Calling all Internet sleuths, conspiracy theorists, and cold case solving enthusiasts: we're looking at you. For reasons unknown (psychologists secretly suspect) (opens in new tab), many of us are obsessed with true crime (opens in new tab) and the person behind the conspiracy, from fraudulent socialites who hog the headlines for the wrong reasons to the commander in chief who conducts insidious affairs in the Oval Office. He is obsessed. And then there are the truly diabolical, cold-blooded murderers' heinous crimes (opens in new tab), which we follow feverishly out of both fear and fascination.

So, if you've already shamelessly binge-watched every true crime show imaginable, we've prepared your new 2021 watch list. And when you need a break from your eyes (or want to make sure your Internet browsing history doesn't look like something out of a serial killer's playbook), connect with your favorite true crime podcasts. (Opens in new tab)

The real scam was almost made for TV: college recruiting counselor Rick Singer helped wealthy parents (including Lori Loughlin (opens in new tab) and Felicity Huffman (opens in new tab)) enroll their children in elite schools. helped scam them into getting their children into elite schools, and Netflix's new film examines the now infamous college admissions scandal (opens in new tab) scheme, featuring original media clips from the trial and reenactments based on FBI wiretaps. More broadly, the series audits how privilege plays a role in college admissions.

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The Ripper was technically released in December 2020, but you might have missed it if you were busy watching Bridgerton (opens in new tab). (This four-part miniseries investigates a serial killer (known as the Yorkshire Ripper) who took the lives of 13 women in West Yorkshire and Manchester between 1975 and 1980.

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The summer of 1985 in Los Angeles is remembered for two things: first, the record-breaking heat wave that swept the city. And two, the most high-profile and infamous of all: the escape of a serial killer. With no clear pattern, he was dubbed by headlines as the "Night Stalker" and terrorized the public while police pursued answers. This new Netflix documentary documents the case and includes interviews with the two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives who ultimately apprehended the killer.

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This four-part documentary delves into the mysterious, dangerous and infamous history of Los Angeles' seedy and unsavory Cecil Hotel (opens in new tab), where serial killers and criminals stayed. This Netflix original focuses on the disappearance of Cecil Hotel guest Elisa Lam and the investigators (and internet sleuths) assigned to the case. [In this four-part HBO documentary series, Mia Farrow, Dylan Farrow, Ronan Farrow, and others courageously share their personal stories and accusations of sexual abuse against Woody Allen. New research, court documents, and private home videos shed new light on a case that has generated decades of talk, controversy, and press coverage. The film also examines the concept of family trauma more broadly. [Mark Hoffman is widely considered one of the most notorious counterfeiters in history. This documentary focuses on his creation of fraudulent documents for the LDS movement and the subsequent murders he committed when the ruse went awry. [25] [26] Watch (opens in new tab) [27] [28] A doctor vows to save lives, but a Texas-based neurosurgeon decides to take them instead. Based on the podcast of the same name, this miniseries dissects the details of the messy case of a back surgeon who killed or maimed 33 patients. It also examines the flaws in the American hospital system that allowed him to continue to practice medicine for years. Joshua Jackson plays the insidious surgeon, Dr. Christopher Dansch.

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Told largely from the perspective of the victim of a notorious serial killer, Monster explores both Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes and the failure of the police investigation that allowed him to continue killing for over a decade. Led by "Ratchet; An American Horror Story" duo Ryan Murphy and Janet Mock (the first black trans woman to sign an umbrella deal with Netflix), expect this binge show to hit screens by 2022.

Premiere date: TBD

Murder. Cult. Investigative journalism. This has it all. Directed by Joshua Zeman, the Netflix documentary follows reporter Morley Terry's decades-long obsession with the "Sons of Sam" case and his struggle to prove that convicted murderer David Berkowitz was actually a member of a Satanic cult and helped commit the murders. The film depicts his struggle to prove that convicted murderer David Berkowitz is actually a member of a Satanist cult and helped commit the murder.

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Filmmaker Rae Russo-Young turns the camera on herself and her family, exploring her childhood experience of being sued by a sperm donor used by lesbian mothers to make children. This deeply personal documentary deftly examines the rights of LGBTQ+ people and how the dynamics have changed over the past 50 years.

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If you've ever wondered how a weight loss program morphed into a religion and then into an abusive cult, this documentary is for you. the HBO Maxx series tells the story of Gwen Shamblin and her Weigh Down Workshop, with shocking interviews with former members.

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The Duplass brothers' incredible story about Elizabeth Carmichael, a four-part documentary that tells the wild tale of an entrepreneur who tried to deceive the auto industry with a three-wheeled car during the gas crisis.

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"Multi-Level Marketing Company or Multilevel Marketing Scheme? This four-part documentary will convince you that it's all the same as it details the scams and astonishing leadership decisions that were made to grow the women's Internet clothing brand LuLaRoe.

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