While documentaries like Making A Murderer set the path for today's hit shows like Tiger King, Evil Genius, a 2018 Netflix documentary, is the pinnacle of the true-crime genre. Evil Genius is a four-part television series that chronicles Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong and her role in the "pizza bomber" case, a violent bank robbery in Erie, Pennsylvania. Trey Borzillieri, the filmmaker, has methodically split up this tale into four parts, each of which explores each important occurrence from the case in great detail.

Evil Genius has its work cut out for it as one of the best-told stories of any Netflix documentary, not to mention its sure-to-entertain subject matter. The film depicts how residents of a little Pennsylvania community created national headlines. It's an open glimpse into the lives of regular people on the outside and monsters on the inside.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary

Written by: Barbara Schroeder
Directed by: Barbara Schroeder, co-director Trey Borzillieri

Original release: May 11, 2018

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/80158319

Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos wrote and directed Making a Murderer, an American real crime documentary television series. The show depicts the narrative of Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who was wrongfully convicted of sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen and spent 18 years in jail (1985-2003). In 2005, he was accused of the murder of Teresa Halbach, and he was found guilty in 2007. The case of Brendan Dassey, who was charged with and convicted of being an accomplice to the murder, is linked.

The first season mostly depicts Avery's arrest and conviction in 1985, his subsequent exoneration and release in 2003, the civil action Avery brought against Manitowoc County, his 2005 arrest, and his subsequent trial and conviction in 2007. It also portrays Avery's nephew, Brendan Dassey, being arrested, prosecuted, and convicted, with an emphasis on allegations of coercion and counsel incompetence.

The second season explores the aftermath of both Avery's and Dassey's convictions, focusing on Avery's and Dassey's families, the investigation and findings of Avery's new attorney Kathleen Zellner, which supported the thesis of Avery's innocence and him being framed for the murder of Halbach, and Dassey's legal team's efforts in arguing in court that his confession was coerced by prosecutors and his constitutional rights were violated.

Detailed information:
Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Directed by: Laura Ricciardi, Moira Demos
Original release: December 18, 2015 –October 19, 2018
Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/80000770

Room 2806 tells the narrative of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a French politician and former director of the International Monetary Fund, and the sexual assault allegations that caused him to quit. Strauss-controversy Kahn's is broken down by those who were directly engaged. At one point in his career, he was one of the world's top 25 most powerful persons. Nafissatou Diallo, the hotel cleaner who was assaulted by Strauss-Kahn, offers a vivid account of the tragic episode to filmmaker Jalil Lespert.

The four parts in this series, which date back to 2011, analyze every twist and turn of the Strauss-Kahn crisis, a narrative that had huge repercussions and resulted in the emergence of harmful government conspiracies. This series delivers a punch with its storyline, discussing both political corruption and sexual assault awareness. It combines some of society's most controversial topics, including sexual assault, politics, and corruption, into a fast-paced, binge-worthy docuseries.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary

Original language: French

Original release: December 7, 2020

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81068760

Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes is a Netflix documentary that was released on the 30th anniversary of Bundy's execution on January 24, 2019. The four 60-minute episodes were created and produced by Joe Berlinger and based on nearly 100 hours of interviews and archive material of serial murderer Ted Bundy, as well as interviews with his family, friends, surviving victims, and law enforcement personnel who worked on his case.

The series follows Bundy's life, crimes, arrests, escapes, and death in chronological order. The series includes archival film, police evidence, personal images, and Stephen Michaud's 1980 death row interviews. Surviving victims, witnesses, his family and former acquaintances, as well as cops, authorities, and media, are all involved in the Bundy case.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Created by: Joe Berlinger
Written by: Joe Berlinger

Original release: January 24, 2019

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/80226612

Tiger King is an American true crime documentary streaming television series about the life of former zookeeper and convicted felon Joe Exotic (subtitled in marketing as Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness for its first season, Tiger King 2 for its second season, and Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story for its third season). On March 20, 2020, Netflix launched the first season. A second season, Tiger King 2, was announced in September 2021 and premiered on November 17, 2021, while a third season, Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, was announced on December 3, 2021, and premiered on December 10, 2021.

The series follows a tiny but tightly knit community of big cat environmentalists like Carole Baskin, founder of Big Cat Rescue, and collectors like Exotic, whom Baskin charges of abusing and exploiting wild creatures. From murder conspiracies to the spotlight it shines on the mistreatment of exotic animals in America, this Emmy-nominated documentary gives a unique look into the never-before-seen world of exotic zoo keeping and the drama that is attached to it.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Directed by: Eric Goode, Rebecca Chaiklin
Presented by: Joel McHale (2020 Special)

Original release: March 20, 2020 –present

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81115994?source=35

The Keepers is a seven-episode American documentary web series about the 1969 murder of nun Catherine Cesnik, which remains unsolved. Cesnik taught English and theater at Baltimore's all-girls Archbishop Keough High School, and her former pupils think officials covered up her suspicions that a priest at the school, A. Joseph Maskell, had sexually abused them. Ryan White directed the series, which debuted on Netflix in 2017.

This seven-episode docuseries, like the few brave journalists and filmmakers who have battled the Catholic Church in the past, delves into the priests and women who struggled to keep this narrative hidden for so long. It puts significant institutions, such as the Church, on notice, and demands that individuals in positions of power be held accountable. Putting aside the documentary's raised doubts, it's an appealing and horrifying subject that deserves to be on this list—due to the severity of a crime that's been over 50 years in the making.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Directed by: Ryan White

Original release: May 19, 2017

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/80122179

Although it belongs to the real crime genre, the crimes in the following documentary on this list aren't as brutal as those discussed so far by Toplist. The unsuccessful 2017 "Fyre Festival" narrative, on the other hand, is about greed, fraud, and jaw-dropping scenes that dominated the internet upon its publication. Fyre is a once-in-a-lifetime narrative that has piqued the interest of millions, with true experiences from attendees and event producer Andy King's meme-worthy remarks.

The Fyre Festival was organized by Billy McFarland, the festival's organizer, and a team of experts who never saw through Billy's schemes. It was a great concept to promote the event with the support of some of the social media's top influencers (including Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid), but it collapsed on the organizers and guests. Fyre, a documentary by director Chris Smith, shows how Billy McFarland conned his way to fame in real-time.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary

Directed by: Chris Smith
Produced by: Danny Gabai

Original release: January 18, 2019

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81035279

An actual family tragedy that the world saw develop, and filmmaker Jenny Popplewell revisited the case in 2020's American Murder: The Family Next Door, owing to social media. Shanann Watts, who was pregnant at the time of her death, and her two children, Bella and Celeste, are the subjects of the film. The video examines archive footage from Shanann's Facebook page as well as interviews with people who knew the family well to tell the story of the three victims' disappearance.

This video is a rollercoaster trip of the case's most stunning disclosures, filled with interrogation footage of the murder's key suspect, Shanann's husband Chris. Despite the fact that the supposed killer is examined directly in front of our eyes, the audience is left wondering about the perpetrator until the film's concluding moments. When it comes to real crime, this tragic narrative and subject matter are Netflix's bread and butter, and Popplewell creates an enticing—if not always readily digestible—a film that fits nicely within the genre.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary

Directed by: Jenny Popplewell
Produced by: James Marsh

Original release: September 30, 2020

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81130130

It's a three-part epic about one of the NFL's most talented tight ends, and it's a story that had the entire country on the edge of their seats waiting for the complete scoop. Aaron Hernandez, former Super Bowl winner, and the several killings he was engaged in are chronicled in Killer Inside: The Mind Of Aaron Hernandez. The series delves into Hernandez's life leading up to his arrest and death.

Journalists spoke with some of Hernandez's closest friends and colleagues throughout the years, including his old high school, college, and professional football teammates. This is a multi-layered narrative that includes both the facts and hypotheses behind Hernandez's murder charges, as well as Hernandez's life and the hardships he faced during his football career. It was an important story that needed to be told, and journalist Kevin Armstrong did a fantastic job telling it.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Directed by: Geno McDermott

Original release: January 15, 2020

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81062828

Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel is a 2021 American docu-series directed by Joe Berlinger that chronicles the death of Elisa Lam at the Cecil Hotel. It features Viveca Chow, Judy Ho and Artemis Snow and premiered on February 10, 2021, on Netflix.

Elisa Lam's disappearance at the Cecil Hotel (nicknamed "Hotel Death") is one of Netflix's more enigmatic and horrific storylines. The four-part documentary chronicles the history of America's deadliest hotel, the individuals who frequented it, and the viral disappearance that made it famous. Lam's abduction and subsequent discovery make for a spine-tingling non-fiction narrative, with inexplicable security video and the rest of America pitching in on the inquiry via social media.

The series includes interviews with key players in the case, such as police enforcement, as well as key witnesses, such as Amy Price, a former Cecil Hotel manager. Looking at Lam's life before she moved to Los Angeles, presents a step-by-step account of what she may have been up to throughout her brief stay in the United States until her true location is revealed at the conclusion.

Detailed information:

Genre: True Crime, Documentary
Directed by: Joe Berlinger

Original release: February 10, 2021

Link to watch: https://www.netflix.com/title/81183727