7 New True Crime Docs To Watch
True crime is the genre that keeps us coming back. We seemingly can’t get enough of podcasts and dramas that are based on shocking and bewildering true events, and a good true crime documentary is gripping like nothing else. With so many being made by Netflix, HBO and others, it can be hard to know where to start, so we’ve listed some of the best recent true crime documentaries for you to get stuck into.
1. Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street
If there’s one thing that Netflix excels at, it’s making documentaries about criminals with larger than life personas: think Tiger King or The Most Hated Man On The Internet. Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street is one of the latest in this specific genre of crime docuseries, and tells the story of Bernie Madoff, mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Split across four episodes, it begins with Madoff’s headline grabbing arrest, before taking us back into his past and how uncovering how he rose to power as chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange. Featuring interviews with employees of Madoff and those who knew him, it paints a picture of a truly villainous man who manipulated any and everyone who not only worked with him but tried to expose him. And, as with any of these types of Netflix docs, it’s very watchable the whole way through.
WATCH IT ON: NETFLIX
2. Burden of Proof
While Netflix might make slightly garish blockbuster crime docs, HBO tends to take a more restrained and thoughtful approach. Burden of Proof, which aired on the network in June, is an example of this. It investigates the events before and after the disappearance of Jennifer Pandos. It follows Jennifer’s brother, who after getting very few answers from his parents, takes things into his own hands.
Working with the documentarian team Cynthia Hill and Christine Delp, who both worked on the series A Chef’s Life, the docuseries Stephen’s own investigation and search into her disappearance over seven years and his theories surrounding the disappearance.
WATCH IT ON: HBO
3. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared
One of the most extensive and costly investigations in history, the disappearance of MH370 may not have been a crime at all: nearly 10 years after the incident, no-one truly knows how the plane vanished and where it ended up. You almost certainly have an idea of the story, but if not, MH370: The Plane That Disappeared recounts the most important parts.
In 2014, an international flight operated by Malaysia Airlines suddenly stopped communicating over the South China Sea, and never reached its destination of Beijing. The plane vanished from radar screens, and all 239 people on board were presumed dead.
To this day, it’s never been found, leaving only theories about what happened: was it simply an accident? Was it hijacked? Shot down? Or something else? Investigators have only been able to guess, and the docuseries takes a look at the most plausible theories put forward. It’s riveting viewing.
WATCH IT ON: NETFLIX
4. Take Care of Maya
Take Care of Maya is not strictly a true crime documentary, but possible criminal intent factors into the story, and it’s such a moving and jaw-dropping story it’s worth including.
Seventeen-year-old Maya Kowalski and members of her family appear in this documentary film to recount their experiences when Maya was admitted for a mysterious illness affecting her when she was nine. Her parents had no idea what exactly was wrong with their daughter, but knew she needed serious medical attention after she complained of severe pain across her body. But after being admitted to hospital, Dr Sally Smith, a senior doctor who worked with child patients, began to suspect that Maya’s mother Beata had lied about her condition and was using it to gain sympathy.
Maya was taken into custody, and a legal battle ensued, but Beata took her own life in 2017, leaving Maya and her family heartbroken. Was Dr Smith’s argument legitimate? Did she abuse her powers as a medical doctor? The documentary looks at these questions and more, and is an emotional watch.
WATCH IT ON: NETFLIX
5. Waco: American Apocalypse
Another Netflix must-watch, Waco: American Apocalypse recounts the story of the Waco siege in Texas in 1993. The headquarters of the Branch Davidians, a religious cult led by David Koresh, was raided in the spring of that year by law enforcement including the FBI, but the entire process became a 51 day siege. It resulted in a huge gun battle and fire, leaving 86 dead, and became a turning point in some Americans’ perception of their government.
This documentary explains how and why the siege took place, the efforts that the FBI took to try and end it peacefully, and the dramatic ending on 19th June. It also features plenty of archive footage from the law agencies involved as well as interviews with people associated with the cult, who give an insight into the appeal of the enigmatic Koresh.
WATCH IT ON: NETFLIX
6. The Secrets of Hillsong
Hillsong, a megachurch that was founded in Australia, has become one of the biggest Christian organisations on the planet, but it is not without its fair share of controversies. The four part The Secrets of Hillsong from FX focuses on some of the criticisms the church has received and the debacles that have plagued it recent years.
Its main interviewee is Carl Lentz, a former pastor for the church in New York, who was fired during a cheating scandal back in 2020. He explains in detail how the main appeal of Hillsong was its modern feel and approach to sermons, with pastors dressed in jeans and casual shirts, and even a record label. It also became a spiritual advisor and friend of celebs like Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner, and became hugely successful: but, as he reveals, there were plenty more murky accusations and issues with the church than just a cheating scandal.
WATCH IT ON: HULU
7. Navalny
HBO and CNN’s documentary Nalvany centres on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and the circumstances before and after his 2020 poisoning. A vocal critic of president Vladimir Putin, Navalny became the face of a movement for an alternative Russia, and his activism attracted the ire of the Kremlin. He was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent before eventually recovering, and the doc focuses on not just him but the investigative trail that investigators undertook to uncover the perpetrators.
It features clips and interviews with not only Navalny himself, but also his wife Yulia, and investigative journalists Maria Pevchikh and Christo Grozev as they put forward the case that Putin ordered the poisioning. It first premiered in January 2022, and has only become more prescient with the invasion of Ukraine and turmoil in Russia. It also won the Best Documentary award at the Oscars and BAFTAs.
WATCH IT ON: HBO