TV’s 10 best true-crime documentaries of 2020
Maybe holiday movies aren’t your cup of cocoa, and you’d rather curl up with true crime.
This year offered plenty of noteworthy documentaries (and docuseries) in the genre, but we picked the 10 best. Of course “Tiger King,” made the cut, as well as docs about men more infamous: “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” and “Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer.”
The 10 best, in alphabetical order:
‘Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia’ (Netflix)
Most true-crime docs can be downright depressing, but the tone of “Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia” is less dispiriting than usual. In three episodes, the series outlines law enforcement’s attempt to take back New York from five Mob families that ran the city in the 1970s and ’80s. It’s a fun ride that offers plenty of suspense, as in the explanation of how surveillance was done on the mobsters.
‘Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich’ (Netflix)
Warning: “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” might make you very angry. His accusers share their heartbreaking accounts of abuse by a man who seemed untouchable, thanks to his fortune and connections, in the four-episode series. But the project offers satisfaction by bringing his alleged transgressions, and those of his associates, to light. Also of note: In July, shortly after the release of “Filthy Rich,” Epstein’s associate Ghislaine Maxwell (described by some outlets as a former girlfriend) was arrested and accused of helping procure young girls for Epstein. She has pleaded not guilty.
The downfall of former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is captured in “Killer Inside.”
‘Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez’ (Netflix)
This three-part docuseries revealed the misdeeds of Aaron Hernandez, a former star of the New England Patriots, to nonfans who pay more attention to the Super Bowl halftime show than the big game. Hernandez was released in 2013 after being charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd, a man romantically involved with the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée. “Killer Inside” pieces together Hernandez’s dark and at times violent world and features audio of his calls from prison.
‘Love Fraud’ (Showtime)
Sabrina Dunlap, one of the women burned by serial con artist Richard Scott Smith, sums up the tone of “Love Fraud” perfectly in the four-episode docuseries. “I tell girls the best way to get over a guy is revenge,” she says. “It’s not going to a therapist. It’s not crying about it or talking to your friends over and over.” Several of the women Smith wooed (and sometimes even married) so he could swindle their assets are featured in the project, which is part manhunt, part look into Smith’s upbringing and the toll he took on the women who loved him. With the help of a bounty hunter and private investigators, the women’s pursuit of Smith creates gripping suspense.
‘McMillion$’ (HBO)
“McMillion$“thrives on nostalgia: I downed countless fries and sodas from McDonald’s in search of Boardwalk and Park Place in a quest to win its Monopoly game. Since I never won, I feel better knowing the sweepstakes was rigged from 1989 to 2001, as outlined in this six-part series executiveproduced by Mark Wahlberg. Winning tickets were stolen, then sold to fake “winners” for years, unbeknown to McDonald’s.
‘Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story’ (Netflix)
Cyntoia Brown was just 16 when she was sentenced to life in prison for the death of Johnny Allen, a man who took the teen to his Nashville home for a sexual encounter. Brown claimed she shot the 43-year-old in self-defense and eventually received clemency after serving 15 years and gaining the support of celebs like Rihanna and Kim Kardashian West. “Murder to Mercy” offers context about the shooting and Brown’s challenges, but it also conveys the personal growth she experienced behind bars. Her evolution and eventual freedom give the documentary an uplifting ending.
‘Outcry’ (Showtime)
Greg Kelley’s dreams of playing college football after excelling on his Leander, Texas, high school team were obliterated by accusations of inappropriate behavior with children. While the five-episode series has plenty of enthralling drama, it’s Kelley and his ability to remain faithful and optimistic in the face of the charges and his conviction that’s the real draw.
‘The Pharmacist’ (Netflix)
Louisiana pharmacist Dan Schneider deserves a standing ovation. After his son was murdered while trying to buy drugs in New Orleans, Schneider becomes a steadfast detective, determined to solve the case. His brokenness as a grieving parent is palpable and gut-wrenching in the fourepisode series. But his perseverance in resolving his son’s death is admirable. And he doesn’t stop there: Schneider embarks on a journey to help thwart the deaths of other young people he suspects of abusing prescription drugs by turning his eye to a prescriptionhappy doctor and the pharmaceutical industry.
‘Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer’ (Amazon Prime)
Ted Bundy is one serial killer whose name time doesn’t forget. Instead of spotlighting the murderer, who took responsibility for dozens of slayings, “Falling for a Killer” enlists the help of survivors, victims’ family members, his longtime girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall and Kendall’s daughter, Molly, to explore his saga . The women’s memories of the good times is spellbinding — and chilling — in the context of Bundy’s heinous acts.
‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness’ (Netflix)
A list of the year’s best true-crime stories wouldn’t be complete without the bizarre “Tiger King,” which became a viral sensation just as the country began seeking refuge from a mysterious pandemic by staying at home. The story of Joe Exotic, born Joseph Schreibvogel, who loves big cats, blonde mullets, guns and explosives, and his life at Oklahoma’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park unfolded over seven installments, each adding to a shocking narrative.