Thecrime genrehas to be one of the most popular on modern television. Netflix has tons of them. HBO is currently experiencing a great throwback to one of its most prominent crime series, and the rest of the streaming services often see their numbers go up whenever a new crime show is released. It doesn’t even matter ifit relates to true crime, this genre has the capacity to hook viewers into binge-watching sessions that are usually halted in other genres. We always want to see who did it and who was capable of such horrible things. It’s almost natural.
But curiously, the crime genre doesn’t usually go for the multiple-season format. Aside from the obvious fact that once a crime is solved, there’s probably nowhere to go in the storyline (with a few exceptions), this gives companies the chance to experiment beyond a single streak of success. We, on the other side of the screen, just indulge in whatever’s coming next.
So on that note, we decided to celebrate the best of the best. Short crime series, or simple crime miniseries, that sit at the top of the genre and don’t represent an important time investment. Some of these will finish before you even notice, and some will leave you in a mindset of pure dread. But the important thing is thatyou will be able to bingethese crime series in one day.
The following list may contain minor spoilers.
19Black Bird (2022)
Black Bird
Read our Review of Black Bird
Apple TV’s production ofBlack Birdtells the story of Jimmy Keene, a former football star turned criminal who is caught by the police during his latest gig. The trial doesn’t go well, and he’s sent to prison on a sentence of many years. But the FBI offers him a deal: If he can get a convicted killer to confess to his other crimes, he will be released. Keene accepts and gets to another prison, where he befriends Larry Hall, a charismatic and apparently harmless man with a dark secret that Keene will get to know very slowly.
One Season - Six Episodes
Created by renowned crime author Dennis Lehane,Black Birdwas acclaimedmostly because of its two central performances. Taron Egerton, who gives life to Keene and confirms why he’s one of today’s important young talents, But then Paul Walter Hauser provides the best performance of his life, and probably the best performance of television in the last 10 years.
Hauser breathes life into the monster, and sharply enters our minds as the seemingly innocent monster who was caught doing a bad, bad thing. The show runs for six episodes that’ll go by in a flash and will completely satisfy your true crime fix: it’s based on the true story of Larry Hall and Jimmy Keene’s role in making him confess.You can streamBlack Birdon Apple TV+.
18Defending Jacob (2020)
Defending Jacob
Based on William Landay’s book of the same name,Defending Jacobtells the story of Andy and Laurie Barber, the parents of Jacob Barber, as they undergo a horrific experience. Jacob has been formally accused of murder and is being tried as an adult. Andy, a district attorney, is put in a tough spot as he tries his very best to find the evidence of the murder, and at first everything points to Jacob having something to do. What follows is their journey to try and convince everyone that Jacob isn’t the murderer.
One Season - Eight Episodes
Defending Jacobis the best legal drama you haven’t given yourself the chance to watch because it wasn’t acclaimed by everyone. Nevertheless, it’s a short series with impressive performances by Chris Evans, Jaeden Martell, Michelle Dockery, J. K. Simmons, and Daniel Henshall among others.
It’ll keep you on the edge of your seat until the very ending, which divided audiences worldwide. People weren’t exactly in tunewith the lack of closure, but it falls under the umbrella of shows with open endings that are actually worth seeing.You can streamDefending Jacobon Apple TV+.
17Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
Read our Review of Under the Banner of Heaven
Under the Banner of Heaventakes us to Utah, where Mormonism is a huge religious movement and LDS labeling is basically everywhere. Even Detective Jeb Pyre calls himself an LDS detective and strictly follows the rules. That’s until he starts investigating the horrific murders of Brenda Wright Lafferty and her child, Erica. When Pyre goes deep inside the investigation, he notices the connections to his own religion and its extreme orthodox ways.
One Season - Seven Episodes
The miniseries is based on Jon Krakauer’s very successful book of the same name. It’s a crime drama that stays on a slow-burn stream that cleverly combines with its flashback narrative so that the audience can access the secretive world that’s being explored here.
It’s nowhere as controversial as it could have been, despite what some religious movements imply, and the performances by Wyatt Russell, Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones, and Rory Culkin are superb. If crime series involving religion and cults are your thing, you can’t do better thanUnder the Banner of Heaven,regardless of its accuracy.You can streamUnder the Banner of Heavenon Hulu.
Related:10 Thrilling Crime TV Shows Barely Anyone Remembers
16The Night Of (2016)
The Night Of
InHBO’s excellent crime showThe Night Of, Naz Khan has a very unfortunate encounter with a beautiful girl. Naz is a shy young Pakistani-American college student living with his parents in New York who decides to borrow his father’s cab to go to a party. Andrea ends up getting in the car and inviting Naz to have a party of their own. Unfortunately, the next day, Naz wakes up beside the butchered corpse of Andrea with no idea of what happened. What follows is his journey through a legal system that doesn’t exactly see him as “innocent until proven guilty.”
One of the best-acted shows in modern television (Riz Ahmed won an Emmy),The Night Ofis a profound exploration of justice bias, racism, and individualism, as seen through the eyes of a man who has no other chance but to surrender to a conception of the justice system that tries him. Naz goes from being an innocent man to someone whose guilt becomes secondary and only needs to survive.
Hope only comes in the form of his attorney, wonderfully played by John Turturro, who sees a glimmer of innocence and decides to act based on this. The show was written by Richard Price and Academy Award winner Steven Zaillian, who based their work on the British showCriminal Justice.You can streamThe Night Ofon Max.
15Sharp Objects (2018)
Sharp Objects
Sharp Objectstells the story of Camille Preaker, a crime journalist with some internal demons and a shady past who decides to come to Wind Gap, where a horrific murder has taken place. Recently released from a psychiatric institution, she confronts her past and the traditions of her family as she investigates the murders of two young girls, whose culprit hasn’t been found. She finds out that the crime may be closer to her than she thinks.
Thefascinating crime showis based on Gillian Flynn’s debut novel of the same name and features Amy Adams in one of her best performances ever. Curiously, she didn’t win a Golden Globe for her performance, but Patricia Clarkson did for her role as Adora, Camille’s mother. It’s a great rendering of small-town secrets that are definitely bigger than the size of their traditions and conservative values.
When it comes to crime shows produced by HBO and directed by the late Jean-Marc Vallée,Sharp Objectsgoes really well on a double bill withBig Little Lies(only that one can’t be binged in one day).You can streamSharp Objectson Max.
14Love & Death (2023)
Love & Death
HBO’sLove & Deathis based on the true case of Candy Montgomery, who was formally accused of murdering Betty Gore during the ’70s in the small town of Wylie, Texas. Montgomery, a very religious churchgoer, is put in the spotlight after all clues point to her involvement in the massacre where Gore was continuously hit with an axe, after which Candy took a shower and left the house to continue on with her life.
This isone of two showson the list that explore the Candy Montgomery case. But the good thing is that they’re different enough for each of them to have their own spot. HBO’s version, Love & Death, is better acted and has a higher production value. It’s much more graphic for obvious reasons (it’s HBO, duh), and it ends up being a more sober version of the case’s depiction.
Elizabeth Olsen’s performance as Montgomery is outstanding and will leave you wondering many things about the real Montgomery, which is the way it should happen.You can streamLove & Deathon Max.
13The Act (2019)
Hulu’s production ofThe Actis a great reenactment of the true case of Gypsy-Rose Blanchard. Ever since she was a baby, Gypsy-Rose was considered an ill child. But this was because her mother raised her to be so. Dee Dee Blanchard abused her daughter from an early age by subjecting her to a whole fictitious world of disease that wasn’t exactly true. When Gypsy-Rose grows up and meets someone online, they conspire together to get rid of Dee Dee so they can be free. And that they did. Sort of.
The Actis a very underrated miniseries starring Patricia Arquette as Dee Dee (she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series) and Joey King as Gypsy-Rose. The portrayal of one of the most notorious cases of Munchausen syndrome by proxy is a drama that flows easily into thriller territory once the events take their respective darker turn.
Though it feels like a realistic depiction of the events, thereal Gypsy-Rose (now a free woman)stated that she didn’t provide any consent for the show.You can streamThe Acton Hulu.
12Mare of Easttown (2021)
Mare of Easttown
Mare of Easttowntells the story of Mare Sheehan, a local detective in a small town in Philadelphia who has fallen from grace. Once considered the town’s most potential athlete, Mare is now a police detective, solving small crimes and trying to keep her life together. Her family is broken, her daughter doesn’t exactly like her, and her connection with her mother doesn’t go beyond constant scrutinizing. But everything changes when Mare is forced to solve the recent murder of a teenage mother, as it bears some resemblance to a past crime that Mare wasn’t able to solve.
Craig Zobel’sMare of Easttownis, by far, one of the best miniseries you can watch today. The writing is spotless, and the performances don’t disappoint, especially those of Kate Winslet, Jean Smart, Evan Peters, and Julianne Nicholson. Winslet, Peters, and Nicholson won Emmys in their respective categories.
Its depiction of small-town dynamics is amazing and engages viewers from the beginning. It’s one of the few series on the list that could actually bebrought back for a second season.You can streamMare of Easttownon Max.
Related:10 Canceled Crime Shows That Deserve a Second Chance
11The Night Manager (2016)
The Night Manager
The Night Managertells the story of Jonathan Pine, a former military officer who is now retired and working as a night manager in a luxurious hotel in Egypt. Even though he’s no longer in the force, Pine uses his skills to investigate the guests that require more “observation.” This is how he comes upon Angela Burr, a government officer who recruits him to bring down an international arms dealer by the name of Dicky Roper by infiltrating his circle of friends and impersonating a promising partner.
Running at only six episodes, this isone of the most worthy showson the list that won’t take much of your time, and it features a star-studded cast that includes Olivia Colman, Tom Hiddleston, Hugh Laurie, and Elizabeth Debicki, among many others.
It is based on the book of the same name by John le Carré, and it has that spy thriller sense that not many modern shows have, and which works great under the format of a simply longer film. It’s cinematic, very well-written, and it delivers the thrills when it has to. What more can you ask for?You can streamThe Night Manageron Prime Video.
10Unbelievable (2021)
Unbelievable
InUnbelievable, one of Netflix’s most important miniseries to date, Marie Adler decides to speak out against the crime she was a victim of. Adler was sexually assaulted by an unknown assailant in her own home, and she went straight to the police. The problem is that the evidence isn’t enough, and she ends up getting accused of lying and basically brought on trial. Fortunately, two fearless detectives decide to follow up on the case, as they believe Marie’s case may be connected to a series of sexual assaults committed by the same man.
The case is very similar to the one you’re thinking of, which was brought to the spotlight afterNetflix released its docuseriesbased on it. Unbelievable is a jarring journey through the justice system that simply requires evidence beyond doubt and will probably never consider a statement to be strong enough to convict with.
Kaitlyn Dever leads the show with an outstanding performance, and as supporting players, we have Toni Collette and Merritt Wever. When it comes to true crime miniseries depicting themes of sexual violence, this one is a strong player.You can streamUnbelievableon Netflix.
