Crime TV Shows, Films and Documentaries Recommendations! – Part one

Between 25th October and 8th November the wonderful Sarah and Sophie from The Little Contemporary Corner and I will be hosting the Crime Readathon.

In those two weeks I won’t be limiting myself to just reading crime books though, I am going to be watching some crime TV shows, documentaries and films!

So, I thought I would share a list of some crime TV shows, documentaries and films that I would recommend if you’d like to join in! I am going to split this list into two parts, so, here is part one!

A quick disclaimer that we of course, do not condone violent crime and we disagree with glorifying serial killers in any way. We are running the Crime Readathon as a way to help people read more of the crime genre (fiction and non-fiction), learn more about the genre and for others to join in if they wish to do so!

The Fall (TV Series)

“Examining the lives of two hunters – one is a serial killer who preys on victims in and around Belfast, and the other is a female detective drafted from the London Metropolitan Police to catch him. The local authorities have no suspects and no experiences with cases involving sexually motivated serial killers; DSI Stella Gibson has. The killer? He is Paul Spector, a father and a husband leading a double life, he is hiding in plain sight.”

I first watched this back when it was initially released back in 2013, I actually studied in depth for my Media GSCE. I loved it and it is actually one of the things made me become interested in the crime genre.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan and being gripped into a TV show, then this is the one for you. It has 3 seasons in total and all of them are incredible, I highly recommend this one!

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Abducted in Plain Sight (Documentary)

“A documentary covering the kidnappings of Jan Broberg Felt, an Idaho teenager who was abducted by her neighbour Robert Berchtold in the 1970s on two occasions.”

This one is an absolutely wild ride. It is not what you are expecting at all and shocks you at every single turn. Personally, I still think about this one and find it wild that this happened. This is well worth the watch and I’m sure it will hook you right from the start!

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The Confession Tapes (Docuseries)

“When is a confession not a confession? When it is involuntary, coerced or downright false. Those are the claims made by the subjects featured in this true-crime series. Each episode goes into a case in which a murder suspect made a confession but later backtracked. With interviews with investigators, lawyers, wrongful conviction experts and people close to those involved in the cases.”

This is one that I only started watching recently but I am hooked on it. It is interesting and is incredibly eye-opening. If you are at all interesting in how people are made to give false confessions or are coerced into giving a confession then this is definitely one that will interest you.

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American Crime Story (TV Series)

“Several historical and high profile murder cases are reenacted with proper factual evidence, official records and background information that gives a different insight into the famous murders”

I enjoyed both series of this show that are out at the minute. There is the ‘The People V. O.J Simpson’ series which I was fascinated by as it is a case I have followed for a number of years and has amazing actors in.

Then there is ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace’, which is a case I knew nothing about before this series but I’ve looked into a lot after finishing it. Both series are acted excellently and show the cases in depth. I highly recommend both series.

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Knives Out (Film)

“The circumstances surrounding the death of crime novelist Harlan Thrombey are mysterious, but there’s one thing that renowned Detective Benoit Blanc knows for sure – everyone in the wildly dysfunctional Thrombey family is a suspect. Now, Blanc must sift through a web of lies and red herrings to uncover the truth”

This is one of my favourite films of 2019. It is incredible and I have watched it multiple times to look out for all the little hidden easter eggs throughout the movie.

It is extremely clever and one of the most well written whodunnit films I’ve watched. If you haven’t seen this one yet, I recommend you watch it as soon as you can!

What crime tv shows, films and documentaries would you recommend? Let me know in the comments below! I will be posting part two very soon, so, keep your eyes out!