I’ve started to watch 24 Hours in Police Custody on Channel 4 and wanted to see what other true crime shows are worth watching. Here are 72 of the best available to stream.
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Widely Acclaimed & Popular
24 Hours in Police Custody (2014– ) – [True Crime/Procedural]
For fans of: Cops, The Detectives, Crimewatch
This landmark series offers unprecedented access to real-time investigations inside UK police stations. With fly-on-the-wall intimacy and emotional stakes, it captures the pressure, humanity, and heartbreak of modern policing. It’s raw, riveting, and often unforgettable.
The First 48 (2004– ) – [True Crime/Documentary]
For fans of: Homicide Hunter, Cold Case Files, Forensic Files
Every hour counts in this long-running series that follows homicide detectives through the critical first 48 hours of a case. It’s methodical, emotionally charged, and deeply respectful of victims and investigators alike. A gold standard in procedural true crime.
Catching a Killer (2017– ) – [True Crime/Investigative]
For fans of: Making a Murderer, The Detectives, The Family Next Door
Each episode follows a single UK murder case from discovery to resolution, with remarkable access and emotional depth. It’s slow, sensitive, and often devastating. True crime with a human pulse.
In the Footsteps of Killers (2021– ) – [True Crime/Cold Case]
For fans of: Unsolved Mysteries, The Investigator, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel
Emilia Fox and criminologist David Wilson re-examine unsolved murders using modern profiling and investigative techniques. It’s part documentary, part detective work, and wholly compelling. Cold cases get a second chance—and so do the victims.
Murder in the Outback (2020) – [True Crime/Docuseries]
For fans of: The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, The Staircase, The Teacher’s Pet
This four-part series reopens the Peter Falconio case with new evidence, conflicting accounts, and lingering doubt. It’s controversial, atmospheric, and full of twists. The outback holds secrets—and this case still haunts.
White House Farm: Murder, Bloodline, Betrayal (2020) – [True Crime/Drama]
For fans of: The Pembrokeshire Murders, Des, Landscapers
This dramatized retelling of the Bamber family murders blends courtroom drama with psychological insight. Freddie Fox and Stephen Graham deliver chilling performances in a case that shocked the UK. It’s gripping, tragic, and meticulously crafted.
Poisoned: Killer in the Post (2023) – [True Crime/Investigative]
For fans of: The Pharmacist, The Confession Killer, Click for Murder
A chilling investigation into how lethal substances were sold online and delivered through everyday mail. It’s timely, terrifying, and expertly paced. The digital age has changed how we kill—and how we catch killers.
The Killer Nanny: Did She Do It? (2022) – [True Crime/Legal]
For fans of: Trial by Media, The Staircase, Amanda Knox
This provocative series revisits the Louise Woodward case, blending courtroom footage, media frenzy, and forensic debate. It’s balanced, gripping, and emotionally charged. A trial that divided a generation gets a second look.
The Children in the Pictures (2022) – [True Crime/Exposé]
For fans of: The Most Hated Man on the Internet, Don’t F**k with Cats, I Am Jane Doe
This powerful documentary exposes the global networks behind online child exploitation—and the people fighting to stop them. It’s harrowing, vital, and deeply human. Not easy to watch, but impossible to ignore.
Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard (2024) – [True Crime/Personal]
For fans of: Mommy Dead and Dearest, The Act, Killer Sally
Gypsy Rose tells her story from prison, reflecting on the abuse, manipulation, and murder that made headlines. It’s raw, emotional, and full of moral complexity. A high-profile case seen from the inside.
Critically Respected Investigative Series
To Catch a Copper (2023) – [True Crime/Accountability]
For fans of: Dispatches, Undercover Police, The Force
This bold series investigates police misconduct with rare access and unflinching honesty. It’s uncomfortable, necessary, and deeply revealing. Justice isn’t just for civilians.
Murder Case: The Digital Detectives (2023) – [True Crime/Tech]
For fans of: CSI, Click for Murder, Cyber Hell
Explore how digital forensics—from phone data to CCTV—crack modern murder cases. It’s sleek, smart, and full of jaw-dropping reveals. The truth is in the metadata.
Operation Dark Phone (2024) – [True Crime/Organized Crime]
For fans of: Narcos, The Wire, The Hunt for Escobar
Go inside encrypted criminal networks and the investigators who infiltrate them. It’s high-stakes, high-tech, and full of international intrigue. Crime has gone digital—and so has justice.
The Amazon Review Killer (2023) – [True Crime/Unusual Cases]
For fans of: Mindhunter, The Jinx, The Confession Tapes
A killer leaves chilling clues in online reviews, leading detectives down a bizarre and disturbing path. It’s a case stranger than fiction, told with precision and suspense. The internet never forgets.
Accused: The Hampstead Paedophile Hoax (2022) – [True Crime/Misinformation]
For fans of: The Social Dilemma, The Family, The Push
This investigative doc tackles a viral conspiracy that ruined lives and exposed the dark side of online activism. It’s sobering, sharp, and socially urgent. Lies spread fast—truth takes work.
Fugitive: The Mystery of the Crypto Queen (2022) – [True Crime/Fraud]
For fans of: The Dropout, Dirty Money, Inventing Anna
Dr. Ruja Ignatova vanished with billions—and left behind a trail of deception. This globe-trotting doc unpacks the OneCoin scam with style and substance. Crypto dreams, criminal schemes.
Interview with a Murderer (2016– ) – [True Crime/Psychology]
For fans of: Mindhunter, Conversations with a Killer, Inside the Criminal Mind
Criminologist David Wilson sits down with convicted murderers to explore motive, memory, and morality. It’s chilling, clinical, and deeply human. The most dangerous minds speak for themselves.
High-Interest & Culturally Resonant
Social Media Monsters (2023) – [True Crime/Digital Culture]
For fans of: The Tinder Swindler, Web of Lies, The Social Network
This series explores how predators exploit platforms—and how victims fight back. It’s sharp, timely, and full of expert insight. The algorithm doesn’t care who gets hurt.
Catching My Stalker (2022) – [True Crime/Personal]
For fans of: I Am a Stalker, Stalked: Someone’s Watching, Victim/Suspect
A survivor documents her terrifying experience with obsessive harassment and the system’s failure to protect her. It’s raw, intimate, and deeply affecting. True crime meets personal testimony.
Bronson: Fit to Be Free? (2023) – [True Crime/Controversy]
For fans of: Louis Theroux, Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons, Bronson
This provocative doc questions whether Britain’s most notorious prisoner should ever be released. It’s part profile, part provocation. The man, the myth, the menace.
BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer (2022) – [True Crime/Serial Killers]
For fans of: Mindhunter, The Sons of Sam, Catching Killers
Dennis Rader speaks from prison in this chilling deep dive into his crimes and psychology. It’s methodical, disturbing, and hard to shake. Evil wears a mask of normalcy.
Invisible Monsters: Serial Killers in America (2023) – [True Crime/History]
For fans of: The Ripper, The Night Stalker, American Monster
This sweeping docuseries traces the evolution of serial killers in the US and the systems that failed to stop them. It’s chilling, comprehensive, and culturally loaded. Monsters don’t hide in shadows—they hide in plain sight.
Biggie and Tupac (2002) – [True Crime/Music]
For fans of: Hip-Hop Evolution, Unsolved, The Defiant Ones
Nick Broomfield’s documentary investigates the murders of two rap legends and the conspiracies that followed. It’s raw, unresolved, and culturally seismic. The East Coast–West Coast feud never truly ended.
Aileen Wuornos: Selling of a Serial Killer (1992) – [True Crime/Feminist Lens]
For fans of: Monster, I Am a Killer, The Trials of Oscar Pistorius
This early Broomfield doc questions the media circus and legal system surrounding America’s most infamous female serial killer. It’s provocative, messy, and ahead
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