Love it or hate it, we’ve all experienced this tidal wave of crime content in recent years, so… how did we get here? Where do we go?
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00:00Love it or hate it, we've all experienced this tidal wave of crime content in recent years.
00:05So, how did we get here? Where do we go?
00:07If you're watching this video, this is the start of something major.
00:13Welcome to WatchMojo's series, The Evolution of True Crime.
00:16In this episode, we'll be exploring the rise and fall and rise of the true crime genre.
00:30As we know, true crime in its various forms has been a staple of pop culture for hundreds of years.
00:38From 16th century sailors' ballads recounting gruesome murders to Netflix's latest miniseries,
00:43our morbid fascination with crime and brutality is pervasive.
00:46This is the fall of the dynasties, a fall from grace.
00:50There you are scared for your life. It's either do or die.
00:53But, throughout the 2010s, true crime exploded into one of the most-watched and most-talked-about media categories,
01:00elevated from trash TV and cozy mysteries into a cultural force.
01:05Crime enthusiasts came from near and far for this year's CrimeCon.
01:09WatchMojo published over 100 true crime videos in 2023 alone.
01:14But are viewers experiencing true crime fatigue?
01:17Are we over the serial killer cinematic universe?
01:20Where does the genre go from here?
01:22A 2022 study found 34% of American adults who listen to a podcast in the last year
01:28said they regularly consume true crime podcasts.
01:31The same study found that true crime was the most common topic between the highest-rated podcasts on Apple and Spotify.
01:38I did listen to Zero and I loved it.
01:40I'm on episode 5, maybe?
01:43I'm halfway in.
01:44Another 2022 study found that half of Americans admitted to enjoying true crime,
01:49with 13% citing it as their personal favorite.
01:56But with popularity comes greater scrutiny.
02:02The more a topic is discussed, the more viewers seek to unpack its nuances,
02:07like in this miniseries, for example.
02:09So let's talk about where true crime is at today.
02:12We can look back at landmark works like In Cold Blood and Thin Blue Line as benchmarks of modern true crime.
02:18But let's be serious.
02:19The true crime boom got real in the 2010s.
02:22As the streaming revolution began to take root,
02:25viewers and listeners started experiencing stories in new ways.
02:29We are in no way crime journalists or professionals, really.
02:33We're talking about the case conversationally as people who have been paying attention for a long time.
02:38For one, streaming makes content available to anyone with a password on their own schedule,
02:44expanding the potential viewer base considerably compared to traditional TV or film.
02:48Secondly, streaming is as much a part of online culture as it is visual media culture,
02:53thanks to the expansion of online fandoms and social media.
02:56The internet provides new possibilities for engaging with the stories we consume,
03:09especially if their focus is on a mystery.
03:12A mystery is a puzzle.
03:13It puts the viewer in a position to hunt for clues,
03:16to draw their own conclusions in real life.
03:18Who doesn't want to be the one to crack the case?
03:20Did you make the bond?
03:21No.
03:22Liar.
03:23It's a bank robbery, but it's a scavenger hunt.
03:25I did nothing.
03:26Who actually said, hey, let's rob a bank?
03:28We know how true crime media reflects the issues of its time.
03:32So what kind of widespread cultural questions can it generate in digital space?
03:36HBO's The Jinx is a great viral example.
03:39The series investigates the suspicious deaths of three individuals,
03:43all connected to New York real estate heir Robert Durst.
03:46The show features a lot of self-reflexive moments,
03:48as filmmaker Andrew Jarecki explores his own working relationship with Durst,
03:53who's an active and willing participant in the production.
03:55If she was dead, I would not know where her body would be in the state of New York,
04:01or in the state of New Jersey, or in the Northern Hemisphere, or anything like that.
04:07And the ending is absolutely explosive.
04:11This twisty, independent investigation ultimately helped lead to Durst's arrest and conviction in 2021.
04:17The internet was lit aflame by the series finale,
04:20some hailing it as one of the most shocking moments in TV history.
04:24But what is of note for us here is the discourse it generated in digital space.
04:29Fans carried topics that are usually limited to academia,
04:32such as body language analysis and objectivity in non-fiction storytelling, into the mainstream.
04:38His tics are increasing.
04:39So that's showing that his anxiety is ramping up a little bit,
04:43his concern for what's happening.
04:44There's an issue here.
04:45That's an indicator of him lying at this point.
04:48Making a Murderer is another example.
04:50This milestone series generated major discussions about mental health and criminal responsibility,
04:56documentary ethics, and bias in police work.
04:58Over 500,000 people signed an online petition to the White House in 2015,
05:04advocating for a pardon for central character Stephen Avery.
05:07We're thankful that the story's finally out, the stuff that was shoved out of court.
05:11Showed them that we're out here fighting for them,
05:13and that their injustice won't go unnoticed.
05:16These are not necessarily activists or people linked to the case,
05:19but viewers who were moved by what they saw in the show.
05:23And that is the true power of non-fiction storytelling.
05:26Viewers are made to feel as if they have the complete story,
05:29an encyclopedia of the facts.
05:31And in an online context,
05:33fans find themselves in a position to take some level of action.
05:36To post something, to join an advocacy group,
05:39to get active in a forum, to sign a petition.
05:41To feel as though they too can be a participant in the execution of justice.
05:46Lambert began looking into what happened to Kristen,
05:49chasing down leads, and tracking down anyone with information.
05:54I didn't know how many people were going to listen,
05:56but I knew that I could try to do a small part.
05:58Netflix's Don't F with Cats, Hunting an Internet Killer,
06:01takes this concept even further.
06:03The series covers the internet sleuth-driven quest
06:06to identify an anonymous poster of animal cruelty videos,
06:09later identified as murderer Luca Magnata.
06:12The core of this story is how random people online
06:15were able to identify this elusive figure,
06:18using clues from his videos.
06:20Oh, that looks exactly like the Petro-Canada gas station
06:25that I see in the photo, Luca.
06:26And guess what?
06:28That large, gray cement apartment building is directly behind it.
06:33Modern true crime often questions the effectiveness
06:36of the criminal justice system,
06:37and this series empowers the independent PI roleplay
06:41that the internet makes possible.
06:42Anyone can be a detective, or even better than a detective,
06:45stepping in when the police can't do their job.
06:48He was the journalist behind a podcast downloaded by millions
06:51that delved into Lynette Dawson's disappearance in 1982.
06:55It prompted new witnesses to come forward
06:57who've now testified in Chris Dawson's murder trial.
07:00The internet allows viewers to themselves
07:03become part of the stories they consume.
07:05This isn't necessarily a bad thing, of course.
07:07The outcome of Don't F with Cats was positive,
07:10but this does mark an evolution.
07:12And what's interesting is how fresh technology
07:14brings new life to the content-consumer relationship
07:16in true crime,
07:17to the way audiences explore gruesome cases from a distance
07:20or try to crack a whodunit.
07:22Her story and its mystery captivating the nation.
07:26Each new development being followed with clues
07:28and explainers by people on social media.
07:31Some actually helping detectives put the pieces together.
07:35These are classic devices of mystery and true crime,
07:38but the internet allows consumers to dig far deeper
07:41into the nitty-gritty of the case at hand,
07:43easily accessing photos, archival documents,
07:45official reports, and bouncing ideas off other aficionados.
07:49Her death was undoubtedly brutal.
07:52And now it seems like there is a shift happening
07:54with people saying that now that they've seen
07:58the crime scene photos,
08:00they don't believe that Dee Dee deserved that.
08:03True crime fans now have far greater
08:05and deeper means to connect with it.
08:07This is inherently related to why we see
08:10a true crime explosion in this era.
08:13Podcasts are another tech innovation
08:15that contributes to this explosion.
08:16Radio may be somewhat passe,
08:18but the format makes content a hell of a lot more accessible
08:21when you're not planted in front of a screen.
08:24The podcast Serial, for example,
08:26is a major player in this true crime wave.
08:28An absolute phenomenon.
08:30The first podcast to win the Peabody Award,
08:33it holds a world record
08:34for the most downloaded podcast of all time.
08:37They like complicated stories
08:40about complicated people who do complicated things.
08:43Serial helped popularize true crime in podcast form,
08:46and its innovative storytelling kept viewers waiting
08:48with bated breath for the next reveal.
08:50This is another example of true crime
08:52being led by independent researchers
08:54seeking to uncover problems with the system.
08:57And I've done all the reporting around him,
08:59so tons of soldiers, friends and family,
09:02people in the State Department, White House,
09:05you know, just sort of like all over the place
09:07to try to figure it out.
09:08In the case of Adnan Syed,
09:10the central figure of season one,
09:12Serial's popularity got absolutely everyone
09:14talking about his case.
09:15And the investigation ultimately helped change its outcome.
09:20Now, a judge in the United States
09:21has quashed the murder conviction of an American man
09:25whose case gave rise to the true crime podcast Serial.
09:29The jinx, making a murderer, and Serial
09:31all debuted within about a year of each other.
09:33But let's talk about a different true crime sensation
09:36given life by streaming, Tiger King.
09:38They can't find his body.
09:40And we believe that she fed him to the tiger.
09:42At a moment when everyone was suddenly stuck indoors,
09:46no work, no social life,
09:47Tiger King provided the exact niche story
09:50that could only be called comforting
09:51given the timing of its release, March 2020.
09:55This series has everything.
09:57Murder, conspiracy, illegal zoos, mullets.
10:00Its home on Netflix allowed for
10:02a nostalgic collective viewing experience.
10:05As everyone's lives were flipped,
10:07seemingly everyone was also watching Tiger King.
10:09I've devoured all seven episodes and I'm still craving more.
10:13So we've gathered some of the key players
10:15for a look back at the twists and turns
10:17of the Tiger King saga.
10:18The so-called streaming revolution
10:20has carried the new wave of true crime
10:22by expanding its viewer base
10:24and viewers' ability to immerse themselves
10:26in these stories from the comfort of their own homes,
10:28especially in 2020 when we were literally stuck there.
10:32But what are the downsides
10:33of this genre explosion in the digital age?
10:36It's important that we talk about victim experience here.
10:38Are the victims of true crime stories
10:41ever really done justice through their representation?
10:43And what about the surviving families of victims?
10:46I did watch it.
10:48I felt it was over the top.
10:50They didn't need to present it the way that they did.
10:52I think it was insensitive for the way it was done.
10:55I think they glamorized it.
10:57We've already seen how shows like Monster,
10:59the Jeffrey Dahmer story,
11:00delve into the mystique of a murderer's mind.
11:02And yes, several of his victims are depicted in the show.
11:06But really, the series is not about them.
11:08Their identities, their lives,
11:10and the tragedy of their stories
11:12are not the center of the show.
11:13The focus remains on Dahmer himself.
11:16And so, there emerges a cycle of re-victimization,
11:19where the real-life victims are killed off for show,
11:21while the murderer gets a Netflix-backed
11:23famous actor deep dive.
11:25I sort of started with a blank slate with Dahmer.
11:28I wanted it to be very authentic.
11:30But in order to do that,
11:31I was going to have to go to really dark places.
11:34The real victims are just plot devices
11:36in Jeffrey Dahmer's show.
11:38While it's contested by creator Ryan Murphy,
11:40We reached out to about 20 of the victims' families
11:43and friends trying to get input,
11:46trying to talk to people,
11:47and not a single person responded to us in that process.
11:51Multiple families of Dahmer's victims
11:53claim they were never contacted
11:54prior to the show airing in 2022.
11:57And the way he told the movie and showed the movie
12:00and lied about him contacting us,
12:03he didn't contact none of us.
12:05And he said that he did by Ryan Murphy.
12:09As Eric Perry, the cousin of Dahmer victim Errol Lindsay said,
12:13quote,
12:13We're all one traumatic event away
12:15from the worst day of your life
12:16being reduced to your neighbor's favorite binge show.
12:19A point of opposition to this dynamic
12:21could be the 2017 Netflix series The Keepers,
12:24which covered the unsolved murder of Sister Kathy Sesnick in 1969
12:27and a web of abuse in her Baltimore community.
12:31The series featured interviews with her students
12:33who were themselves victims of abuse at school
12:35and allowed them to tell the story
12:37through their own experiences,
12:39keeping Kathy at the core.
12:40They both knew that I was walking down the hallway to hell.
12:45But then I think of Sister Kathy,
12:47and I think, well, maybe they were scared to death
12:50that he was going to kill them.
12:51This created space for Kathy's story to be told
12:53without re-victimizing those involved
12:55and sensationalizing their trauma for profit.
12:58The narrative belongs to them
12:59and is recounted from their perspectives.
13:02And this is really the core ethical concern
13:04of true crime writ large.
13:06Is it fair to survivors of these tragedies
13:08to have their private lives
13:09and intimate family moments aired on TV?
13:12Mindy Pendleton, stepmother of Robert Mast,
13:15who was murdered in 2015,
13:16recounted begging the producers of Netflix's
13:19I Am a Killer to not feature their story.
13:21The episode aired without her permission or participation
13:24and featured his murderer
13:26detailing her side of the story.
13:28The episode was not about Robert,
13:30but about his killer through a lens of curiosity.
13:32I made the choice.
13:35I took his life.
13:37And there's nothing I can do to undo it.
13:39Victims' families have also cited
13:41the traumatizing effects
13:42of having their killed loved one's lifestyle,
13:45decisions, risks, relationships, and so forth
13:47scrutinized in the public eye
13:49by armchair detectives
13:50with no real connection to the case.
13:52This victim-blaming notion,
13:54what did the woman do to bring this upon herself?
13:57What did she wear?
13:58Why did she put herself in that position?
14:01And this is an age-old question in non-fiction media.
14:04What responsibility do we have to the truth?
14:07What responsibility do we have
14:08to the real-life people and events we cover?
14:10There isn't really such a thing as pure truth in media,
14:14because what viewers are shown
14:15is filtered through so many layers of perception.
14:18The lens always omits more than it captures,
14:20regardless of a filmmaker's intentions.
14:23You think that you know me as a person
14:26because you've watched my documentaries,
14:29you've read articles,
14:31you've done your research,
14:33but you don't know me as just gypsy.
14:37But true crime continues to push these boundaries
14:39for better or worse.
14:41A prime example is Monster
14:42and its deeply aestheticized telling
14:44of tragic historical events.
14:46Some viewers praised its vision and performances.
14:49It's a testament to Evan Peters' performance.
14:51He's a remarkable actor.
14:53Others criticized its potentially glorifying effect.
14:56They either go way over the top
14:57or they're glamorizing the killer.
15:00Can the series just exist as entertainment?
15:03Or should there be a higher bar
15:04for sensitivity and historical accuracy?
15:07It depends who you ask.
15:08But given the enduring presence of true crime
15:11across hundreds of years,
15:12it's clear the genre is here to stay.
15:14It will continue to evolve
15:16in line with the changing social concerns of its time.
15:19And perhaps given the sheer volume
15:20of formats and platforms available today,
15:23we can expect it to expand in different directions,
15:25serving a broad range of tastes.
15:27All things will find their fandom.
15:29Such a good form of escapism right now.
15:31I feel like it's so ridiculous and so outrageous.
15:34With that being said,
15:36the ethics of true crime remain up for debate
15:38and deeply subjective.
15:40We've seen how true crime can reflect biases in our society
15:43and in turn influence viewers' perception
15:45of the issues it covers.
15:47Rather than focusing on the unattainable bar of truth,
15:50perhaps the better measure here is honesty.
15:52So we have tried to surround ourselves
15:54with as many experts as we could.
15:56The story we are telling is a story about humanity,
15:59about sacrifice, about friendship,
16:01people who find each other in the darkest hours
16:04and walk towards the light together.
16:06Does the creator tell us the limits of their research?
16:09Does the content polarize characters
16:10into good guys and bad guys?
16:12Who are you made to identify with in the story?
16:15Then again, if you're just along for the ride
16:17and want to enjoy a juicy mystery,
16:19that's okay too.
16:20We're all fans here.
16:21But at the end of the day,
16:23it's important to keep in mind
16:24that these juicy mysteries
16:25were not just written to entertain us.
16:28They are the stories of real people
16:29who lived through very real events
16:32and they could happen to you too.
16:38Check out this other recent clip from WatchMojo
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