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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

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Genres

Drama Comedy Animation Action Crime Adventure Romance Reality-TV More genres →

Decades

2020s 2010s 2000s 1990s 1980s 1970s 1960s 1950s 1940s 1930s 1920s 1900s

Tags Search My ratings Sign in

True crime

True crime TV Series

Real cases, told as documentary or drama.

Ranked by how defining this tag is for each show · 189 series

10/10 means the show is a defining example. Shows scoring below 7/10 don't make the list.

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Genres

Genres as assigned by IMDb. Selecting several means a show must match all of them.

Action 3 Adult 0 Adventure 0 Animation 0 Biography 53 Comedy 5 Crime 175 Documentary 113 Drama 75 Family 0 Fantasy 0 Game-Show 0 History 28 Horror 1 Music 1 Musical 0 Mystery 19 News 1 Reality-TV 0 Romance 0 Sci-Fi 0 Short 2 Sport 2 Talk-Show 0 Thriller 6 War 0 Western 0

Decades

By first-air year. Several selections widen the range; a specific year narrows within its decade.

2020s 132 2010s 49 2000s 4 1990s 2 1980s 1 1970s 1 1960s 0 1950s 0 1940s 0 1930s 0 1920s 0 1900s 0

Specific year

2026 4 2025 16 2024 17 2023 18 2022 30 2021 24 2020 23 2019 16 2018 10 2017 9 2016 5 2015 4 2014 1 2013 1 2012 1 2011 2 2008 1 2004 3 1996 1 1992 1 1987 1 1976 1

Tags

Rating patterns, computed from IMDb episode-rating trajectories. Deliberately strict: only shows with an unmistakable pattern carry one, so expect small numbers.

Rating patterns

Fumbled the Finale 0 Stuck the Landing 0 Grew the Beard 0 Rock Solid 0 Past Its Prime 0 Roller Coaster 0

Taste tags, judged by our AI taste model. They cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

Tone & mood

Bleak 31 Gritty 28 Dark tone 103 Feel-good 0 Cozy 0 Wholesome 0 Melancholic 2 Tense 42 Unsettling 30 Whimsical 0 Campy 2 Cynical 10 Hopeful 0 Sentimental 0 Nostalgic 0 Bittersweet 0 Chaotic energy 2 Deadpan cool 0

Pacing & structure

Slow burn 5 Fast-paced 0 Episodic 6 Serialized 6 Procedural 4 Mystery box 7 Anthology 12 Cliffhanger-driven 0 Sprawling saga 1 Tight limited run 83 Puzzle plot 1 Vignette style 0

Humor style

Dry humor 2 Absurdist 0 Satirical 3 Cringe comedy 0 Slapstick 0 Witty banter 1 Dark comedy 4 Warm humor 0 Raunchy 0 Parody 1 Ironic & meta 0

Themes & subject matter

Criminal underworld 12 Detective mystery 23 True crime 189 Heists & cons 8 Legal 11 Medical 3 Political intrigue 7 Espionage 2 War & military 0 Family saga 2 Coming of age 0 Workplace 0 School & campus 1 Love story 0 Friendship 0 Found family 0 Survival 1 Post-apocalyptic 0 Dystopia 0 Supernatural 0 Space & sci-fi 0 Near-future tech 0 Time travel 0 High fantasy 0 Urban fantasy 0 Monster horror 0 Psychological horror 1 Addiction & vice 3 Mental health 5 Faith & religion 9 Sports 1 Music scene 1 Food & cooking 0 Nature & science 0 Real history 14 Royalty & aristocracy 0 Small town 0 Big city life 1 Rural & frontier 0 Suburban underbelly 5 Class divide 1 Immigrant experience 1 Queer stories 0 Female perspective 15 Social commentary 24 Philosophical 0 Existential dread 0 Revenge 0 Redemption 0 Secrets & lies 54

Characters & perspective

Antihero lead 8 Morally gray 14 Villain's POV 4 Ensemble cast 3 Central duo 1 Strong female lead 10 Child's perspective 0 Outsider lead 0 Genius lead 0 Working class 3 Elites & privilege 7 Unreliable narrator 6 Character study 21 Banter chemistry 0

Emotional payoff

Tearjerker 2 Adrenaline 1 Intellectual challenge 1 Comfort rewatch 0 Romantic yearning 0 Cathartic 0 Wonder & awe 0 Mounting dread 0 Warm glow 0 Gut punch 25

Craft & style

Dialogue-driven 1 Visually striking 0 Stylized direction 2 Naturalistic 15 Big-budget spectacle 0 Lo-fi charm 0 Atmospheric 6 Distinctive score 0 Experimental 1 Deep worldbuilding 0 Tight writing 2

Format & audience

Sitcom 0 Adult animation 0 Anime 0 Kids & family 0 Young adult 0 Soap & telenovela 0 Event miniseries 38 Reality competition 0 Lifestyle reality 0 Docuseries 114 Sketch & variety 0 Game & quiz show 1 Talk & panel 0 Period piece 9 Contemporary life 0 Long-runner 2 Built to binge 2

Viewing-culture clusters

British TV 24 Nordic noir 3 K-drama 0 Turkish drama 0 Indian TV 4

Intensity & content character

Graphic violence 5 Disturbing 66 Sexually explicit 0 Family-safe 0 Emotionally heavy 59 Easy watching 0

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189 series Taste tags cover the 5,000 most-rated shows.

True crime TV Series

The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness

The Confession Killer

I'll Be Gone in the Dark

McMillions

Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter

Sins of Our Mother

The Asunta Case

Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.

The Pharmacist

American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing

I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth v. Michelle Carter

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

This Is the Zodiac Speaking

The Sixth Commandment

American Murder: Laci Peterson

Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy

Madoff: The Monster of Wall Street

Forensic Files

Murder Among the Mormons

Amy Bradley Is Missing

I Just Killed My Dad

Unsolved Mysteries

Killer Sally

Murdaugh: Death in the Family