Best True Crime Documentaries Of 2023

Delving into the newest true crime documentary or docuseries can definitely feel like a bit of a guilty pleasure. It is, after all, taking the worst moments of someone's life and putting them on the small screen for everyone to see, from the comfort of their own sofas and over a bowl of popcorn. Weird? For sure ... but it doesn't have to be, especially when they're done right.

That can mean a variety of things, including telling the story in a way that doesn't glamorize the crime and the criminals. It can also mean paying extra attention to the victims, and that's something that's historically not been done too much. (After all, how many of John Wayne Gacy's victims can the average person name? How about Ted Bundy? Or Richard Ramirez?) It also means telling the stories that need to be told, and while that can often make for very uncomfortable watching, it can also be potentially life-changing for those who need it the most.

That said, let's talk about some of the best, don't-miss true crime documentaries of 2023. But first, a disclaimer: This will be spoiler-free. We'll talk about why you should watch these and give enough information to make a choice on whether or not you're going to want to spend some precious free time tuning in, but for anyone who doesn't want to know whodunit, well, that's their story to tell.

All too often, true crime documentaries end up glamorizing the crimes they're talking about, and that seems to be particularly true when the subject is a serial killer. "Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York" turns that upside down, though, and instead, it focuses on the victims: Thomas Mulcahy, Peter Anderson, Anthony Marrero, and Michael Sakara. And it works: Time calls it "the rare true-crime doc that does right by the victims," and that's incredibly important.

When the so-called Last Call Killer was stalking New York City's gay bars in the early '90s, being gay was still the sort of thing that many people just didn't talk about — and the families of the victims address that, condemning the indifference of law enforcement and society as a whole. Also front and center is a reminder of the damage done by an openly homophobic stance taken by the NYPD, with families sharing what it felt like to know that their loved ones were seen as unworthy.

"Last Call" has a well-deserved 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's an important reminder that the victims deserve a prominent place in the narrative. The doc paints a poignant picture of families still grieving while lauding the activist groups that formed the cornerstone of New York's LGBTQ+ community, and the tireless voices who refused to let indifferent authorities forget about the men who were killed, dismembered, and disposed of.

When "19 Kids and Counting" premiered in 2008, it would have been unthinkable that the story of the Duggar family would be featured in an Amazon true crime series just a little over a decade later... but here we are. At the time of the TLC show's heyday, it was a harmless sort of train wreck, leaving viewers wondering how they managed to juggle the logistics of 19 kids. Then there came the accusations that the eldest, Josh, had molested several of his siblings, and those accusations just sort of disappeared. Until, that is, he was convicted on charges related to child sexual abuse images, and until "Shiny Happy People" did a deep dive into the Christian fundamentalist group that the Duggars had been a part of. 

What unfolds throughout the documentary are accusations of sexual assault, harassment, and a cult-like amount of control over members. Themes of isolation and abuses packaged as religious beliefs are prevalent, and it's shocking stuff not only because it happened, but because millions of people tuned in regularly to watch one of the families that was front and center in it all.

"Shiny Happy People" has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and while it's impressive, it's also terrifying. It isn't, after all, just about what went on behind closed doors, it's about how it was repackaged for mass consumption under the guise of a quaint but loving family.

What makes a great true crime documentary? First, take a director with a flair for the sort of subliminally significant shots that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud, and then add in some of the most vulnerable victims who have ever been taken advantage of, a system that absolutely failed them, and a wrongly convicted killer, and that's just the beginning of the strange, dark dive viewers take in Netflix's "The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders."

In a nutshell, it's the story of a horrific series of murders that happened in Mexico City in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The M.O. was as reliable as it was awful: An unknown killer would talk their way into the homes of elderly women with promises of help and financial guidance. Then, they were murdered. Those murders were so brutal that it was assumed the perpetrator was a man and likely one who was a part of the city's wrestling scene. What's that old saying about what happens when anyone assumes anything?

And it doesn't stop with the arrest: As El Pais reported around the release of the documentary, one suspect arrested in 2004 is still in jail ... in spite of the fact that the evidence that put her there has been debunked. It's no wonder that Rolling Stone says this in one of their must-watch documentaries of the year.

For anyone who's missed the installments of AMC's "True Crime Story" series, 2023's "Look into My Eyes" is a great time to hop on board because it's a weird one. When three 16-year-old students from the same Sarasota, Florida high school died under mysterious circumstances within a few weeks of each other, authorities started looking into just what was going on at the school. It's safe to say that what they found was something no one could have predicted, and the students did have something in common: They had been hypnotized by their principal, Dr. George Kenney.

It's important to note that Kenney denies any wrongdoing, but it's up to viewers to decide that for themselves. Kenney confirms that he was using hypnosis to treat various students for various things, but at what point can a non-licensed practitioner of what's essentially presented as therapy be held accountable if something goes wrong? Did something go wrong? Did he have anything to do with it? 

That's actually one of the brilliant things about his documentary, and that's the balance with which the story is told. It's not just grieving family members, it's people who say that Kenney's practices were of invaluable help to them. At the end of the day, though, three teens are still dead, so, what happens next?

One of the most terrifying things about life is how quickly everything can change, and when serial foster mother Margie Cantrell, her three children, and her husband moved to Mineola, Texas, in 2004, a series of events was put into motion that meant the town — and dozens of lives— would never be the same. It wasn't long afterward that children began coming forward with shocking claims that they had been forced to participate in a "sex kindergarten," and were then abused by the members of a local swingers' club.

That's the story of Max's "How to Create a Sex Scandal," but as the title of the documentary implies, it wasn't long before the stories told by the children and their champions started to unravel. Investigative journalist Michael Hall did extensive work not only covering the case for Texas Monthly, but doing a deep dive into the story that would form the backbone of the documentary that Rolling Stone says is incredibly important for a very specific reason: It could open the door even further, and help get to the bottom of what really happened in that small Texas town.

Seven people were ultimately arrested, tried, convicted, and jailed, and that's not the kind of thing anyone walks away from unscathed. Today, there's a massive catch: The children in question are adults; they're telling another story.

Scroll through any of the streaming services, and it's no secret that they're very U.S.-centric — and that's one of the things that makes Netflix's "The Darkness within La Luz del Mundo" so important. It tells the story of Naasón Joaquín García, the Mexican megachurch leader who — on June 9, 2022 — was given a 16-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of children. The church was founded by García's grandfather, and attorneys for the victims say the abuse goes back through the generations. 

On the heels of the verdict, attorneys say they're pushing further. And here's where the importance of the documentary comes in: García landed and was arrested in Los Angeles just a few weeks before the Jeffrey Epstein case broke wide open, and yet the similar charges of abuse of minors, sexual assault, and trafficking didn't get nearly the same attention in spite of the fact that García's church had a presence in around 50 countries. 

Jonati Yedidsion is one of the attorneys involved in the case, and told Telemundo (via NBC) that the reason was just as straightforward as it was awful: "You hear about other cults, like NXIVM... [But] In this case, the abuse is the worst you can imagine. And people haven't heard about [García] and what happened with his criminal sentence. And I think the fact that it hasn't received much media attention has to do with the fact that it's about minorities." The documentary is hoping to help change that.

When Netflix dropped "American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing," it was a full 10 years since the nation was shocked by the vicious attack that unfolded on the streets of Boston. The Boston Herald spoke with Floyd Russ about his documentary and found that even though a decade had passed, there was still a lot of unhealed trauma. "You know, it's not easy for us to get anybody to talk about such a serious event, but the point was we do it 10 years later, because we're talking about reflection," he said. "Hopefully, there is some sense of closure at this point, which is going to be different for everybody."

And that's what it's about: healing. Russ added that everyone featured in the documentary has their own scars from what happened that day, and says that many are still trying to come to grips with what happened. He also stresses that the time that's passed means there are plenty of people who are old enough to watch the documentary now, who might have been too young to understand what was going on when it happened ... and that it's important not to forget.

Rotten Tomatoes gives the doc a solid 89% rating, and that's not surprising. Highlights include not only interviews with law enforcement who were among the first on the scene, but also with Danny Meng (pictured). Meng was kidnapped at gunpoint by Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and retells the story of his ordeal and escape in harrowing detail.

On the surface, there aren't many organizations more wholesome than the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). In recent years, however, the group has been hit by a ton of sexual assault allegations: There's been so many, in fact, that the BSA declared bankruptcy in hopes of setting the $2.46 billion in claims.

It goes without saying that a documentary on those charges makes for incredibly difficult viewing, but it also needs to be said: It makes for incredibly difficult viewing. "Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts" details not only what went on behind closed doors and interviews some of the survivors, but it also delves into just how it was all swept under the carpet. Many have continued to live with years of trauma that's gone long-buried and unaddressed.

At the center of the documentary is Michael Johnson, the former youth protection director for the Boy Scouts. He stepped forward in 2021 to reveal just how deep some of the accusations and abuse cases were buried, telling Rolling Stone, "By coming forward I hoped to spur a congressional or, at the least, a state attorney general investigation asking why so much sexual abuse occurred ... and the ongoing inherent risks." Until then, though, the documentary makes for crucial watching, especially considering that in the beginning of 2023, Scouting Magazine announced record numbers: They noted that they had more than 1,042,000 members "coming off the COVID-19 pandemic and the bankruptcy proceedings," without mentioning why those proceedings had been necessary.

It's nice to think that someone might decide to become a doctor in order to help people, but it turns out that the world's not a very nice place. Netflix's medical crime documentary "Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife" tells the story of a surgeon named Paolo Macchiarini, who initially set out to do something incredible: pioneer the use of synthetic organs. The implications for anyone waiting on a typically long list and hoping for an organ transplant were staggering, but needless to say... he ended up in a true crime documentary instead of being handed a Nobel Prize. 

Macchiarini did, indeed, perform surgery on at least eight patients and outfit them with these new organs, but things went very sideways, very quickly. He was revealed to be a fraud, accused of falsifying research, and perhaps most shockingly, he was condemned for operating on — and killing — patients who hadn't needed transplants in the first place.

Throw in a misguided love affair with an NBC producer, and it makes for a gripping watch... one that will have anyone second-guessing their medical decisions. Interestingly, IMDb reviews suggest that some viewers are finding this one is perhaps not as straightforward as it might seem. Was he misguided? Unethical? Cruel? Self-deluded? Or did he just get swept up in wanting to pioneer this new procedure? Watch, and decide for yourself. 

"Escaping Twin Flames" is, as of this writing, sitting with a comfortable 82% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it's no wonder: As Slashfilm says, it's "A difficult but important docuseries." It's a fascinating look at not just a very strange organization with a lot of terrible accusations that have been leveled against it, but it's also an incredible insight into the mechanics of manipulation... and what someone will do for love.

Or rather, "love." In a nutshell, the Twin Flames Universe promises members that they're going to find their so-called "twin flame," which harkens back to the idea that some souls are meant to be together on a cosmic level, and are connected in a way well beyond what any mere mortal can understand... unless, of course, you sign up. At the head of the TFU are Jeff Ayan and his wife, Shaleia: Not only have they built a lifestyle brand around the idea, but in their deep dive into the organization, Vox noted that they teach something pretty dangerous. The relationship between twin flames is divine, special, and unbreakable... which sounds great, until someone gets involved in an unhappy or abusive relationship.

The Ayans say their group is not a cult, but if that disclaimer has to be made, it's safe to say that at least some lines have already been crossed. (And yes, Ayan claims he's Jesus reincarnated.) The documentary features interviews from those who were on the inside and former followers who managed to escape. Is it hard to watch? Sure. Is it important? Absolutely.

This one's a little different, but that's what makes it stand out from the crowd. "The Mission" is a deep dive into the story of 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau, who made headlines in 2018 when he was killed attempting to visit the people of North Sentinel Island. After his death, two very different points of view emerged: While the evangelical organization he belonged to claimed that he had been martyred while only trying to share the gospel and Chau believed he was infiltrating "Satan's last stronghold," The Guardian reported that his father condemned the "extreme vision of Christianity" he ultimately blamed for his son's death.

The so-called Sentinelese are one of the few isolated, uncontacted tribes in the world, and they've repeatedly made it clear that's the way they prefer things. Those who have gotten too close to their island tend to end up dead, and it's 100% illegal to try to make contact with them, or land on the island. And let's be clear — it's for their safety as well as would-be trespassers, as any disease introduced to the isolated population could be devastating. 

"The Mission" makes an attempt at sort of reverse-engineering Chau's motives, with help from letters, social media, Chau's own 27-page plan, and interviews with some of his friends. More than that, though, it's also a look at missionary work, motivations, and whether or not the Christian world has a right to try to convert entire groups to their way of thinking.

If you or someone you know is dealing with spiritual abuse or may be the victim of domestic violence or child abuse, contact the relevant resources below:

• The National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.
• The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.