True crime spoof draws on its silliness
True crime mysteries are ripe for parody and Netflix, which popularised the genre in the first place, is leading the field. American Vandal takes its cues from Making A Murderer and is pitched as an investigation into a campus crime. The mockumentary follows the case of Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro) who is expelled from school after being blamed for daubing the cars of 27 staff members with phallic symbols using fluorescent pink paint. Enter Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez) who creates American Vandal, a series-within-a-series. Peter uncovers discrepancies and in the vein of hit Making a Murderer the trail leads in unexpected directions. The eightpart series is available from this weekend on Netflix.