When it comes to TV and movies, it certainly seems like the true crime trend is here to stay — and we're not just talking about documentaries. While we love to sink our teeth into a new investigative special or docuseries about a gritty crime, the genre also includes adaptations that come with a few more creative liberties. And recently, there's been a major influx of those adaptations across all of the major streaming services.
In the first half of 2022 alone, we've seen the debut of The Truth About Pam, The Girl From Plainville, and Jessica Biel's latest series, Candy — and that's just scratching the surface. True crime fans will find plenty to watch these days, and the trend doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
Looking for your next series or movie to watch based on a crime that really happened? From murder to politics to fraud, here are the most riveting new true crime series and movies that are out now.
'The Girl From Plainville'
In Hulu's The Girl From Plainville, Elle Fanning plays Michelle Carter, the teenager who stood trial after she was accused of encouraging her boyfriend, Conrad Roy, to commit suicide via text messages. The series follows Michelle and Conrad's relationship from the time they meet to the end of the trial, and strangely enough, includes details like Michelle's obsession with Glee.
'The Staircase'
If you watched (and loved) the Netflix documentary of the same name, you'll probably be very interested to see HBO Max's adaptation of The Staircase. Starring Colin Firth, Sophie Turner, and Toni Collette, the series is about the death of Kathleen Peterson and her husband, Michael, who was convicted of her murder.
'Candy'
In the five-episode miniseries Candy, which you can now stream in full on Hulu, Jessica Biel plays Candy Montgomery, a woman who was put on trial for the murder of her friend (and the wife of the man she was having an affair with), Betty Gore (played by Melanie Lynskey). You won't believe the incredible transformation Jessica underwent to become her character.
'The Dropout'
Years later, the story of the Theranos CEO, who was accused of fraud after she claimed to have invented a major breakthrough in health technology, is still getting plenty of attention. In Hulu's take on the scandal, Amanda Seyfried plays Elizabeth Holmes, and somehow she manages to perfectly capture all of Elizabeth's eccentric mannerisms.
'WeCrashed'
Interested in scammers after watching The Dropout? Apple TV+'s WeCrashed might just do it for you. In the show, Jared Leto stars as Adam Neumann, the former CEO of WeWork who was investigated for self-dealing, while Anne Hathaway plays his wife, Rebekah.
'The Thing About Pam'
Renée Zellweger is practically unrecognizable in NBC's The Thing About Pam. In the show, she plays Pam Hupp, the woman convicted in the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria, after she originally framed Betsy's husband, Russ Faria. Judy Greer and Josh Duhamel also star.
'Inventing Anna'
If you haven't watched the Netflix series Inventing Anna yet, the time has come — true-crime fans are going to love this one. It tells the story of grifter Anna Delvey, played by Ozark fan favorite Julia Garner, who managed to scam her friends (and businesses) out of thousands of dollars as she traveled the world and made plenty of luxe purchases.
'Joe vs. Carole'
Tiger King fans, this one is for you! In Peacock's Joe vs. Carole, we get another, more fictionalized telling of the story of Joe Exotic (John Cameron Mitchell) and Carole Baskin (Kate McKinnon), which we now know led to Joe being put behind bars.
'Under the Banner of Heaven'
In FX's Under the Banner of Heaven, Andrew Garfield plays Detective Jeb Pyre, who investigates the murder of a Mormon mother and baby and uncovers other shady stuff going on in the church at the same time. The series is based on a book of the same name written by Jon Krakauer.
'Dr. Death'
Peacock's series Dr. Death (which is based on a podcast of the same name) stars Joshua Jackson as neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, who was accused of injuring patients dozens of times and even ended up being sentenced to life in prison after he was convicted of malicious malpractice of an elderly patient. It's a fascinating look into a devious mind.
'Landscapers'
Though Landscapers is a black comedy, it also happens to be based on a true story. Olivia Colman and David Thewlis play Susan and Christopher Edwards, a married couple who murdered Susan's parents and buried them in their backyard — and managed to keep the crime hidden for more than 10 years.
'The Eyes of Tammy Faye'
In The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Andrew Garfield and Jessica Chastain play Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, the televangelist couple who hosted The PTL Club. Jim was eventually convicted of mail and wire fraud and sentenced to 45 years in prison, but he only ended up serving eight.
'Gaslit'
In the Starz series Gaslit, we see the story of Martha Mitchell (played by Julia Roberts), the wife of the attorney general at the time that Richard Nixon's Watergate scandal was unfolding. She was the first person to call attention to Nixon's crimes.
'Impeachment: American Crime Story'
President Bill Clinton's impeachment scandal is retold from the perspective of Monica Lewinsky (Beanie Feldstein) in Impeachment: American Crime Story, which also examines Linda Tripp (Sarah Paulson) in her betrayal of Monica's trust. It's totally fascinating for anyone who was glued to the trial in the '90s.
'House of Gucci'
With an all-star cast including Lady Gaga and Adam Driver, there are a lot of reasons to watch House of Gucci, but a big one is that it's a true story. It chronicles the murder of Italian fashion heir Maurizio Gucci by his wife, who was convicted of hiring a hit man to kill him.
