The best Netflix true crime documentaries for May 2023 provide viewers with some killer content of stranger-than-fiction stories, cold-blood murderers, con artists, and more.
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What is the best Netflix true crime documentary?
The top-rated Netflix true crime documentary is Making a Murderer. The two-part series follows the story of Steven Avery, a man who served 18 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen. Written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos, Making a Murderer also shows the second case in which Avery has been involved, the murder of Teresa Halbach. The critically-acclaimed first season won many awards, including several Emmys.
Netflix’s top-rated true crime documentaries
1. Tiger King
The multiple-time Emmy-nominated documentary follows the rivalry between zookeeper and big cat collector Joe Exotic and animal activist Carole Baskin. Released in March 2020, Tiger King was an instant hit thanks to its entertaining narrative style of the extravagant world of big cat owners. Throughout two seasons full of madness and mayhem, the Eric Goode- and Rebecca Chaiklin-directed miniseries follows step-by-step the story that led to Joe’s arrest for a murder-for-hire plot, and its aftermath.
2. The Keepers
Seven hour-long episodes explore the story of the nun and Catholic high school teacher Sister Cathy Cesnik, a cold case in 1969 Baltimore. Director Ryan White delved into an upsetting case involving priests performing horrendous sexual abuse over students at the all-girls Archbishop Keough High School. Apparently, Cesnik knew too much of what was going on at the time. When she tried to end it, someone silenced her once and for all. The Keepers features the footage of conversations with “Jane Doe,” Cesnik’s former student who claims to have seen the nun’s undiscovered body.
3. Fyre
In 2017, Billy McFarland and rapper Ja Rule promoted a fictitious music festival called Fyre. Featuring exclusive interviews with the organizers themselves, the Chris Smith-directed documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at what happened to the event that was supposed to be a luxury music festival on a private island in the Bahamas — but ended up with rich kids eating cheese sandwiches.
4. Killer Inside: The Mind Of Aaron Hernandez
There’s nothing more dangerous than threatening someone to reveal their ultimate secret, especially about their sexuality. When Odin Lloyd found out football top player Aaron Hernandez was bisexual, the New England Patriots tight end shot Lloyd in cold blood. The three-part documentary offers a closer look at the events that led to Hernandez being convicted of first-degree murder before he was found dead in his cell. Killer Inside: The Mind Of Aaron Hernandez hails from Geno McDermott and features Dan Wetzel, among other journalists.
5. Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer
Written and directed by Mark Lewis, Don’t F**k With Cats details the online manhunt for Luka Magnotta. In 2010, Magnotta killed two kittens in a plastic bag, sharing extensive videos of the deed online. The feline abuser then ended up convicted for murdering a Chinese international student in 2012. The Internet mob mentality exploring documentary was one of the most-watched Netflix originals in 2019.
