The best true crime documentaries and docuseries
The top 3 according to 470 votes from people: The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015) · The Keepers (2017) · Making a Murderer (2015). (Updated Jun 12, 2026.)
The real cases that kept millions awake, from Making a Murderer to The Jinx (SlashFilm, StudioBinder, Ranker).
Top 12
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1
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)
HBO's series that ended with a stunning confession on a hot mic.
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2
The Keepers (2017)
The 1969 murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik and a decades-long cover-up.
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3
Making a Murderer (2015)
The case of Steven Avery, a Netflix phenomenon.
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4
The Staircase (2004)
Novelist Michael Peterson accused of killing his wife.
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5
Paradise Lost trilogy (1996–2011)
The West Memphis Three, followed for fifteen years.
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6
Evil Genius (2018)
The «pizza bomber» bank robbery case.
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7
Dear Zachary (2008)
Often called the most devastating true crime documentary.
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8
Wild Wild Country (2018)
The Rajneeshpuram commune in Oregon.
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9
I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020)
Michelle McNamara's hunt for the Golden State Killer.
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10
Abducted in Plain Sight (2017)
A family manipulated by a neighbour for years.
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11
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Errol Morris' film that helped free an innocent man.
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12
Tiger King (2020)
Joe Exotic and the big cat world, the lockdown obsession.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (5)
Dear Zachary, don't watch it on a bad day.
The Staircase and the owl theory, I'm still not sure.
Tiger King on a 'best' list is generous, but it was a moment.
The Jinx ending is the craziest thing I've ever seen in a documentary.
The Thin Blue Line actually freed an innocent man, that's real impact.