Maybe you're like me and made a resolution to watch less true crime [1] this year to save your brain from going into dark detective mode. But then again, if you are like me, you folded when Netflix casually dropped American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace [2] (originally from FX) and Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes [3] into its extensive library of content based on gruesome real-life cases [4]. The genre has yet to lose any momentum, and you'll definitely see it beyond the popular streaming giant.
This year, a new wave of true crime will hit the small screen, from harrowing documentary series [5] about controversial convictions to fictionalized portrayals of murderers. Scroll ahead to find out the darkest TV shows based on real stories that you should keep an eye on in 2019, from HBO's The Case Against Adnan Syed to Hulu's The Act.
Conversations With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
Before you watch Zac Efron [6] portray Ted Bundy [7], you might want to check out this horrifying docu-series [8] from Netflix, which is led by the same director, Joe Berlinger. The show curates interviews and archival footage with the notorious serial killer (pictured) and those affected by his actions. The criminal infamously targeted young women, confessing to 30 homicides in total between 1974 and 1978 (though the actual number is likely higher [9]).
True crime documentaries tend to get grisly, and the unspeakable violence of Bundy's crimes is a good reason to watch this show with caution (and to stop calling him hot [10]).
Release date: Jan. 24
I Am the Night
With Wonder Woman's Patty Jenkins as its executive producer, I Am the Night [11], a six-part TNT miniseries, follows the gruesome 1947 Black Dahlia murder [12]. Certain parts of the story are fictionalized, including the addition of a reporter named Jay Singletary, who's portrayed by none other than Chris Pine [13] (pictured in the series). Singletary searches for answers with Fauna Hodel [14], an adopted woman who has been told that her biological grandfather is the Black Dahlia killer.
Release date: Jan. 27
Manhunt
Manhunt is about Colin Sutton, an English police officer who caught one of the UK's most feared killers, Levi Bellfield (pictured in a photo made available to press in 2008), after connecting the relationship between three of his young female victims. The upcoming TV drama, which stars Martin Clunes as the detective, is based on Sutton's book Manhunt: How I Brought Serial Killer Levi Bellfield to Justice. The series has aired in the UK but will officially be available to American viewers on Acorn TV [15] in March.
Release date: March 11
The Act
Recently picking up a Golden Globe [16] for her role in Escape at Dannemora, Patricia Arquette (pictured) will continue her work in the true crime genre in Hulu's The Act. She plays Dee Dee Blanchard, a Louisiana woman who had a tenuous and toxic relationship with her daughter Gypsy. According to Dee Dee, Gypsy, portrayed by Joey King [17], suffered from illnesses such as leukemia, asthma, muscular dystrophy, and brain damage. Gypsy's search for independence eventually led to murder.
The shocking true story has already been made into a documentary and a made-for-TV movie, as well as inspiring an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Besides Arquette and King, the rest of the talented cast includes Chloë Sevigny [18], AnnaSophia Robb, and Calum Worthy.
Release date: March 20
Delhi Crime
In March, Netflix will drop the first season of the Indian police-procedural anthology drama Delhi Crime. Inspired by real events, the debut installation of the series closely follows the 2012 investigation of the fatal gang rape of a young woman from the perspectives of members of the Delhi Police force. The project is directed by Indo-Canadian film auteur Richie Mehta (pictured).
Release date: March 22
Central Park Five
Known for her powerful work in 13th and Selma, Ava DuVernay [19] will be directing the upcoming Netflix series based on the case of the Central Park Five [20], a group of young black and Latino men (pictured in 2012) who were accused of physically and sexually assaulting a white female jogger, who was in a coma for 12 days following the brutal attack inflicted upon her. While no physical evidence linked any of them to the crime, each of the defendants spent six to 13 years in prison.
A few names that viewers may recognise from this upcoming project include Jovan Adepo (Fences), Chris Chalk (The Newsroom), Michael K. Williams (The Wire), and Vera Farmiga (Bates Motel).
Release date: TBA
Mindhunter, Season 2
Season two of Netflix's Mindhunter [21] will come out some time later this year, if all goes according to actor Holt McCallany's comments [22] at the Vulture Festival in May 2018. The fictionalized series follows the investigations of FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, who undertake the task of criminal profiling to learn more about what motivates serial killers. The show is based on the true crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.
While Holden and Bill are fictionalized, many of the criminals that they profile were real people [23], including Ed Kemper, Montie Rissell, Herry Brudos, and Richard Speck. It's been announced that Damon Herriman will, in season two, be portraying Charles Manson [24] (who he also plays in the upcoming Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood).
Release date: TBA
The Case Against Adnan Syed
Just a few years ago, Sarah Koenig excavated the death of high school student Hae Min Lee and the conviction against her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed (pictured in 2016) in the first season of the podcast Serial [25]. HBO will take on the case again in a mini documentary series [26] called The Case Against Adnan Syed, which is directed by Academy Award nominee Amy Berg. You'll hear from Syed, his relatives, teachers, and members of law enforcement on the case.
Release date: TBA