5 best TV shows about serial killers

The trailer of the hotly anticipated Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story has just dropped. It is a tight three-minute peep into the 10-part TV series that tells the story of an American serial killer who committed 17 gruesome murders that involved necrophilia, dismemberment, and cannibalism.

Directed by Ryan Murphy and starring Even Peters, the series documents Dahmer’s killings and his arrest and trial. Dahmer, who first killed a man when he was 18, picked up unsuspecting men and lured them to his home, where he would kill them and then take their bodies apart. For years before, he had practised on animals.

Well-made TV shows about serial killers have done well as they attempt to give viewers a glimpse into the minds of heinous killers and into their modus operandi. Shows about killers like Ted Bundy and Charles Sobhraj, or even stories like that of fictional vigilante psychopath Dexter Morgan, are excellent binge-watching options for those who enjoy the genre.

As you wait for Netflix to drop the 10 episodes of Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer, here is a list of five other spine-chilling serial killer TV shows you must watch- 

Mindhunter

Mindhunter is one of Netflix’s best TV shows about serial killers. The story is set in the 1970s, when FBI Special Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) joins the bureau’s Behavioral Science Unit head, Special Agent Bill Tench (McCallany), to interview real-life serial killers.

The duo, along with criminal psychology professor Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), interview serial killers in order to advance the field of criminology, which is still in its infancy. The term “serial killers” was coined after criminal profiling and the classification of such murderers.

The series, based on the non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, was a mix of discussion from interviews with psychopaths and reenactment of true events.

Also Read: Dahmer – Monster trailer released: Release date, cast, plot, all you need to know

You

Should you believe everything you see? This Netflix series will make you question everyone and everything around you.

Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is your typical lovable, enchanting neighbour boy. However, if it is your bad luck, you will discover his dirty secret. He is a monomaniacal romantic, and if he wants you, you are in for a surprise. He falls for a girl in a bookstore in the first season but soon begins to dominate and manipulate every part of her life. When things don’t go as planned, the sociopathic serial killer masquerading as a charming boy sheds his facade and appears in his true colours. 

However, after a string of murders, Joe relocates to Los Angeles in search of a new beginning. While attempting to flee his past, Joe meets someone who is equally enamoured with him.

Prodigal Son

Fox’s Prodigal Son is a procedural crime drama that combines the serial killer theme with the biblical story of the prodigal son.

It primarily follows Malcolm Bright, a former FBI forensics expert who now works as an advisor for the New York Police Department. Bright’s reputation precedes him not only for his special ability to see crimes from the murder’s perspective but also for convicting his own father – Marting Whitly  or popularly known as the infamous serial killer “The Surgeon.”

Also Read: Daniel Craig’s upcoming movies

Ragdoll

Ragdoll, AMC+’s new thriller series, follows detectives as they investigate the gruesome murders of a serial killer that are linked to the work of another serial killer.

The series begins with the revelation of the murder of six people, who are mutilated and pieced together to form “The Ragdoll,” a ghoulish body made up of the six victims’ body parts.

As the investigators begin their interrogation, the Ragdoll Killer begins tormenting them with a kill list, a list of six more people he plans to kill. And one of the detectives, Detective Sergeant Nathan Rose is on the list too. Will the Ragdoll Killer succeed in his quest or are there much darker twists in the story? You must watch this thrilling series to have all your questions answered. 

The Serpent 

The Serpent is yet another Netflix true-crime series that portrays the life of the notorious ‘bikini killer,’ Charles Sobhraj.

This elegant and ebullient serial killer preyed on travellers in Thailand who followed the ‘hippie trail’ in the 1970s. He stoned them first, then stole their identity documents and valuables before killing them. Another distinguishing feature of this demonic killer was the way he used his domineering charm and charismatic persona to get past trials and jail officials. While in prison, he even allured female inmates.

The series is a dramatisation of all the reportedly real-life events.