POPSUGAR UK

20 of the Best True-Crime Documentaries Streaming on Hulu Right Now

14/03/2019 - 09:53 PM

Most of us know that Netflix's expansive library has some of the greatest true-crimes documentaries [1] ever, with Conversations With a Serial Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes [2] and Abducted in Plain Sight [3] being the newest hits. Still, Netflix isn't the only place where you can become paranoid about life insurance policies — Hulu has been hopping onto this grisly wagon as well. The streaming site that brought us The Handmaid's Tale [4] has also produced The Act [5], an anthology series whose debut season dramatizes the twisted life and murder of Dee Dee Blanchard. If you just prefer the bread-and-butter documentary form, you won't be disappointed either. Hulu's collection includes features such as Cropsey and Tales of Grim Sleeper, as well as shows from true-crime-focussed networks such as Investigation Discovery and A&E. Scroll ahead to see the best of the streaming site's true-crime documentaries and docuseries.

Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger

This documentary follows the trials of the notorious gangster James "Whitey" Bulger, navigating the allegations of corruption within law enforcement and the legal system. It's directed by none other than Joe Berlinger, who also helmed Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile [6], the Ted Bundy film starring Zac Efron [7], as well as Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

Watch it now. [8]

Killing for Love

Killing for Love is a German documentary about a couple, Derek and Nancy Haysom, that is brutally murdered. Their daughter Elizabeth and her boyfriend Jens Söring are convicted for their deaths — the feature explores how romantic fantasy may have led an innocent man to confess to a crime that he didn't commit.

Watch it now. [9]

Cocaine Cowboys

Cocaine Cowboys tells the story of how Colombian cocaine lords transformed Miami in the '80s and ushered in a wave of drugs and murder that was as bad as the Prohibition era. The documentary shows how crime took over Miami during this time period.

Watch it now. [10]

Frank Serpico

In the '70s, officer Frank Serpico revealed the bribery and corruption that went on in the NYPD. In the documentary that shares his name, Serpico shares his life story with his fellow officers and the people who admired his work.

Watch it now. [11]

Dirty Wars

In this documentary, an investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill uncovers secrets of America's covert wars and acts as a whistle-blower by revealing operations of the Joint Special Operations Command, a secret fighting force in America that has a kill list where no one is off-limits. The JSOC has operations that are executed by men who don't exist within a paper trail and, for that reason, cannot appear before Congress and be held accountable.

Watch it now. [12]

The China Hustle

The China Hustle is a financial crime documentary about the ongoing fraud of Chinese companies that are hyped up and sold by American investments banks to investors. The prices of the stock that investors buy eventually crash to their true value, leaving savers with a significant amount of worthless stock in their 401-Ks.

Watch it now. [13]

Fyre Fraud

Along with Netflix's Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, Hulu's Fyre Fraud [14] was the other documentary that captured the Internet's attention. It's a true-crime comedy about the failed music festival that became a sensation with the help of social media. Festival attendees, including high profile names, had paid thousands of dollars for luxury accommodations and received prepackaged sandwiches and FEMA tents. The organiser, Billy McFarland, was charged with a count of wire fraud and sentenced to six years in prison [15]. He and his team also faced at least eight lawsuits, including one seeking $100 million in damages.

Watch it now. [16]

Peace Officer

This PBS documentary is about former sheriff William Lawrence, who trained the SWAT team in the same unit that killed his son-in-law 30 years later in a contentious standoff. Lawrence looks at this case alongside other officer involved shootings, raising questions about the increasing militarization of police.

Watch it now. [17]

Cropsey

Cropsey [18] is a terrifying feature that goes into the disappearances of five missing children and the real-life boogeyman who took them. The story transitions from an examination of "Cropsey," a New York boogeyman urban legend into the case of Andre Rand, a child abductor and suspected serial killer.

Watch it now. [19]

Forensic Files

A cult favourite, Forensic Files is a documentary series about how scientists use physical evidence to trace crimes. Hulu doesn't have all of the show, but it does include a voluminous library of episodes to turn you into an amateur forensic scientist.

Watch it now. [20]

Tales of the Grim Sleeper

Shortlisted for the Oscars, Tales of the Grim Sleeper follows the case of a serial killer who wreaked havoc and inspired fear in South Central Los Angeles over a 25-year time period. The LAPD called the arrest of Lonnie Franklin Jr., aka the Grim Sleeper, a result of years of investigation, but the film actually reveals that the community where Franklin lived could not trust the police to help them.

Watch it now. [21]

Tabloid

Tabloid explores the life of Miss Wyoming Joyce McKinney, a highly intelligent beauty queen whose obsession brings her into jail and on the pages of the press with news around kidnapping, shackled Mormons, racy photography, and more. An American Mormon missionary, Kirk Anderson, said that he had been abducted and repeatedly sexually assaulted by McKinney, who fled from England to the United States before her trial commenced.

Watch it now. [22]

American Greed

Narrated by Stacy Keach, American Greed follows Ponzi schemes, mortgage frauds, and more, unraveling what high profile and white collar criminals have done for money. The cases predominantly involve money and how it can ruin people's lives. But sometimes, there is literally blood in the money with murder-for-hire cases.

Watch it now. [23]


Who Killed Nancy?

This documentary follows the case of 20-year-old Nancy Spungen's violent death. Her boyfriend, the Sex Pistol's Sid Vicious, was pronounced guilty of her murder right after, but because he died of a heroin overdose in six months, the case would never go to trial.

Watch it now. [24]

Cold Case Files

This twisty A&E legal show is about cases that have been long unsolved. Detectives examine the witnesses, forensic evidence, and leads to come to startling revelations after using new forensic technology and social media.

Watch it now. [25]

Panic 9-1-1

This thriller docu-series features emergency 9-1-1 calls as well as real interviews of the callers and their gripping accounts. While the series was short-lived and only lasted nine episodes, it's definitely terrifying to hear these stories unfold.

Watch it now. [26]

The Menedez Murders: Erik Tells All

The foci of the Law & Order True Crime anthology series, Erik and Lyle Menedez [27] were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for murdering their wealthy parents. The Menedez Murder: Erik Tells All is a limited series where the former talks about the case in his most in-depth interview ever.

Watch it now. [28]


The Murder of Laci Peterson

The Murder of Laci Peterson is a limited docuseries about the case of a missing eight-month pregnant Modesto woman whose absence prompted a wide search. When her body was found, police looked to her husband Scott. A&E revisits this widely publicized case with profiles from Scott and his family as well as renowned experts such as lawyer Gloria Allred and journalist Maureen Orth.

Watch it now. [29]

Deadly Women

Investigation Discovery's Deadly Women focuses on female murderers, figuring out their motives by considering the forensic evidence that they leave behind and the psychology of female killers. And yes, the lead experts in the series are women — Dr. Janis Amatuzio is a forensic pathologist who comments on the evidence and Candice DeLong is a former FBI agent who provides the psychological framework of each case.

Watch it now. [30]

Barbara Walters Presents: American Scandals

Barbara Walters [31], who's known for her breakthrough interviews, has covered some of the biggest crime news in contemporary times, such as the death of JonBenét Ramsey and the O.J. Simpson case. The TV journalist reflects upon what compelled her to these stories and what came about from telling them in the series Barbara Walter Presents: American Scandals.

Watch it now. [32]


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/entertainment/True-Crime-Documentaries-Hulu-2019-45918868