Top 10 True Crime Documentaries to Watch in 2022
2022 looks to be an exciting year for true crime documentaries. For this list, we’ll be looking at the most intriguing true crime documentaries that have been released, or are set to release, in 2022. We won’t be considering scripted movies, or shows based on real events. Our countdown includes "BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer" (2022), "Scott Peterson: The Friends Speak" (2022), "Scream: The True Story" (2022), "Murder Under the Friday Night Lights" (2022), and more! Which of these are you most interested in? Let us know in the comments!
#10: “Trust No One: The Hunt for the Crypto King” (2022)
The titular crypto king refers to Gerald Cotten, the co-founder of Canadian cryptocurrency exchange company Quadriga. Without getting too into the weeds, basically people would send money to Quadriga, who would invest it in Bitcoin for them. However, the company allegedly never invested those funds at all. To make matters worse, Cotten died in 2018, and because he was the sole password holder, reportedly took $190 million US in cryptocurrency with him. 115,000 people were effectively out of their money. The Ontario Securities Commission has labeled Quadriga a Ponzi scheme. Some people online have even speculated that Cotten faked his own death. A documentary about the case is scheduled for Netflix on March 30.
#9: “Murder Under the Friday Night Lights” (2022-)
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This series from Investigation Discovery is all about, you guessed it, football. Well, true crime and football to be more exact. This unique series chronicles various true crime cases directly involving high school football. Some of the stories include a student who went missing, a star player who becomes the prime suspect in a killing, and the horrifying discovery of a slain teacher. The series explores not just the cases themselves, but how they impacted both the teams and the communities at large. There are a gazillion true crime documentaries out there, and it’s nice to see one with a fresh angle.
#8: “The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman” (2022)
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Released in January of 2022, this docuseries chronicles the life and crimes of British conman Robert Hendy-Freegard. Hendy-Freegard would approach his victims and pretend to be an undercover agent working for MI5. He would tell them that thanks to their association with him, they were being targeted by the IRA and had to go into hiding - separating them from family and friends. Some were put through made-up “loyalty tests”, and many were swindled out of their money. This docuseries tells the twisted tale of how he sold such an outlandish lie to his victims.
#7: “The Janes” (2022)
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Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2022, this feature documentary tells a complex story about the muddy nature of the law. It concerns The Jane Collective, an underground activist movement that performed safe and inexpensive abortions throughout the early ‘70s. Because abortion was illegal at the time, they worked in secrecy. Regardless, word got around, and it’s believed that The Jane Collective helped an estimated 11,000 women. The movement was eventually raided by police, and its members faced life in prison. However, Roe v. Wade was decided soon after, and the charges against The Jane Collective were dropped.
#6: “Scott Peterson: The Friends Speak” (2022)
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Anyone who regularly watches true crime shows is sure to recognize the name Scott Peterson. His story has been told on all the big programs, including “48 Hours,” “20/20,” and “Dateline.” In January 2022, Reelz released the documentary “Scott Peterson: The Friends Speak,” which contains exclusive interviews with Peterson’s close associates and the detectives who worked on the case. Said case dates back to 2002, when Peterson killed his pregnant wife Laci. He was convicted for both and sentenced to death, although this was later commuted to life in prison. He is currently serving his time in California’s notorious San Quentin.
#5: “Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.” (2022)
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Sarma Melngailis is a chef who specializes in raw food, and she operated a widely praised restaurant in Manhattan called Pure Food and Wine. However, in 2015, staff complained about unpaid wages and walked out … twice. Melngailis gave different explanations to different people about the missing money. She then went on the run with her then husband before getting arrested in Tennessee and facing trial for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from investors, among other crimes. Somehow though, she spent just four months in prison. “Bad Vegan” will tell this story when it’s released on Netflix in March.
#4: “Scream: The True Story” (2022)
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The first “Scream” movie was partly inspired by serial killer Danny Rolling, aka The Gainesville Ripper. Rolling infamously killed five college students in Gainesville, Florida in August of 1990. He later confessed to killing eight people throughout his life, which included three more victims in his home state of Louisiana. This Discovery+ doc takes a unique approach. It contains all the typical documentary trappings, like exclusive interviews with experts and close personal associates of Rolling. However, it also contains a paranormal investigation, as Rolling claimed that he was possessed by a malicious demon. The investigation sees two paranormal experts travel from Rolling’s childhood home in Louisiana to a Florida campsite where Rolling stalked his victims.
#3: “We Need to Talk About Cosby” (2022)
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This Showtime miniseries was created by W. Kamau Bell, the host of CNN’s Emmy-winning TV series “United Shades of America.” His documentary includes numerous people associated with the Cosby case, including Cosby’s victims and journalists who worked extensively on breaking the story. “We Need to Talk About Cosby” examines not only the heinous crimes, but how the entertainment industry allowed him to flourish for decades. It’s one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of our time, and this doc is an equally painful and necessary glimpse into how it happened.
#2: “BTK: Confession of a Serial Killer” (2022)
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Few serial killers are as notorious as BTK. Real name Dennis Rader, BTK’s killings spanned multiple decades, ranging from 1974 to 1991. In that time, Rader killed ten people throughout Kansas and personally corresponded with both the police and media. He had an ego, to say the least. Unlike the other documentaries centered around BTK, this one delves into the psyche of a serial killer and simply uses Rader as an outlet. It provides exclusive phone interviews with the man himself, and forensic psychology expert Dr. Katherine Ramsland provides her expertise. Ramsland knows BTK intimately, having personally corresponded with him for years.
#1: “The Tinder Swindler” (2022)
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You’ll never swipe right with quite the same confidence after this documentary film. “The Tinder Swindler” tells the story of Israeli con artist Simon Leviev, who used Tinder to meet his victims. He would woo them with lavish gifts, which he paid for with money swindled from previous victims. Claiming to have powerful enemies, he would then ask them to send him money. Rinse, repeat. In all, he swindled an estimated $10 million from his victims. The documentary is a fascinating glimpse not only into Leviev’s scheme, but how online dating can be used to manipulate and deceive.
