Content warning: this article discusses sexual assault and violent crimes and may be distressing to some readers.
Though we might not love to admit it, true crime documentaries grip us like almost nothing else. We don’t want to look too closely at why we’re so intrigued by true crime, but the stories told on screen are often as confronting as they are interesting, often giving us a raw look into the lives of other people around the world.
This year alone, there has been no shortage of true crime documentaries released, with people sharing the harrowing and often most traumatic moments of their lives with the camera. The genre has evolved over the years, and where it once was limited to stories resulting in homicide, there is now a wide range of true crime stories to engage with.
From cults to the confronting lives of child stars, plus scammers and data breaches, here are five true crime documentaries that have glued us to our screens this year.
American Nightmare
In 2015, Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins were attacked in their California home in the middle of the night. Denise was abducted, which resulted in Aaron becoming the lead suspect.
But when Denise turned up a few days later seemingly unscathed, the police started to have doubts and the media dubbed it the “Gone Girl case”. In this three-part series, Denise tells the story of her traumatising ordeal, and investigates the police misconduct that plagued the case.
Stream American Nightmare on Netflix.
The Man With 1000 Kids
The Man With 1000 Kids is a true crime documentary that delves into the world of Jonathan Jacob Meijer, a Dutch musician and YouTube content creator who has fathered more than 1,000 children through sperm donations. The three-part docuseries uses archive footage and dramatic reenactments to tell the story of families from around the world who discovered that their children were the result of illegal donations and tracks the court cases and grassroots campaigns to put a stop to Meijer’s activities.
Stream The Man With 1000 Kids on Netflix.
Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV
Quiet On Set is perhaps the most talked-about documentary of 2024, so far. Its goal is to uncover the toxic culture behind some of the most iconic children’s shows on Nickelodeon in the 1990s and 2000s, and when it was released in March, it dominated headlines for weeks.
The four-part series focused most notably on the behaviour of Dan Schneider, who created shows like The Amanda Show and iCarly, though it also covers the behaviours of other adults who worked on set. Child stars like Alex Nikolas (of Zoey 101ˆ) and Drake Bell (of Drake & Josh) allege that the networks failed to protect the children on set, with Bell also alleging that he was sexually abused on set.
Stream Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV on Binge.
Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
This three-part documentary sheds light on an alleged cult that’s fronting as a TikTok creator management company. Its central personalities are Miranda and Melanie Wilking, sisters with a combined six million followers on TikTok.
The series starts with Melanie and her parents expressing concern over Miranda’s behaviour. In the three episodes, we hear from past members, and Melanie, who explains how joining a management company enmeshed the pair in a mysterious religious community, leading to Miranda cutting all communication with her sister (and, for a time, her parents).
What’s particularly unnerving about this docuseries is that the members of the reported cult aren’t hidden away behind closed doors, and are extremely active on TikTok in particular, posting daily skits and dances with their friends and partners.
Stream Dancing For The Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult on Netflix.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal
For the initiated, Ashley Madison was a dating site for people seeking adulterous affairs. That topic alone wouldn’t make this a true crime story, but the documentary tells the story of how the platform got hacked in 2015, resulting in a huge data breach and the dissolution of countless marriages.
More than 30 million people’s private data was released in the breach, which you would think would deter people from joining the site. That’s not the case, and in 2020, Ashley Madison (which is under now management) announced its membership had swelled to 70 million. The Australian population is roughly 24 million people, which gives us an idea about just how widespread the breach is (and, as an aside, just how prevalent cheating is).
Stream Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal on Netflix.
1800RESPECT is the national domestic, family, and sexual violence counselling, information and support service. Lifeline 13 11 14
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