There’s something about true crime stories that manages to intrigue viewers long after the actual incident. From popular murder tales explored in titles like The Asunta Case to cold case documentaries like Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, 2024 saw some outstanding shows. The list of true-crime documentaries to watch in 2025 has some promising titles as well.
Thanks to the burgeoning libraries of OTT platforms, you blink, and more true-crime documentaries are released. Over the years, several such titles have become some of the most viewed content. For instance, on Netflix, Conversations With a Killer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Tapes is a hit docuseries, based on the crimes and trial of the dreaded serial killer.
The Kings of Tupelo: A Southern Crime Saga is among the latest true crime stories on the streaming juggernaut. Released on 11 December, it focuses on Kevin Curtis, a former Elvis impersonator and conspiracy theorist from Tupelo, Mississippi. His involvement in a small-town feud, the illegal organ market and an assassination attempt on former President Barack Obama make it quite an intriguing title.
The slate of true crime documentaries releasing in 2025 has many intriguing titles as well. While Peacock’s Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy sheds light on his childhood, rise to fame and recent criminal allegations, it straddles the line between a crime documentary and a biographical one. On the other hand, Scamanda is the screen adaptation of a hit true crime podcast about blogger Amanda Riley.
Although more names from various streaming services will come up in time, these confirmed titles across different OTT platforms are enough to get us excited.
True crime documentaries to check out in 2025
The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter
Release date: 6 and 7 January — Max
Directed by: Christian Conway, Jackson Conway
Cast: Natalia Grace, Bishop Antwon, Cynthia Mans
The third and final instalment of the acclaimed Investigation Discovery docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: The Final Chapter explores the controversy and years of tumultuous experiences regarding Grace’s medical condition and adoption.
The Ukrainian-American was born with a rare dwarfism condition. Grace was adopted by Kristine and Michael Barnett and lived with them between 2010 and 2013 before they abandoned her. The couple claimed that she lied about her age and that she was a manipulative adult pretending to be a minor. Although DNA tests suggest Grace was born in 2003 and season 2 confirmed this.
Later, she is adopted by Bishop Antwon and Cynthia Mans who contact the directors regarding Grace’s changed behaviour as an adult. The tortures she faced and the story she lived make it a must-watch true-crime documentary.
Sons of Ecstasy
Release date: 9 January — Max
Created by: Julian P. Hobbs, Elli Hakami
Cast: Gerard Gravano, Karen Gravano, Sammy Gravano, Shaun Attwood
The documentary marks the first time members of the notorious New York crime empire, the Gravano family are telling their side of the story about their involvement in the ecstasy drug trade, during its popularity in the ’90s Arizona.
Featuring interviews with the family members, the true crime documentary takes a deep dive into the inside accounts of what went on and how. It will also depict how the trade culminated in a dangerous rivalry between the Gravano family and Shaun Attwood, an English stockbroker and major drug kingpin.
An Update on Our Family
Release date: 15 January — Max
Directed by: Rachel Mason
Vlogger couple Myka and James Stauffer built an empire based on Huxley, their adopted son from China who was on the autism spectrum, but later gave him up. The incident became the catalyst to question the ethics behind YouTubers/TikTokers who often make monetised content featuring their children. This scandal spotlights the unregulated family vlogging industry.
The three-part documentary will drop episodes weekly.
Murder Under the Friday Night Lights (Season 4)
Release date: 16 January — Max
Directed by: Andrea De Brito
Cast: Jalil Reddick, Robert Cunniff, Stephen Gray
Across three seasons, the football-themed true-crime documentary series shows how the game is an intrinsic part of small-town life that connects communities. However, when heinous crimes and outrageous violence shatter the Friday night dream world, the game and the community will never be the same.
Season 4 shall cover NFL player Aaron Hernandez’s murder spree. Variety cites a press release which states that the new instalment shall delve into the tragic intersection of Hernandez with two of his high school teammates, Alex Ryng and Nicholas Brutcher, who, in a disturbing twist of fate, also went on to commit murder.
Exclusive interviews with Hernandez’s childhood friend Alex Bradley, who was shot in the face by the player, and Ernest Wallace, a family friend who was with him on the night Odin Lloyd was murdered, also make it a gripping watch.
Scamanda
Release date: TBA — ABC
Cast: Charlie Webster, Rachel Leighson, Chris Savery
The upcoming true-crime documentary is an adaptation of the hit podcast about blogger Amanda Riley (Leighson), hosted by Webster. Pretending to be suffering from cancer, Riley collected nearly USD 100,000 in an online crowdfunding drive for medical bills she never had. She used to post pictures in a way that would suggest her time alternating between remission and relapses at least four times from 2012 to 2016.
How she deceived people, what she did with the money and where is she now have been covered in great detail in the 2023 podcast. Now, it is being turned into a documentary.
ABC had initially announced it as an October 2024 release but was pushed to 2025.
(Hero and feature image credits: IMDb)