5 Best Crime TV Shows Based On True Stories, Ranked

Why watch a train wreck when you can watch true crime? There's something undeniably alluring about watching characters in a TV show commit fraud or murder — all while knowing that what you're seeing is based on a true story.

But which of these TV shows are worth your time? It wasn't easy for us, because there are so many amazing true crime series out there, but we finally winnowed down the list to the five shows that stand above the rest. Our rankings are based on Rotten Tomatoes scores, awards, personal preference, and cultural impact — not just of the shows, but also of the real-life events that inspired them. And, of course, every single one of these shows has a true story behind it.

This list is only for fictionalized dramatizations of true stories. If you're looking for the best true crime documentaries available to watch on Netflix, we have recommendations for those, too.

• Cast: Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Sophie Turner
• Show Creator(s): Antonio Campos
• Rating: TV-MA
• Aired: 2022
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
• Where to Watch: HBO Max, Netflix

The true story behind "The Staircase" already captured the attention of true crime enthusiasts in a 2004 documentary series, also called "The Staircase." Fans have spent years speculating whether novelist Michael Peterson (Colin Firth) was involved in the untimely death of his wife Kathleen (Toni Collette), who was found dead at the bottom of a staircase.

HBO's fictionalized take on this true story offers a lot of things that the documentary couldn't. For one, it takes more time to flesh out the perspective of Kathleen. It also explores the conflicting emotions Michael's children must have been feeling as their father became the subject of a murder investigation. The showrunners even went out of their way to film three different versions of Kathleen's fall, each one imagining a different theory of how she died (including the "owl theory," which, yes, involves an actual owl).

In "The Staircase," Colin Firth portrays Peterson with charm and cunning and captures the real-life author with uncanny ease, leaving audiences wondering whether or not the man could be capable of murdering his wife. But by the end of the series, it hardly matters whether or not Michael did it. Instead, the real draw of this series is watching a family torn apart.

• Cast: Patricia Arquette, Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb, Chloe Sevigny
• Show Creator(s): Nick Antosca, Michelle Dean
• Rating: TV-MA
• Aired: 2019
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
• Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+

In "The Act," single mother Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette) tells everyone that her daughter Gypsy (Joey King) is chronically ill, convincing everyone — including Gypsy herself — that she needs a wheelchair to get around and must be fed through a tube. Yet Gypsy soon discovers that she is not actually sick, and everything she has been told is a lie. So she tries to escape her mother's smothering control in the only way she knows how: murder.

Unbelievable as it may seem, "The Act" comes straight from the headlines, dramatizing the true story of a real-life mother and daughter. And it's scary how many small details from the show are based in reality, such as the way most doctors didn't question Gypsy's supposed illnesses, or the chilling message Gypsy posted on social media after her mother's murder.

Patricia Arquette is magnetic in this series, giving an unforgettable performance as a mother who seems to genuinely believe the lie she has created. Opposite her, Joey King is equally riveting, walking the tightrope perfectly between youthful innocence and adult-like cunning. Watching Dee Dee rob Gypsy of a normal childhood – and her very autonomy — is disturbing; it will likely leave some viewers rooting for Gypsy even as she conspires to commit murder.

• Cast: Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herrise, Marquis Rodriguez, Jharrel Jerome
• Show Creator(s): Ava DuVernay
• Rating: TV-MA
• Aired: 2019
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
• Where to Watch: Netflix

Knowing that the events of "When They See Us" actually happened to five real teenagers is a tough pill to swallow. In this limited series directed by Ava DuVernay, five Black boys who were in the wrong place at the wrong time are accused of the rape of a white female jogger. After the police interrogate the kids for hours without a lawyer and coerce confessions from them, the Central Park Five, as they come to be known, must endure years in prison and a lifetime of trauma.

For the first time, audiences can see the story of the Central Park Five from the perspective of these five boys. The series humanizes their story (and exposes the way the media dehumanized them) in a way that news or documentaries never could. The young cast of "When They See Us" are all great, but the standout here is Jharrel Jerome, whose portrayal of a teenager tried as an adult and forced to grow up too fast is a performance you can't tear your eyes away from. The show's final episode is especially heart-wrenching. "When They See Us" may be difficult to watch, but it remains essential viewing.

• Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Sarah Paulson, John Travolta, Courtney B. Vance
• Show Creator(s): Ryan Murphy, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski
• Rating: TV-MA
• Aired: 2016
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
• Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+

The first season of the anthology series "American Crime Story" is based on a true story that has already gotten plenty of media attention: the trial of O.J. Simpson, who died in 2024. And yet, this series has something new to add to the conversation. "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" is a dramatic retelling of how Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.) was tried for the murder of his wife Nicole Brown (Kelly Monrow). As the trial becomes the center of a media circus and a battleground for larger systemic problems, the characters all become entangled in a moral quagmire.

It's impressive that "American Crime Story" manages to wring so much suspense and legal intrigue from a trial whose end result we already know. What could have been a sensationalized, soapy spectacle is actually a deftly-written drama with a nuanced portrayal of all parties involved.

The show gives equal hearing to both the defense and the prosecution, showing how the case became about so much more than just the murder. There's not a single dud in this star-studded cast, all of whom deliver stellar acting across the board. Although the real-life trial happened decades ago, "The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story" demonstrates that it's still relevant today.

• Cast: Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv
• Show Creator(s): Joe Penhall
• Rating: TV-MA
• Aired: 2017-2019
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%
• Where to Watch: Netflix

This Netflix series is arguably one of the best true crime shows of all time. "Mindhunter" follows two FBI agents (Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany) and a psychologist (Anna Torv) in the 1970s and 1980s as they spearhead the groundbreaking new field of profiling serial killers. Together they interview serial killers already behind bars, hoping to get inside the mind of a murderer and catch the killers still out there.

What makes "Mindhunter" stand out from most true crime offerings is its fascination with the science of criminal profiling and the psychology of serial killers. Many of these observations come straight from the nonfiction book the show is based on: "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit" by J. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The three leads are fictional characters loosely inspired by real people, and all three are perfectly cast.

Of course the real stars of "Mindhunter" are the serial killers (all of whom are from real-life), and on that front the cast does not disappoint. True crime fans will be rewarded with a smorgasbord of famous murderers, including Richard Speck (Jack Erdie), Son of Sam (Oliver Cooper) and Charles Manson (Damon Herriman). Cameron Britton is especially hypnotic to watch as Ed Kemper, whose disarmingly docile demeanor stands in utter contrast to his horrific actions. It's a shame the show was put on indefinite hold after only 2 seasons, but as it stands, "Mindhunter" is one of the best TV shows that will never be completed.