True crime TV continues the buzz with new murder series
Investigation Discovery introduced “Serial Thriller,” a scripted drama that tells the stories of the investigations into America’s most notorious murder sprees in three hourlong installments per killer.
Instead of ID’s usual storytelling format of re-enactments sprinkled with interviews and voice-overs, “Serial Thriller” feels more like an homage to “True Detective” or “The Killing,” following cops as they slowly realize the enormity of the evil they’re chasing.
The viewers, like the detectives, won’t know whose story is being told until his name appears on an arrest warrant. “Serial Thriller” lets people watch the story as though they were watching news reports in real time.
“You have these iconic criminals where everybody knows their name,” said Kevin Bennett, general manager of Investigation Discovery. “But when those murders were happening, nobody knew their name.”
Each “Serial Thriller” story will be followed with a documentary about the case featuring interviews with the real crime fighters. The show is part of ID’s push to develop higher-quality scripted dramas while keeping the facts intact.
Other recent true crime tales with literary ambitions have sent ripples through the justice system and capitalized on the ensuing buzz. It’s not morbid if it’s thoughtful. Right?
More than 6 million people downloaded each installment of “Serial,” NPR’s 12-part podcast about a possible wrongful conviction in the case of Adnan Syed, who was granted a hearing that brought some hope to his case. Two more seasons of “Serial,” featuring new cases, are in the works.
“The Jinx,” an HBO documentary series about eccentric murder suspect Robert Durst, ended with the millionaire seemingly implicating himself by muttering “killed them all, of course” into a live microphone. Durst was arrested the day before the final episode of “The Jinx” aired, and its viewership doubled.
Through three seasons, TNT’s “Cold Justice” has followed a former prosecutor and crime scene analyst from one small-town cold case to another. So far, the “Cold Justice” team has tracked down enough witnesses and evidence for 21 arrests. A spinoff, “Cold Justice: Sex Crimes,” debuts July 31.
It will be a busy summer on Investigation Discovery, too, with one new series hosted by actress Linda Hamilton. “Over My Dead Body” features women telling their stories of how they successfully defended their families from attackers, seemingly by channeling “Terminator 2” Sarah Connor for a few gratifying minutes.
A surprisingly reflective new ID offering is “Women in Prison,” its version of “Orange Is the New Black.” Each week, a few women will tell the tales of how they landed in maximum security, with the premiere offering heartbreaking stories of one woman’s deadly teen romance and another’s addiction to painkillers.
Also kicking off this month is the second season of “Cry Wolfe,” ID’s showcase for brash private investigator Brian Wolfe to re-enact his triumphs over cheaters, thieves, con men and blackmailers.
Wolfe, who spoke to The Star by phone last week, hopes his viewers will learn the lessons about human nature that his job has taught him.
“There’s just rotten people out there,” he said. One of this summer’s “Cry Wolfe” installments features a college student who was drugged at a bar, videotaped and dumped in an alley — the kind of case that enrages Wolfe, who has two daughters.
“It’s ridiculous what women have to go through,” he said. “It’s really sad.” His advice for women: “Just don’t trust anybody at the beginning.”
This story was originally published June 13, 2015 at 5:00 AM with the headline "True crime TV continues the buzz with new murder series."