In the ongoing battle of which is stranger, truth maintains its winning streak over fiction.
And if this year is any indication, the interest in watching true crime documentaries and scripted series that chronicle, explain and illuminate the extremes of human behavior—depraved as it may be at times—is as strong as ever.
Creative liberties were expected in some cases, such as Ryan Murphy's Monster anthology ripping into Pyscho inspiration Ed Gein. But Netflix was also home to some of the most explosive true crime docs of 2025.
And we don't mean Trainwreck: Poop Cruise, though that was a journey to remember.
Rather, the jaw-dropping series Unknown Number: The High School Catfish—about a Michigan mom who got caught cyberbullying her own daughter—captivated audiences who couldn't believe that Kendra Licari went on camera to tell her side of the disturbing story.
Call it catharsis, perhaps.
"She laughed about things, and I think it was really an opportunity for her to think about things a little bit more in depth," Unknown Number director Skye Borgman told Variety about Licari's participation. "Every time I would ask a question, she would really have to think about some things, and I think that was really good for her."
Also featuring a thorough array of perspectives was Netflix's A Deadly American Marriage, which detailed the case against Molly Martens and her father Thomas Martens, who were accused of murdering Molly's husband Jason Corbett in 2015. Tom insisted he was defending his daughter from an abusive attack, but ended up pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter, while Molly pleaded no contest.
The rest of Jason's family who were interviewed in the doc, including his now grown children, expressed their belief that Molly and Tom got away with murder, but the pair (who were released from prison before the doc's release in May) maintain that they acted in self-defense.
And inconclusive in its own way was HBO's five-part series A Body in the Snow: The Trial of Karen Read, which didn't have an ending when it first came out in March.
But she was acquitted in June after a retrial and Elizabeth Banks will play Read in an upcoming Amazon series.
Maybe the most haunting true crime story to stream in 2025 was Netflix's award-winning documentary The Perfect Neighbor, which broke the true crime mold with its use of law enforcement body cam footage—offered without commentary—to chronicle the events leading up to the 2023 killing of Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four who was fatally shot by her neighbor Susan Lorincz.
The film, directed by Geeta Gandbhir, was named Best Documentary Feature at the 10th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards in November, as well as Best True Crime Documentary, and it's been nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Editing. (Watch the 2026 Critics' Choice Awards Jan. 4 on E! and USA Network.)
"No one could say that we were down there asking provocative questions," Gandbhir told the Los Angeles Times of her approach to telling the tragic-from-all-angles story. "And the body camera footage is so incredibly immersive, I wanted people to have the experience of what the community experienced."
And while The Perfect Neighbor is in rare territory—i.e. Oscar consideration—for a Netflix true crime doc, many an actor has punched his or her ticket to awards season by playing a killer.
Charlie Hunnam is nominated for a Golden Globe and a Critics' Choice Award for his chilling turn as the titular 1950s-era killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which—following in the footsteps of the seasons that tackled Jeffrey Dahmer and the Menendez brothers—critics accused of being graphically gruesome for shock value.
"What I would hope and feel really confident in is that it was a very sincere exploration of the human condition and why this boy did what he did," Hunnam told The Hollywood Reporter in response to the criticism. "I never felt like we were sensationalizing it...It was all in order to try to tell this story as honestly as we could."
Vying against Hunnam in the Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television category at the Critics' Choice Awards will be Michael Chernus for his portrayal of the titular serial killer in Peacock's Devil in Disguise: John Wayne Gacy.
And like Hunnam, Chernus fielded his share of questions about why he took on the role of "Killer Clown" Gacy, who was found guilty of murdering 33 boys and young men in the 1970s and executed in 1994.
"With John Wayne Gacy, by all accounts, he was such a social guy, and sometimes described as even charming or likable or friendly in his normal day-to-day life," Chernus explained to TV Insider in October. "I was interested in that duality of someone who could do such horrific, unthinkable things, but most of the time, comes off as a completely harmless, non-threatening individual."
And it's extra scary because it's true. See Hunnam, Chernus and more actors who've tested their acting chops in killer roles:
Zac Efron as Ted Bundy
Zac Efron portrayed prolific serial killer Ted Bundy in the 2019 film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Just before his execution, which took place in 1989, Bundy confessed to 30 homicides in the '70s.
Jeremy Renner as Jeffrey Dahmer
2002's Dahmer featured Jeremy Renner as serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who is known for killing and dismembering almost 20 men and boys between 1978 and 1991.
Chad Michael Murray as Ted Bundy
Chad Michael Murray also stepped into Bundy's murderous shoes for the 2021 film Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman.
Joshua Jackson as Dr. Christopher Duntsch
Joshua Jackson embodied Texan neurosurgeon Dr. Christopher Duntsch in 2021 Peacock series Dr. Death, inspired by the podcast of the same name.
Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer
Another Dahmer! In Marc Meyers' 2017 film My Friend Dahmer, Ross Lynch portrayed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's high school days.
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan
For The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Darren Criss left his Glee persona behind as he portrayed serial killer Andrew Cunanan. The performance earned Criss an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award.
Damon Herriman as Charles Manson
Damon Herriman has played infamous cult leader Charles Manson on not one, but two occasions. In Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood, Herriman is referred to as "Charlie." For a 2019 episode of Mindhunter, Herriman played Charles Manson for a scene opposite Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany.
Evan Peters as Charles Manson
In American Horror Story: Cult, the Manson family murders were recreated. For the scene, AHS lead Evan Peters channeled the infamous cult leader, Charles Manson.
Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper
Mindhunter does it again! Cameron Britton gave a bone-chilling portrayal as Ed Kemper on Netflix's Mindhunter.
John Cusack as Robert Hansen
In 2013's The Frozen Ground, John Cusack portrayed serial killer Robert Hansen (aka Butcher Baker). After abducting, raping and murdering at least 17 women, he was arrested and convicted in 1983.
Brian Dennehy as John Wayne Gacy
Brian Dennehy played John Wayne Gacy, the serial killer and sex offender who murdered at least 33 young men/boys between 1972 and 1978, in a two-part television special in 1992.
Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos
Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, a serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida between 1989 and 1990. Monster, which came out in 2003, also stars Christina Ricci as a character based on Wuornos' ex-girlfriend Tyria Moore.
Zach Villa as Richard Ramirez
In season nine of American Horror Story, Zach Villa played real-life serial killer Richard Ramirez (aka Night Stalker). Ramirez terrorized Los Angeles and San Francisco residents between 1984 and 1985. The death row inmate died in prison in 2013.