The Best True Crime Documentaries and Series to Watch in 2026
Your next binge-watch—and case to obsess over—is coming soon.
There’s only one thing more chilling than a series about a toe-curling crime: a series about a toe-curling crime that actually happened. Knowing that the horrific events playing out on your screen were part of someone’s real-life story ups the viewing stakes considerably.
Whether you remember the cases happening in real time or you’re just hearing about them, true crime series and documentaries have an uncanny way of heightening our senses. We feel the pinpricks of fear on behalf of the victims, the rush of adrenaline as police race to catch the perpetrators, and the pangs of doubt in complex cases, as well as the inevitable stabs of sympathy and rage on behalf of the victims’s families and loved ones.
The best true crime series and documentaries of 2026 will evoke all of the above and more as they examine some of the biggest cases in history from every possible angle. Whether these real-life capers are your comfort shows (no judgment!) or you’re a newbie to the genre, our top picks for the year ahead are sure to reel you in. A word of advice? You might want to leave the night light on as you work your way through this list of docuseries on streamers like Netflix and HBO Max, dramatized shows about real-life cases, and feature-length docs coming soon. (And if you're looking for great true crime to consume right now, check out our recommendations from 2025, as well as our book and podcast suggestions.)
The Best True Crime Coming in Winter 2026
'Kidnapped: Elizabeth Smart'
Release date: January 21 on Netflix
24 years after being taken from her Salt Lake City home by a man wielding a knife, an adult Elizabeth Smart is sharing, in her own words, the personal hell she endured as a 14-year-old girl being held captive against her will. Through archival footage and never-before-seen materials, she also shares the lengths she and her family have gone to find peace following her harrowing nine-month ordeal.
'The Hillside Strangler'
Release date: January 18 on MGM+
Years before the Night Stalker was terrorizing the streets of L.A. and providing the blueprint for Mia Goth’s feisty Maxxxine, there was the Hillside Strangler, or rather, the Hillside Stranglers: two nightmarish cousins named Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr., who kidnapped and tortured 10 young women between October 1977 and February 1978. Buono Jr. died in prison in 2002, but Bianci is interviewed on-camera for the first time in this new, four-part docuseries—and he claims he’s innocent.
'Handsome Devil: Charming Killer'
Release date: January 20 on Paramount+
Paramount+’s Handsome Devil holds a mirror up to our society’s dark obsession with vanity. Its subject? Wade Wilson (a.k.a. the Deadpool Killer), a convicted Florida murderer with Joker-like tattoos on his face, whose courtroom photos gained him legions of female fans around the world despite his heinous crimes.
'The Investigation of Lucy Letby'
Release date: February 4 on Netflix
Was former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby a sinister serial killer or a victim of unfortunate circumstances? That’s the question at the heart of this Netflix documentary, which explores the untimely deaths of seven babies who died in her care. Showcasing new footage from Lucy’s arrest and an interview with the mother of one of her victims, it examines the doubt that has been cast on Letby’s seven murder convictions and seven attempted murder convictions in the wake of her 2023 case.
'Murder in Glitterball City'
Release date: February 19 on HBO Max
This two-part HBO doc bookends a toxic love connection with murder in the seemingly unlikely setting of Louisville, Kentucky, what with its Victorian buildings and manufactured glitter balls. It just goes to show you: You can’t judge a book by its cover.
'Banksters'
Release date: February 20 on HBO Max
If you prefer your true crime fodder to be a little gentler on the stomach (read: less violent), HBO’s original German-language series Banksters might scratch the itch. It’s based on a real white-collar bank heist that occurred in Germany and will be released worldwide on February 20.
'Lost Women of Alaska'
Release date: February 25 on ID and HBO Max
Octavia Spencer takes another crack at crime with her newest Lost Women installment, the franchise for which kicked off in 2023 with Lost Women of Highway 20. This time around, the Oscar winner is delving into the 2018 and 2019 murders of Alaskans Veronica Abouchuk and Kathleen Jo Henry. As Spencer said in a press release: "Lost Women of Alaska confronts the devastating intersection of race and systemic failures that perpetuate violence against Indigenous women."
The Best True Crime Coming in Spring 2026
'Vanishing Act'
Release date: March 11 on ID and HBO Max
If Gone Girl left you breathless, do yourselves a favor and mark your calendars for March 11, when this true crime doc about Quinn Hanna Gray, a former housewife who faked her own disappearance over Labor Day weekend in 2009, debuts. Set against the picturesque backdrop of Ponte Vedra, Florida, it follows FBI agents as they unravel her strange case and race to help her ex-husband, Reid, bring her home safely.
'We Sell Babies'
Release date: March 18 on ID and HBO Max
For four years, Tara Lynn Lee preyed on the hopes and dreams of prospective adoptive parents looking to expand their families. Despite being unlicensed and having few legitimate biological mothers to connect them to, Lee also took exorbitant payments for her “services,” making for an in-depth wire fraud scheme that serves as the focus of this new documentary.
'Hired to Kill'
Release date: April 8 on ID and HBO Max
In 2018 and 2019, a hitman going by the name of “the Real John Wick” terrorized the streets of Philadelphia as he shot and killed multiple people in their cars throughout different parts of the city. With no motive and no clues, police are stumped—until they begin to follow a money trail that leads them to their suspect’s contracts to kill.
The Best True Crime Coming Soon in 2026
'Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story'
Release date: TBA on Netflix
If you binged Monster: The Ed Gein Story at lightning speeds, get the popcorn ready: Netflix has confirmed a fourth installment of Ryan Murphy's true-crime anthology is due out in 2026. The streaming service has also announced that Ella Beatty (Feud: Capote vs. The Swans) is poised to play the series’s first female "monster" when she steps into the shoes of Lizzie Borden, the famous prime suspect in the gruesome axe murders of her father and stepmother, Andrew and Abby Borden. The Ed Gein Story stars Charlie Hunnam and Vicky Krieps will return in new roles, along with frequent Ryan Murphy players like Rebecca Hall, Billie Lourd, and Sarah Paulson, as well as Jessica Barden, rounding out the cast.
