The Rise of the True Crime Series and Why We’re So Obsessed with Them
Whether it be documentaries or dramas, whether it’s on ITV or Netflix, the rise in popularity of true crime series has been exacerbated by the pandemic. Not only a form of escapism, these shows give us a window into the past, a window into the stories either us, our parents or our grandparents, remember. The growing popularity of true crime series is seen not only in television but also novels (more than 1.6 million print copies of true-crime books were sold in 2018, compared to 976,000 copies in 2016) and podcasts (there are now over 2800 true crime podcasts to choose from). We long to understand the darker side of human nature and so we delve deep into this genre as a way of trying to understand it.
ITV true crime series has grown and grown in the recent years with White House Farm, Des, The Serpent and The Pembrokeshire Murders all being released in the past year. All of these programmes follow the stories of real life murderers, many of whom show little to no regret for the killing of their victims. Of course, all of these programmes are dramatized and we have to understand that what we are watching is an adaptation of true events that the creators have taken certain liberties with.
The majority of these dramas tip a highly credible actor as the lead, with Luke Evans in The Pembrokeshire Murders, David Tennant in Des, Martin Freeman in A Confession and so on. The buzz around these dramas usually begin as soon as the trailer has been released, either on Facebook or slotted in between other primetime TV shows. From then on, it’s all anyone can talk about. If you don’t watch it, you’re missing out, not only on the drama itself but on the conversations that surround it as well. If many of us were still working in the office then you can guarantee that the following day, all of our colleagues would be discussing it. The popularity of true crime dramas is not only because we want to understand what happened and why it happened, it’s also because people don’t want to be seen as missing out on a huge new drama that we know everyone will be watching.
Another reason for their popularity is because many people remember the real stories when they made headline news. My mum is from Swindon and remembers the details of the case that is depicted in A Confession. Similarly, my dad was 14 when news broke that serial killer Dennis Nielsen had been arrested but he also remembers reading about it in the news. These are real life stories that resonate with many because they remember them so vividly, they were grotesque stories that were slashed on newspapers across Britain with many of them not telling the true story. These drama series offer a fresh insight a decade or two later as a way of not sensationalising it as a catch-all headline but instead delving deep into the inner workings of the murderer and the relationship they had with the police.
The most prominent TV show that moved completely away from sensationalising or dramatizing the events is The Investigation which aired on BBC Two last year. It depicted the killing of journalist Kim Wall on a submarine in Copenhagen. A sombre drama, the show does not even mention the killer by name and instead focuses on the police investigation and Wall’s family as a way of honouring the victim and diminishing the killer. This is similar with ITV’s The Pembrokeshire Murders in which the story focuses on the police investigation rather than the portrayal of the murder itself.
There are some programmes that are too personal for some (my mum told me she couldn’t continue watching The Serpent after the first episode because she’d never let me go travelling again). In this case, we turn to detective programmes that offer a reprieve from reality but because they are based on fiction, and not fact, they are easier to watch. The likes of The Bridge, Broadchurch, The Bay, Line of Duty and the new BBC One drama, Bloodlands are all massive hits because the killer and the victims are a mystery to the audience, they are “whodunit” programmes. Yes, they can be scary and sad but there’s a certain thrill in trying to guess what’s going to happen next and a certain type of elation if you’re right (which I never am, despite how many of these shows I’ve watched).
It’s not only terrestrial television that has picked up on the hunger for true crime series, Netlix’s True Crime category has expanded massively in the past few years, with both dramas and documentaries being created. All in the past year, the releases include Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer, American Murder: The Family Next Door, Unbelievable and The Ripper, to name a few. Netflix has realised the demand for true crime programmes and delivered them to us with a neat little bow.
Perhaps not the most obvious programme that comes to mind when discussing true crime documentaries but certainly the most popular is Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness. Although you may not think it, the documentary does technically fall under the category of True Crime; it has murder, intrigue, big cats in captivity and, by the shows end, Joe Exotic facing time in prison. You can’t discuss Lockdown 1.0 without discussing the most popular television show of 2020, in which it drew more than 34 million viewers in the first 10 days of its release and viewed by 64 million households worldwide since its initial release.
The pandemic has made us long for escapism which we have found through television, film, radio, podcasts and books. I have read more books than I thought possible while working full-time, I have indulged in more reality television than I probably should (I could write a whole separate article on the amount of reality TV I have watched which ranges from Real Housewives and Below Deck to Married at First Sight Australia and Selling Sunset… the list goes on!) and I have watched some amazing true crime dramas and documentaries. My Sunday’s are no longer me nursing a hangover in bed all day and instead, once I’ve finished another daily walk, I reward myself with the newest and most popular crime drama or documentary.
The popularity of true crime series is most likely here to stay with a new slate of dramas coming in 2021 that include; Four Lives on BBC One based on the real-life serial killer Stephen Port, Mansfield Murderers staring Olivia Colman for Sky Atlantic, Anne on ITV which follows Anne Williams who dedicated her life to campaigning for justice for her son who died at Hillsborough along with several others as well.
Whether we watch these programmes for escapism, for knowledge or as a way of honouring the families, true crime dramas and documentaries will be here even when lockdown is over.
Written by Issy Packer
Hi, I’m Issy, the Music and Film Editor at The Everyday! I’m an English Literature graduate and have been passionate about all things to do with writing and journalism from a young age. I am interested in a number of things, including politics, feminism and music and am a firm believer that Bristol is ONE of the best cities in England for anything to do with culture, art and music. You can find me either at the cinema watching all sorts of films or trying to work my way through the long list of books I’m desperate to read.
