‘It’s a one season banger’: Your favourite underrated true crime shows
Get your true crime fix with these six series.
True crime isn’t for the faint of heart, but its popularity among TV fans shows no sign of slowing down.
From documentaries to dramatisations, there’s no shortage of such shows on the streaming platforms. Just recently, we’ve seen the return of BBC’s The Gold, while a harrowing Netflix documentary on the crimes of Fred and Rose West soared up the most-watched chart. And there’s even rumours that the much-loved Mindhunter could be making a return.
Whether you get your fix from well-worn cases or crimes that went unnoticed by the wider public, there’s something for everyone. But with all these new releases, it’s easy to overlook older TV shows that perhaps never got the attention they deserved.
We’ve asked Metro readers to share their favourite underrated true crime shows, and here’s what they recommend…
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Metro readers have their sayOne user, calling themselves PhilhelmScream, suggested We Own This City, to which another user echoed: ‘We Own This City is so good!’
The six-episode series is based on the book of the same name by Baltimore Sun reporter Justin Fenton, and chronicles the rise and fall of the Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force.
We Own This City has been compared to The Wire (Picture: HBO) ZeroZeroZero is based on a book about the drug trade (Picture: Sky UK)Meanwhile, WillNeighbor wrote: ‘No one talks about ZeroZeroZero and it’s a little one season banger. Undercover and the prequel/spinoff Ferry also had me a little hooked, as long as you don’t mind subtitles’.
ZeroZeroZero is also based on a book, this one by Italian journalist Roberto Saviano. The series follows the journey of a massive shipment of cocaine across the world.
Dus90 praised Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez, which is a Netflix limited series about the former NFL star and convicted murderer.
They said:'[It] isn’t just another true crime doc, it dives deep into toxic masculinity, sports culture, trauma, and identity.’
Aaron Hernandez was an NFL star before he was convicted of murder (Picture: Netflix)And they added: ‘What makes it so good is that it doesn’t just lay out the events, it actually tries to understand how someone ends up there. It’s way more than just shock value, it’s a complex, layered story.’
Elsewhere, GuiltEdge recommended The Serpent, a BBC series about a serial killer, saying: ‘It really nails the vibe of Thailand in the 70s,’ while Dofrogsbit suggested The Case, which interviews police officers about cases that still haunt them and is free to stream on Tubi.
Other true crime shows mentioned by TV fans included Dr. Death, which follows stories of medical malpractice, as well as The FBI Files and Forensic Files, both of which take a look behind the scenes of real-life investigations.
The best underrated TV thrillers to bingeLooking for more TV recommendations? We also asked Metro readers about their favourite underrated TV thrillers, and these series came out top:
House of Cards — No, not the Kevin Spacey series, but the original British version following a fictional Chief Whip of the Conservative Party. Edge of Darkness — Policeman Ronald Craven attempts to solve the brutal murder of his daughter, leading him to uncover a government conspiracy. River — A brilliant police officer attempts to hunt down his colleague’s killer, all while dealing with her estranged family, his new partner and a psychiatric evaluation. Stag — A black comedy following an obnoxious group of friends in the Scottish Highlands on a deer hunting weekend. Things turn sinister when they find themselves being picked off one by one. Collateral — DI Kip Glaspie investigates the murder of a pizza delivery driver, who was gunned down by a masked shooter while delivering to the ex-wife of a politician. The Worricker Trilogy — The three films star Bill Nighy as MI5 officer Johnny Worricker, whose life is turned upside down when his boss and best friend dies suddenly.Read all about these underrated TV thrillers.
We Own This CityThe 2022 miniseries is based on a true case of mass police corruption in Baltimore and his been compared to hit crime drama series The Wire (and even stars some of the same actors).
A synopsis reads: ‘It examines the corruption and moral collapse that befell an American city, in which the policies of drug prohibition and mass arrest were championed at the expense of actual police work.’
We Own This City follows the he Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force (Picture: HBO)The series proved popular with fans and critics alike, earning an impressive 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Daily Beast wrote in their review: ‘With firecracker performances from Jon Bernthal and Josh Charles, it’s a worthy spiritual successor to The Wire, in all its greatness.’
And Common Sense Media quipped: ‘If the worst thing we could say about this show is that it’s like another season of The Wire, that’s not too bad.’
Where to watch: All six episodes are available to stream on Apple TV Plus, Now TV and Sky.
ZeroZeroZeroIn the drugs trade, ‘zero zero zero’ is the nickname for the very purest, highest quality grade of cocaine.
ZeroZeroZero traces the journey of a multi-million dollar shipment of cocaine (Picture: Sky UK)This TV series, based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Roberto Saviano, follows the journey of an enormous cocaine shipment — from the Italian cartel purchasing it, to its packaging in Mexico and shipment to Europe, all while looking at the people whose livelihood depends on a successful delivery.
Critics gave the series a near-perfect 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, while TV fans on Reddit have raved about how ‘underrated’ it is.
One user said: ‘I honestly can’t believe no one really talks about it, it’s such an impressive production, big action scenes, great actors, fantastic writing’.
Where to watch: Stream all eight episodes on Apple TV Plus and Now TV.
Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron HernandezAaron Hernandez was a much-loved American football player for the New England Patriots, until he was arrested in 2013 for the murder of his fiancée’s sister’s boyfriend, Odin Lloyd.
Aaron Hernandez was arrested for murder in 2013 (Picture: Netflix)This documentary begins with footage of the arrest and the news frenzy that followed, and examines how Hernandez went from NFL star to convicted killer via interviews with friends, players and insiders.
Viewers have called the three-part series ‘riveting’, ‘fascinating’ and ‘binge-worthy’.
One reviewer praised: ‘I watched the first episode when tired but refused to go to bed until I had finished the three parts. Brilliant, fascinating, disturbing, interesting and really well produced. Amazing story fantastically told.’
Where to watch: All three episodes are available to stream on Netflix.
The SerpentFirst airing on BBC One and now available on Netflix, The Serpent tells the true story of French serial killer Charles Sobhraj (played by Tahar Rahim), who preyed on travellers exploring South Asia’s ‘hippie trail’ in the 70s.
The Serpent was a hit when it first landed on BBC iPlayer (Picture: Netflix)The show received mixed reviews, with many praising Rahim and Jenna Coleman’s performances while others said it was a slow-burner with ‘bad storytelling’.
But when it landed on iPlayer in January 2021, it became one of the most-streamed shows on the platform on what became its biggest-ever week, with more than 162 million programmes streamed over seven days.
According to the BBC, The Serpent was streamed a total of 33 million times between January and March on iPlayer.
Where to watch: Stream all eight episodes on Netflix.
The CaseWith six seasons to binge for free on Tubi, The Case is sure to scratch the true crime itch.
Police officers share which cases have stayed with them (Picture: Tubi)The documentary tracks the criminal cases that still haunt the police officers once assigned to them, and asks what it is that means these stories have stayed with them.
Cases covered in the 36 episodes include manhunts, disappearances, heists, international investigations and much more.
It’s a French series, so as long as you can get past the English dubbing, this true crime show is worth a watch — especially as it’s available through a completely free streaming service.
Where to watch: Stream six seasons for free on Tubi.
Dr. DeathBased on the true crime podcast of the same name, which chronicles cases of egregious medical malpractice, Dr. Death’s two seasons dramatise the lives and work of Christopher Duntsch (played by Joshua Jackson) and Paolo Macchiarini (played by Édgar Ramírez).
Dr. Death is based on a podcast of the same name (Picture: Scott McDermott/Peacock)Duntsch is a former neurosurgeon who was sentenced to life in prison in 2017 after maiming and, in some cases, killing over 30 patients he had operated on.
Macchiarini, meanwhile, is a former surgeon who rose to fame for developing the world’s first artificial windpipe. However, many of his patients ended up dying or had complications following surgery.
He was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison in 2023 by a Swedish court.
Dr. Death has a very respectable 86% Rotten Tomatoes score across its two seasons, with the first series enjoying an impressive 93%.
It’s been hailed as ‘stomach-knotting’, ‘impactful’ and ‘chilling’ by TV critics, with several comparing it to a horror movie.
The Irish Independent wrote in their review: ‘It’s an absolutely terrific performance by Jackson in a drama brimming with stomach-knotting tension. Every scene he’s in is freighted with a sense of dread at what’s going to happen next. Superb.’
Where to watch: Seasons one and two are available to stream on Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus.
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