The best true crime documentaries: from Con Mum to The Tylenol Murders

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"Prime suspect" James Lewis in Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders . | Credit: Netflix / Everett Collection Inc / Alamy

Our fascination with true crime isn't going anywhere. From chilling murders to elaborate hoaxes and police corruption scandals, there are plenty of cases to dive into. Whether you want to play armchair detective or you're drawn in by the shocking twists, these are some of the best true crime documentaries to watch right now.

Murder 24/7

This "extremely well crafted" documentary is a "thoroughbred" of the true-crime genre, said Carol Midgley in The Times. The second series of the show follows the West Mercia police force as they investigate a series of crimes, including the brutal murder of DPD delivery driver Aurman Singh. Filled with "high-adrenaline" chase scenes and "extraordinary" access to Ring doorbell and police bodycam footage, it's a gripping watch. BBC iPlayer

The Push: Murder on the Cliff

Arthur's Seat takes on a "harrowing" role in this two-part documentary, said Gerard Gilbert in The i Paper. Back in 2021, Kashif Anwar pushed his pregnant wife to her death from a rocky outcrop at the Edinburgh beauty spot. He said she "slipped" but as she lay dying she was able to make a "last-gasp accusation" to a passer-by: "Don't let my husband near me. He pushed me." Unlike so many true-crime shows, there's nothing remotely "trashy" about "The Push". Instead, interviews with family and courtroom scenes are carefully weaved together to sketch a picture of a "much-loved young woman who had made one bad decision": marrying Anwar.Channel 4

American Murder: Gabby Petito

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This "devastating" true crime documentary series is "worth your attention", said Laura Jane Turner in Digital Spy. The series turns the lens on aspiring lifestyle vlogger Gabby Petito, who was murdered during a cross-country US road trip with her fiancé Brian Laundrie. While it's a "difficult watch, it represents the genre at its most impactful", and by including "raw and emotional" interviews with her family and friends, interspersed with vlog footage, the "careful retelling" of the case puts Gabby "front and centre of almost every frame". Netflix

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders

By the end of the first episode of this three-part docuseries "you will be gripped", said Michelle Curran in the Daily Mail. The show delves into the shocking events of 1982 when seven people in the Chicago metropolitan area died after taking Tylenol that had been laced with cyanide. During the series we meet "prime suspect" James Lewis, who was convicted of extortion after sending Johnson & Johnson a ransom note demanding $1 million to prevent more deaths. Despite denying that he actually tampered with the tablets, it's disturbing to watch him speak about his actions with "no remorse". The series "will leave you with more questions than it answers" but that doesn't stop it being an utterly "compelling" watch. Netflix

Con Mum

Back in 2022, the celebrated British pastry chef Graham Hornigold "received a message that he had been waiting for all his life" from a woman claiming to be his "long-lost mother", said Benji Wilson in The Telegraph. As the title reveals, she turns out to be a "nasty piece of work" and by the time she's finished with her son, she has "ruined his life and destroyed his marriage". It's a "breathtakingly depressing" story that ends with a shocking twist you won't see coming. Netflix

Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives

This "tantalising" four-part Netflix docuseries explores how a "rising star" in New York's "raw-vegan food scene" was swindled out of $2 million by her con man lover, said Vanity Fair. Director Chris Smith (known for "Fyre: the Greatest Party that Never Happened") turns Sarma Melngailis' ordeal into an exhilarating show that involves "canine immortality, alleged brainwashing and – ironically – a Domino's pizza order gone very wrong". Netflix

Devil in the Family

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This three-part documentary about a Mormon "mommy vlogger", Ruby Franke, who ends up in prison for child abuse is "pointed and insightful", said The New York Times. Some of the most "arresting" footage looks just like any other "peppy family vlog". But this "pert blonde woman in bright lipstick" isn't delivering "chummy tips" on parenting – outtakes reveal "startling and cruel" exchanges with her young children. Going beyond the "tabloid fodder", it's a sensitive documentary that shows you can never really know "what's going on behind closed doors". Disney+

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The Body Next Door

When a decaying corpse wrapped in 41 layers of plastic turns up in the "sleepy" village of Beddau in south Wales, the community is "shaken", said The i Paper. As we start to hear from locals, an elderly woman soon emerges as the prime suspect: Leigh Sabine. Expertly mixing the "claustrophobia" of a small town with a "family mystery spanning generations", the first episode sets a compelling scene. "It's been a long time since a film gripped me quite like Sky's stylish and surprising" three-part series. Sky

Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

"The odd thing about the characters" in this saga is "how familiar they are from fiction", said The Telegraph. "A powerful family ruling over a small town. An indulged and entitled son who thinks he's above the law. Corruption and murder in a Deep South setting." The two seasons feature a fatal boating accident, in which the wife and younger son of disgraced lawyer Alex Murdaugh were found dead. The filmmakers "do a fine job spinning the yarn, pulling the viewer this way and that, and letting the 'Can you top this?' details slowly pile up", said Rolling Stone.Netflix