True Crime is one of the most popular media genres today, which has led to a massive increase in docuseries on various streaming platforms. In addition to the many great true crime documentary features on Hulu, there are also several television series that shed light on some of the most well-known true crime stories of our day - and some lesser known cases too.
Hulu hosts a plethora of popular true crime serialized programming that viewers might be familiar with, including Forensic Files, Cold Case Files, First 48, Deadly Women, Unusual Suspects, Unsolved, and Homicide Hunter, among others. If you’re looking for a more niche serialized series instead, they’ve got you covered there too. Southern Gothic depicts various crimes that occurred in the American South, To Catch a Smuggler focuses on Homeland Security agents as they attempt catch contraband being brought into the U.S., and Underworld, Inc. is a deep dive into the various crimes committed on the black market. There is also The Killer Speaks, which features one-on-one interviews with real convicted killers, Secrets of the Morgue, that explores high-profile cases from the perspective of the medical examiners, and finally, Kids Behind Bars, which tells the stories of child offenders who have been sentenced to life in prison.
Though the cases featured in each episode of these shows are all important, there are some that garner more media attention than others. There are many high-profile crimes that have become well-known in our society today, some for their horrific nature; others due to the celebrity of those involved, and more that are pushed into the spotlight by victims’ families or others who want to make a difference by sharing their story. Here are some of the best docuseries on Hulu that do just that.
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7 The Murder of Laci Peterson (2017)
A&E
The Murder of Laci Peterson was a six-part A&E docuseries that depicted the tragic 2002 disappearance and death of a California woman who was eight months pregnant with her first child. The case garnered huge publicity after Laci’s husband Scott Peterson was arrested, tried, and convicted of the murder of his wife and their unborn child, after their remains were discovered. Several other media outlets and television shows have covered the case over the years, including Dateline, 48 Hours, 20/20, Snapped, Dr. Phil, E!, Investigation Discovery, Reelz, as well as a two-hour documentary on ABC, a two-hour documentary on HLN, and two made-for-TV movies.
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Scott Peterson is currently incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison and continues to maintain his innocence. In fact, there is much controversy about whether Scott Peterson is actually guilty of the crime, and some believe that this series aims to shed light on the mistakes made during the investigation and provide a bigger picture of the case.
6 Nightline (2018, 2019)
ABC
Nightline is ABC’s late-night news program that has been on the air since 1980. Occasionally, Nightline airs a special documentary episode relating to an incident, crime, or other significant issue that is prominent at the time. Two of these exceptional episodes are available to view on Hulu, separate from the rest of the show: The Bomber and A Killer on Floor 32.
The Bomber details a series of bombings that occurred in Austin, Texas, in 2018 over the course of nineteen days, and how law enforcement tracked down the culprit. In total, there were seven bombs that were located, six of which detonated, killing two people and injuring five others. The person responsible for the bombings eventually died by suicide by detonating an explosive in his vehicle as police attempted to apprehend him. There was later a video found on his phone in which he confessed to the crimes.
A Killer on Floor 32 tells the harrowing story of the deadliest American mass shooting in modern history, which occurred at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas in 2017. The episode includes never-before-seen footage and first-hand-account interviews to give the public a more comprehensive understanding of what occurred that night. In total 60 people were killed, and 867 others were injured. The perpetrator died by suicide before he could be taken into custody. This tragedy sparked national conversations surrounding gun violence and gun control.
5 The Untold Story (2019)
The Untold Story is an A&E documentary series that highlights specific crimes and broader issues that have had an impact on our society and culture. Each episode acts as its own feature-length documentary in which investigative journalist Elizabeth Vargas digs into the topic at hand.
In Hunting JonBenét’s Killer, Vargas takes a look at one of the most notorious cold case files in American History, the murder of six-year-old child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey in 1996. The episode provides a look at never-before-seen photos, an interview with JonBenét’s father John Ramsey, and also explores possible “intruder theories” about the crime.
Secret Life of a Gang Girl highlights how online disputes among young gang members are leading to real shootings out on the streets. The episode focuses heavily on a specific female gang assassin from Chicago who used her prominent social media presence as a weapon against her enemies. By the time she was killed at age 17 in 2014, she had allegedly murdered over a dozen people.
Investigation Discovery
Children of the Snow is a four-episode series that discusses the “Oakland County Child Killer” cold case from the late 1970s. At that time, four children in the Detroit area were abducted and later found murdered, though the perpetrator has never been caught. There have been several suspects in the case over the years, and this series follows a Detroit Detective in 2019 as he attempts to use newly available DNA testing to narrow down the list of possible culprits. It also features families of the deceased as they try to find answers. The OCCK murders let to the largest manhunt in American history and is often cited as the impetus for the phrase “stranger danger.”
3 Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All (2017)
The “Menendez murders” is another notorious case in the true crime world. In 1996, two brothers, Lyle and Erik, killed their parents in what they claimed was self-defense. Many believe that the high-profile nature of the Beverly Hills family and the media circus that surrounded the case at the time had a significant impact on the trial - both men were convicted and sentenced to life in prison, where they remain today. Menendez Murders: Erik Tells All is a five-part series which features Erik in jailhouse interviews explaining the years of abuse the brothers suffered at the hands of their father and how threatening to expose him led them to fear for their lives. The case has been referenced many times in pop culture, in television specials, made-for-TV movies, and even fictional shows like Law & Order and 30Rock.
2 Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story (2022)
Hulu
Captive Audience is a three-part Hulu docuseries that details the unbelievable and tragic story of the Stayner family: one son who was abducted as a child and found years later, and another son who grew up to be a serial killer. In 1972, seven-year-old Steven Stayner was kidnapped and held captive for years until he was able to escape as a teenager in 1980. Steven struggled to readjust to a regular life and just nine years after he returned to his family, he was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. Then, in 2002, Steven’s brother Cary Stayner was tried and convicted for the murders of four women and currently sits on death row at San Quentin Penitentiary.
1 Taken at Birth (2019)
TLC
Taken at Birth tells the heartbreaking story of a group of people known as the “Hicks Babies.” In 1992, it was discovered that a small-town doctor from Georgia had illegally sold or given away hundreds of newborn babies from the 1950s up until his death in 1972. After giving the babies away, Thomas Hicks often told the mothers that their newborns had died, and in some cases, he fathered the children himself for the sole purpose of selling them. One of his victims, Jane Blasio, discovered she was a “Hicks Baby” after decades of searching for her biological family. She is the lead investigator at the forefront of Taken at Birth as she tries to track down as many Hicks babies as possible and give them closure. She is joined by researchers Lisa Joyner and Chris Jacobs, who also appear on the TLC show Long Lost Family, where they reunite adoptees with their birth families.
