2022 may just be the year of the true crime adaptation. Seemingly every week we have gotten a new show or movie which aims to depict the craziness of real-life events in varying levels of accuracy. Nearly every streaming service — from Hulu and Apple TV+ to HBO Max — has gotten in the game, bringing in some truly stellar talent to tell these true stories of crime and, often, punishment. More and more it seems the headlines of today are destined to become the television shows and movies of the future. The truth, though, is that we’ve really always been fascinated with true crime, hungry to see stories based in reality, where truth actually is stranger than fiction. Whether they be focused on serial killers, scammers, or drug dealers, true crime adaptations give us a window into the minds of criminals. Sometimes these are difficult to watch, sometimes terrifying, but always exhilarating. We have compiled a list of the ten best true crime movie and television adaptations to watch now on streaming.
Black Bird (Apple TV+)
You might have missed this Apple TV+ original miniseries that premiered its first episode back in July. Based on the autobiographical novel In with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption by James Keene and Hillel Levin, Black Bird stars Taron Egerton, Paul Walter Hauser and, in his final filmed performance, the late Ray Liotta. The story focuses on the relationship between Egerton’s Keene and Walter Hauser’s Larry Hall, the former of which is sent into a high-security prison under cover with the hopes of drawing a complete confession from the latter, who authorities fear will be released on appeal if more evidence is not unearthed. This show is very much a slow burn, but the way Walter Hauser plays Hall is truly bone-chilling and more than worth the time invested.
Bernie (YouTube)
You won’t find many comedies on this list, but 2011’s Bernie is a unique film in every way. Starring Jack Black, Bernie tells the true story of a mortician named Bernie Tiede who murdered a wealthy widow in Texas in the late ‘90s. The fact that Bernie got away with this murder for nine months can be attributed to both Bernie’s affable nature and the widow’s reclusive nature. What makes the story even more fascinating is the way the townspeople came to Bernie’s defense after he is found guilty, with many claiming that the widow had it coming and deserved to be taken out. If nothing else, the movie is worth it to see the reunion between director Richard Linklater and Jack Black, who last worked together on the very different film, School Of Rock. You can stream Bernie right now for free on YouTube.
Under The Banner Of Heaven (Hulu)
Andrew Garfield stars in this adaptation of the Jon Krakauer nonfiction book of the same name which delves deep into the world of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, better known as the Mormon church. Specifically, it follows Garfield’s Detective Pyre as he attempts to get to the bottom of a horrific murder and the twisted family at its center. Under The Banner Of Heaven is fascinating for the way it examines Pyre’s faith, and faith in general, exploring how easily undying faith can be manipulated by its adherents. You can stream Under The Banner Of Heaven now on Hulu.
Landscapers (HBO Max)
Landscapers, which premiered on HBO Max early this year, may have slipped your radar, which is a shame. Telling the real-life story of a 1998 double homicide in Mansfield, England, Landscapers is one of the stranger depictions of murder you will find on television. Experimental in presentation and factually bewildering, creator Ed Sinclair does not present us with a question of whether this meek, middle-aged couple — played by Olivia Coleman and David Thewlis — are guilty but asks why in the world they wound up murdering Coleman’s character’s elderly parents. If you are someone steeped in the true-crime genre, Landscapers presents a new and original take on the form, choosing to highlight feelings and inner emotion rather than hard facts.
Unbelievable (Netflix)
This Netflix original miniseries tells the true story of what has come to be known as the Washington and Colorado serial rape cases. Specifically, it focuses on a young woman named Marie Adler who was charged with lying about being raped. Some may find this eight-part series hard to watch and that is totally understandable. The idea of not only not believing a woman, or anyone, when they attest to being sexually assaulted is horrible enough, but actively accusing them of, as the series calls it, “attention-seeking behavior” is difficult to stomach. That said, this series is truly worth your time, due in large part to the incredible performances from its three leads, Toni Collette, Merritt Weaver, and Kaitlyn Dever.
The Staircase (HBO Max)
Of all the stellar releases in the true crime genre this year, The Staircase may be the best of the group. Based on the 2004 docuseries of the same name, this eight-part series follows the truly dizzying case of matricide, in which a writer is convicted of murdering his wife. This series, directed by Antonio Campos and streaming on HBO Max, is absolutely stuffed with talent featuring, among others, Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Dane DeHaan, and Sophie Turner. What’s interesting about this adaptation is the way it folds the 2004 documentary into its narrative, allowing for a bit of meta-commentary on the way we fetishize murder in the world of true-crime.
Capote (HBO Max)
In Cold Blood, the 1965 nonfiction book by Truman Capote, is one of the earliest examples of popular true-crime in American history, telling the story of a quadruple homicide that occurred in Kansas in 1959. While Capote, directed by Bennett Miller, is ostensibly a full-scale biopic of Truman Capote, it primarily focuses on the events surrounding the writing of his most famous literary accomplishment. It’s a fascinating look at the nature of true crime reporting and how difficult it is to remain detached from the story you are meant to be reporting on. Philip Seymour Hoffman gives a wonderful performance as Capote, one which earned him his only Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005. You can stream Capote now on HBO Max.
Mindhunter (Netflix)
Mindhunter, unlike some of the movies and shows on this list, is not exactly a direct adaptation of its source material. Based on the 1995 true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, this Netflix original series follows the emergence of criminal profiling within the FBI in the late ‘70s. Its two primary characters — special agents Holden Ford (Jonathon Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) — are tasked with interviewing several already incarcerated serial killers in an attempt to get to the bottom of what makes them perform these awful acts of violence. The theory being that if you can identify the type of person who is likely to become a serial killer it may help catch them in the future. The scenes in which the two interview these various subjects — which include the likes of Charles Manson and Ed Kemper — are some of the most unnerving moments you will see on any television show. Without even showing the murders, this David Fincher-directed series has a way of turning stomachs, which is an impressive feat to say the least. The entirety of Mindhunter’s two seasons are streaming now on Netflix.
Goodfellas (HBO Max)
What more can you say about a movie like 1990’s Goodfellas, one of the most celebrated and revered movies of its time? What some might not know about the Martin Scorsese movie is that it is not only based on a real story but a nonfiction book titled Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family and written by Nicolas Pileggi. The book, like the movie, tells the story of the real-life Henry Hill, a mobster associated with the Lucchese crime family who eventually became an FBI informant. If you haven’t yet seen Goodfellas it’s time to correct that, but even if you have, watching it with the knowledge that all this more or less really happened can make for a fascinating rewatch. And good news, it’s on HBO Max.
Zodiac (Prime Video)
This 2007 true crime thriller is very much a companion piece to the earlier entry on our list, Mindhunter. A decade prior to David Fincher’s work on that Netflix series, he released the similarly themed Zodiac, which tracks the search for the serial murderer known as the Zodiac Killer who was active in the 1960s and ‘70s in and around San Francisco. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Jake Gyllenhaal, and Mark Ruffalo, Zodiac is a fascinating example of creating tension and drama out of real-life situations, despite the fact that the Zodiac Killer has yet to be caught. Fincher instead focuses on the torment the endless search causes for the investigators and newspaper reporters involved.
