The 20 best true crime shows on Peacock

Anatomy of Lies (2024)

The strangest storyline on Grey’s Anatomy took place off-screen. In 2022, Elisabeth Finch, a writer for the series, announced she was taking a leave of absence. For years, Finch had battled cancer — or so she said. As the public found out later, Finch’s entire medical history was based on a lie, which she had used to advance her career and gain sympathy.

The story of Finch’s falsehood is now the subject of Peacock’s documentary, Anatomy of Lies. A fascinating look at how one writer created her own alternate reality — and then used that reality to inform the lives and plot lines of the TV characters she wrote — Anatomy of Lies is a comprehensive portrait of how Finch’s actions affected and devastated those around her. —Ilana Gordon

Where to watch Anatomy of Lies: Peacock

Cast: Elizabeth Finch

Bloodline Detectives (2020–present)

Thanks to scientific and technological advancements, cold cases don’t always stay cold. Such is the case on Bloodline Detectives, where law enforcement and forensic experts break down murders that were solved using genetic genealogy, or familial DNA (the same process police used to catch the Golden State Killer).

Hosted by true crime aficionado and legal analyst Nancy Grace, Bloodline Detectives tracks the many ways experts use sites like Ancestry.com or 23andMe to crack dead-end cases. Featuring interviews with family members and investigators, Bloodline Detectives explains how old cases are solved using modern technology, even after all hope for a resolution has been lost. —Sammi Burke

Where to watch Bloodline Detectives: Peacock

Cast: Nancy Grace

Dateline: The Last Day (2022–present)

This Dateline spinoff focuses on the events of the victims’ final day alive, and how evidence of their activities was gathered to solve their murders. Each installment of the eight-episode first season centers on a new case, including Mollie Tibbetts, Nathan Paet, Kelsie Schelling, Amy Allan, LaNell Barsock, Cassie Jo Stoddart, Gloria Pointer, and Brook Baker and Erika Norman.

Dateline correspondents Keith Morrison, Josh Mankiewicz, and Andrea Canning lead the series, alongside NBC News’ Stephanie Gosk, as they compellingly break down those crucial hours that led up to the murders through interviews with law enforcement and demonstrations of how all the clues came together to resolve each case. —Kevin Jacobsen

Where to watch Dateline: The Last Day: Peacock

Cast: Keith Morrison, Josh Mankiewicz, Andrea Canning, Stephanie Gosk

Dr. Death (2021–2023)

Adapted from the first season of Dr. Death, a podcast exploring outrageous instances of medical malpractice, this binge-worthy anthology series kicked off its first season with Joshua Jackson as Dr. Christopher Duntsch, a poorly-trained Texas neurosurgeon who maimed over 30 of his patients and killed two of them. Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin also star as Dr. Randall Kirby and Dr. Robert Henderson, both of whom caught on to Duntsch’s botched procedures and lobbied to have his license revoked. 

The bone-chilling depiction of Duntsch’s possibly sociopathic rampage will succeed in keeping you on the edge of your seat — but side effects may include developing a fear of all doctor’s appointments. The drama continues with a whole new story for the second season, starring Édgar Ramírez as thoracic surgeon Paolo Macchiarini. —S.B.

Where to watch Dr. Death: Peacock

EW grade: A–

Cast: Joshua Jackson, Grace Gummer, Christian Slater, Alec Baldwin, AnnaSophia Robb

Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story (2021)

If you enjoyed Dr. Death but are yearning for a more true-to-life account of the unbelievable true story, Peacock also produced a companion docuseries. Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story tells the tale of Christopher Duntsch’s malpractice — and the subsequent fight to put a stop to his villainy — through reenactments, courtroom documents, and interviews with patients.

It’s rare to hear directly from survivors of true crime cases, so this series offers a unique opportunity to associate real humans with the horrors perpetrated. Laid out over four episodes, Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story ditches the drama and chronicles the story of Duntsch’s actions, as told through the words and reflections of his former colleagues, his ex-girlfriend, his trial lawyers, and those who lived through his procedures. —S.B.

Where to watch Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story: Peacock

Cast: Randall Kirby, Martin Lazar, Michelle Shughart, Kay Van Wey, Natalie Polisson

The First 48 (2004–present)

Homicide is tragic, but it makes for good TV. Premiering during the summer of 2004 on A&E, The First 48 offers behind-the-scenes info into murder investigations, pulling back the curtain on the forensic tools, analysis, interviews, and other law enforcement techniques used to identify suspects and close cases. The show’s title refers to the fact that the first 48 hours of an investigation are the most crucial in determining a case’s chances of being solved, and to prove it, this docuseries focuses on homicide investigations of various lengths — from the cases detectives close quickly to the ones that take years to solve. As former EW writer Gillian Flynn writes in her 2004 review of the show, “48 flies by, but moments along the way linger.” —I.G.

Where to watch The First 48: Peacock

Cast: Dion Graham

Forensic Files (1996–2011)

One of the most influential true crime docuseries, Forensic Files helped to develop our fascination with forensic evidence in solving criminal cases. First airing in 1996, the series centers on different forensic scientists every episode (though some analysts appear in multiple installments). Unlike shows such as Unsolved Mysteries, episodes of Forensic Files typically end with a sense of finality, with investigations having led to convictions or acquittals.

The visual style of Forensic Files could later be seen in fictional crime dramas such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, as well as other docuseries. Peter Thomas narrated the series through 14 seasons. HLN rebooted the series as Forensic Files II in 2020. —K.J.

Where to watch Forensic Files: Peacock

Cast: Peter Thomas

A Friend of the Family (2022)

The true story of Robert Berchtold, neighbor and friend of the Broberg family, and his abducting of daughter Jan Broberg on two separate occasions is dramatized in this nine-episode miniseries. Jake Lacy plays Berchtold, who kidnapped Jan at ages 12 and 14 in the mid-’70s. Hendrix Yancey and Mckenna Grace play Jan at different ages, with Colin Hanks, Lio Tipton, and Anna Paquin rounding out the cast. As EW’s critic wrote in her review, „Lacy gives good sociopath, morphing from buttery smooth to icily menacing with a shift of his gaze.“

You can also watch a companion documentary on Peacock, A Friend of the Family: True Evil; the events of Jan’s kidnapping were also chronicled in the 2017 documentary Abducted in Plain Sight. —K.J.

Where to watch A Friend of the Family: Peacock

Cast: Jake Lacy, Colin Hanks, Lio Tipton, Anna Paquin, Mckenna Grace

The Girl on the Milk Carton (2024)

Twelve-year-old Jonelle Matthews disappeared from her home in Colorado in 1984, five days before Christmas. She bears the unfortunate distinction of being one of the first missing children to have their faces printed on milk cartons.

Forty years later, a two-part, true crime series about her story became available to stream on Peacock. The episodes focus first on her disappearance, and later, on a break in the case that leads investigators to her body, and then to her killer. The rare cold case that resolves with a satisfying conclusion, The Girl on the Milk Carton is for true crime fans who like their content served with a side of justice. —I.G.

Where to watch The Girl on the Milk Carton: Peacock

Cast: Christian Dalton, Mike Prill, Steve Pankey, Jennifer Mogensen, Gloria Matthews

Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed (2023)

The 1989 murder of Jose and Kitty Menendez by their sons Lyle and Erik was one of the most covered cases of the ’90s. Numerous movies, shows, and specials have emerged in the decades since, with this three-part docuseries centering on former Menudo group member Roy Rosselló’s claim that Jose sexually abused him, corroborating Lyle and Erik’s defense. The series also features Rosselló looking for other former members of Menudo, whose label, RCA, employed Jose as an executive. —K.J.

Where to watch Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed: Peacock

Cast: Roy Rosselló

Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run With Warren Jeffs (2022)

The story of polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs’ ascent to power has received its fair share of media attention, but the four-episode docuseries Preaching Evil distinguishes itself by centering its point of view through the eyes of Naomie Jessop, Jeffs’ once-favorite wife. Before his arrest, Jeffs led the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, where he took on multiple wives, including child brides and his late father’s widows.

Jeffs made the FBI’s Most Wanted list, and while he was charged with sex crimes against minors in June 2005, he wasn’t caught for another year. Over the course of one 48-minute episode, Jessop lays out the story of Jeffs’ run from the law, which she personally documented in her role as his scribe. —S.B.

Where to watch Preaching Evil: A Wife on the Run With Warren Jeffs: Peacock

EW grade: A–

Cast: Naomi Jessup, Vicki Thompson, Eric Nicholls

Prime Crime (2022–present)

Even homicide comes with a hierarchy. Hosted by attorney Jesse Cord Weber, who also serves as an anchor and reporter for the Law and Crime Network, Prime Crime follows high-profile murders — the stories that make headlines and lure people into the true crime genre with their promises of intrigue and scandal.

Highlights include controversial cases like the Slenderman stabbing and the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard, as well as surprising survival stories like 13-year-old Jayme Closs’ escape from captivity. Weber confers with experts to break down exactly how the suspects were identified and brought to justice. Through police footage, 911 recordings, and courtroom transcripts, viewers get the full picture of every crime covered. —S.B.

Where to watch Prime Crime: Peacock

Cast: Jesse Cord Weber

Prosecuting Evil With Kelly Siegler (2023–present)

Veteran attorney Kelly Siegler has prosecuted hundreds of murder cases. But in Prosecuting Evil With Kelly Siegler, she goes deep into Texas’ homicide history, analyzing and giving insight into some of the most gruesome murders and toughest trials the state has seen. Created for Oxygen and executive produced by Dick Wolf (Law & Order), Prosecuting Evil provides an in-depth look at capital crimes in one of the nation’s biggest states. The show’s second season is available to stream on Peacock and covers nine cases, including the murder of an NFL player and his wife, and a crime spree that resulted in the deaths of two prosecutors. —I.G.

Where to watch Prosecuting Evil With Kelly Siegler: Peacock

Cast: Kelly Siegler

The Real Murders of Atlanta (2022–present)

The Real Murders of Atlanta centers on some of the most shocking killings over the past few decades in the Georgia capital. The series unfolds like your standard true-crime procedural, with a narrator (Aaron Goodson), reenactments, and interviews from those involved, but what makes it stand out from the rest is the compelling nature of the cases. These include the murders of a tech mogul, rapper Lil Phat, and a local judge, as well as an investigation into the East Point serial shootings in 2001. —K.J.

Where to watch The Real Murders of Atlanta: Peacock

Cast: Aaron Goodson

Skeleton Stories (2005–2006)

Basically Bones IRL, Skeleton Stories follows forensic anthropologists who solve lesser-known cases by — you guessed it — examining the victims’ skeletons. This forensic method often helps uncover the last remaining clues to the cause of death in order to bring justice to the victims’ families.

Each episode covers multiple cases, dramatizing the bones discoveries and the anthropologist examinations to give a complete picture of the case, leading to the identification of the victim and determination of what happened to them. Interviews with family members, attorneys, and witnesses fill in the gaps about who the victims were and where they were found, softening the technicalities of the investigation and, in a way, bringing them back to life. —S.B.

Where to watch Skeleton Stories: Peacock

Cast: Cornell Womack

Snapped (2004–present)

If you’re looking to sink your teeth — and some time — into a beloved true-crime franchise, Snapped is the show for you. Cable’s version of the musical Chicago (without the singing or comedy) Snapped tells the stories of women who have lost control and committed murder. Debuting in August of 2004 on the Oxygen network,

Snapped has since aired more than 30 seasons, most of which are available on Peacock. Featuring interviews with the people nearest to the crimes — loved ones, law enforcement officers, lawyers, and more — Snapped offers new insights into the women who murder and why. —S.B.

Where to watch Snapped: Peacock

Cast: Sharon Martin, Jody Flader

Suspect No. 1 (2020–present)

Crime solving goes international on Suspect No. 1. This British docuseries follows the Norfolk police as they work to identify criminals and bring them to justice, starting from the beginning of the investigation and ending with a closed case. From observing interviews, to coaxing confessions, to emphasizing the need for solid evidence, Suspect No. 1 provides an intimate breakdown of the entire process leading up to an arrest.

Rather than focusing on a single case or criminal, this series provides a comprehensive experience, including live looks at a variety of cases. With help from body cameras and surveillance footage, this in-depth review of how investigations work broadens the viewers’ knowledge, and chases down leads and rabbit holes that other documentaries may not spend as much time on. —S.B.

Where to watch Suspect No. 1: Peacock

Cast: Hugo Speer

Unsolved Mysteries (1987–2002)

Unsolved Mysteries remains one of the go-to documentary crime series, debuting decades before the true crime boom of the 2010s. Narrated by the iconic deep-voiced Robert Stack, the series explored the unexplainable, covering missing persons, cold cases, and even paranormal activity. With so many of these cases left unsolved, the show invited viewers to call in with any information they might have, with updates on solved cases sometimes provided in later episodes.

The series has taken on new forms over the years, with a Netflix revival having dropped in 2020. But there was nothing quite like the original, in all its distinctly ’90s glory. The first series, as well as the 2007–2010 Spike TV series hosted by Dennis Farina, are both available on Peacock. —K.J.

Where to watch Unsolved Mysteries: Peacock

Cast: Robert Stack, Dennis Farina

Violent Minds: Killers on Tape (2023–present)

For those fascinated by the psychology of murderers, Violent Minds: Killers on Tape is a riveting watch. The docuseries centers on Dr. Al Carlisle, a psychiatrist who interviewed multiple killers throughout his career, including Ted Bundy, Manny Cortez, the Hi-Fi killers, and Arthur Gary Bishop.

Each episode contains recorded tapes of these interviews, which were presumed lost until Carlisle’s family discovered them after his 2018 death. The series also provides commentary from modern-day experts to contextualize Dr. Carlisle’s findings, including his use of hypnosis to extract information out of his interviewees. —K.J.

Where to watch Violent Minds: Killers on Tape: Peacock

Cast: Jeff McDonald, Carrie Anne Drazewski-Keller, Al Carlisle

Who Killed Robert Wone? (2023)

When a mysterious stabbing in 2006 is reported to the D.C. police, they arrive on the scene to find the lifeless victim, Robert Wone, lying in the guest room. Oddly, there’s minimal blood, displays of needle marks on Wone’s neck, and an abnormal absence of struggle. Suspicions fall squarely on Wone’s three friends — who invited him to stay overnight in their shared home and also claim an unknown intruder as the assailant — and what transpires is a multilayered, locked-room mystery that measures up to an Agatha Christie novel.

A deeply frustrating yet well-crafted docuseries, Who Killed Robert Wone? fairly assesses both sides of this tough-to-believe story in two episodes, casting light on lingering questions that still evade resolution today. —James Mercadante

Where to watch Who Killed Robert Wone?: Peacock

Cast: Glenn Kirschner, Bernie Grimm, Craig Brownstein, Bryan Waid, David Greer