Netflix Unveils Slate of True Crime Docs

By Kip Mooney • On • In News News Comments Off on Netflix Unveils Slate of True Crime Docs

The true crime obsession is here to stay, at least for another year. Hulu's (fictional) Only Murders in the Building has been renewed for a second season. Real-life sleuths have been dogged in solving the mystery of Gabby Petito, raising concerns about the ethics of amateur detectives. (Not to mention the issue of racism: Would America be so fascinated by this case if Gabby weren't white?) But I digress. Netflix has loaded up on even more documentary films and series to satisfy your cravings this winter.

First up is Tiger King 2, following up on the wildly popular series from last year. While many people are probably over the saga of Joe Exotic (who never got that pardon from President Trump), a whole lot has happened in the past 18 months. Both Doc Antle and Jeff Lowe faced legal trouble, and Carole Baskin made a brief run on Dancing with the Stars.

Next year boasts even more true crime, kicking off with The Puppet Master. This isn't the surprisingly long-running horror franchise, but a three-part doc on "one of the world's most audacious conmen." The series hails from the directors of The Imposter, which shocked audiences in 2012. After that, the almost-rhyming Tinder Swindler debuts, focusing on the women who exposed a notorious dating-app fraud.

Finally, we get a little more trendy with another film and series. Trust No One features swindled investors as they try to learn more about the death of cryptocurrency baron Gerry Cotten and his ill-gotten gains. And later in the year, Bad Vegan debuts, following restaurateur Sarma Melngalis and the con man who promised her an empire but siphoned off her fortune.

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About Kip Mooney

Kip Mooney
Like many film critics born during and after the 1980s, my hero is Roger Ebert. The man was already the best critic in the nation when he won the Pulitzer in 1975, but his indomitable spirit during and after his recent battle with cancer keeps me coming back to read not only his reviews but his insightful commentary on the everyday. But enough about a guy you know a lot about. I knew I was going to be a film critic—some would say a snob—in middle school, when I had to voraciously defend my position that The Royal Tenenbaums was only a million times better than Adam Sandler’s remake of Mr. Deeds. From then on, I would seek out Wes Anderson’s films and avoid Sandler’s like the plague. Still, I like to think of myself as a populist, and I’ll be just as likely to see the next superhero movie as the next Sundance sensation. The thing I most deplore in a movie is laziness. I’d much rather see movies with big ambitions try and fail than movies with no ambitions succeed at simply existing. I’m also a big advocate of fun-bad movies like The Room and most of Nicolas Cage’s work. In the past, I’ve written for The Dallas Morning News and the North Texas Daily, which I edited for a semester. I also contributed to Dallas-based Pegasus News, which in the circle of life, is now part of The Dallas Morning News, where I got my big break in 2007. Eventually, I’d love to write and talk about film full-time, but until that’s a viable career option, I work as an auditor for Wells Fargo. I hope to one day meet my hero, go to the Toronto International Film Festival, and compete on Jeopardy. Until then, I’m excited to share my love of film with you.