vasectomies, and women having abortions. "The Synanon Fix" documents how this once-effective rehab went from saving people's lives to ruining many.

• Director: Rory Kennedy
• Year: 2024
• Runtime: 4 episodes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: N/A

"Who Killed Garrett Phillips?" tells the tragic story of 12-year-old Garrett Phillips, who was murdered in his own home back in 2011. The man blamed for the crime was Oral "Nick" Hillary, who was accused by the predominantly white community of Potsdam, New York. The two-part documentary looks at the details of the case itself and just what Hillary was subjected to during and after the trial. Much like some other documentaries on this list, it's a harsh reminder of the danger that can be done by the court of public opinion — which, in this case, was intensified by immense racial biases. 

• Director: Liz Garbus
• Year: 2019
• Runtime: 186 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 100%