True Crime TV Shows to Binge as a Couple

A show you can binge together is a small shared project, and true crime TV shows are made for it: every episode ends with a theory to argue about. These five mix real cases with two scripted series, so you can match the show to the mood. Availability varies by country and changes often, so look up where each one is streaming near you.

For one case at a time: Forensic Files

Forensic Files first aired on April 23, 1996, as Medical Detectives, and ran until June 17, 2011 across TLC, Court TV and truTV, for 14 seasons and 406 episodes. Each half-hour episode follows one case from the first investigation to its legal resolution, narrated by Peter Thomas, and some cases turn out to be accidents rather than crimes. A revival, Forensic Files II, began in February 2020. Short episodes make it easy to say yes to one more.

For puzzles you can help solve: Unsolved Mysteries

Unsolved Mysteries began on NBC in 1987 and became a full series in 1988 with the host Robert Stack. It profiles cold cases, missing persons and strange events. Netflix revived it on July 1, 2020 in a documentary style with no host, and each episode focuses on a single mystery. The show has a history of viewer tips: after one episode featured an arsonist’s videotape, viewers identified the house and two suspects were arrested.

For a weekly habit: Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC premiered on March 31, 1992 and has become a weekly newsmagazine that focuses mainly on true crime, with Lester Holt as anchor since 2011. The correspondent Keith Morrison often narrates the true crime editions. Episodes are self-contained, so it suits a couple who want one story a night rather than a whole season.

For a scripted slow burn: Mindhunter

Mindhunter (Netflix, October 13, 2017, created by Joe Penhall) is a scripted drama based on the 1995 book by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. It follows FBI agents who help found the Behavioral Science Unit in the late 1970s and early 1980s and interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology. It ran for two seasons and 19 episodes and has ended, so you can watch it all without waiting for more.

For a laugh with the mystery: Only Murders in the Building

Only Murders in the Building (Hulu, August 31, 2021, created by Steve Martin and John Hoffman, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez) is a mystery comedy-drama, so it is fiction. Three strangers who love true crime podcasts investigate murders in their Manhattan apartment building and make their own podcast about it. It is the lightest pick here, and a good one for a pair who love the genre but want a laugh.

How to binge as a couple

Agree how many episodes you will watch before you start, and take turns choosing the next show. Pause when a theory needs discussing. Keep real-case shows and scripted shows apart in your mind, because only some of these are true. Remember that real cases involve real people, and switch to the comedy if the mood needs lifting.