'It destroyed me'
From influencers gone (really, really) bad and the outrageous Joe Exotic to the greatest reveal in television history – here are Guardian readers’ favourite real-life documentaries and whodunnits
TL;DR
- Tiger King features Joe Exotic, jailed for animal abuse and attempted murder.
- Devil in the Family details the severe child abuse committed by family vlogger Ruby Franke.
- Hometown: A Killing explores a murder in Huddersfield, evolving into a dive into societal issues.
- Confessions With a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes is praised for balancing sensationalism with truth and respecting victims.
- Dear Zachary is described as a devastating film about the murder of Andrew Bagby and his family.
- The Staircase dramatizes a novelist accused of his wife's murder, exploring themes of justice.
- OJ: Made in America uses OJ Simpson's story to explain the history of civil rights in America.
- This is a Robbery covers the unsolved Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist in Boston.
- The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst is called the greatest modern true crime TV show.
- Unsolved Mysteries is recognized as a foundational true crime TV genre.
- The Keepers explores the unsolved murder of Sister Catherine Cesnik, linked to suspected abuse at a Catholic high school.
- American Murder: The Family Next Door covers the chilling murder of a family by Chris Watts.
- Last Stop Larrimah tells the story of a disappearance in a small Australian outback town.