It would be all too easy to stream a steady diet of serial killer sagas. But for variety’s sake, we’ve rounded up some alternatives with fresh approaches and entirely different offenses, all conveniently streaming on Hulu.
Our only question is, what law didn’t they break in these five true-crime shows?
1. An Academic Angle
Paging Annalise Keating! It’s a real-life How to Get Away With Murder. In the just-released docuseries The Lesson Is Murder, criminologist and former FBI special agent Dr. Bryanna Fox mentors a batch of grad students in the art of profiling convicted killers, one brutal investigation at a time.
2. Sex, Lies, and Videotapes
Filled with jaw-dropping footage, February’s three-part Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence explores how manipulative con man Larry Ray was able to indoctrinate his own daughter’s college roommates into a world of mental and physical exploitation.
Hulu
3. Kidnapping and Trauma
The 1972 abduction of Steven Stayner—subject of the miniseries I Know My First Name Is Steven—was just the beginning of a family nightmare. The three-part Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story (2022) looks at the media frenzy and emotional fallout surrounding Steven’s safe return in 1980, plus the grisly reveal of another monster closer to home: his older brother, Cary.
4. High Times and Lowlifes
Fired up by rumors that a triple homicide on a California pot farm could be the work of a mythical beast, investigative journalist David Holthouse sets out to find the truth. But what he uncovers over three episodes of Sasquatch (2021) is very human and way more horrifying.
5. Social Media Swindling
Ain’t no party like a guilty party, and that’s who goes on record for Fyre Fraud (2019). Organizer Billy McFarland (he later spent four years in prison) is interviewed for this intriguing doc about 2017’s epically mismanaged Fyre Festival. It promised an exclusive island music event (tickets: $1K to $12K) and delivered zero bands or luxury.
All Titles Available Now, Hulu
This is an excerpt from TV Insider’s May issue. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the issue, currently on newsstands or purchase it online here. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
