Television series
BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime
- Crime
- Cold-case mystery
- Dip in and out
Two friends investigate famous unsolved crimes with infectious chemistry and genuine curiosity. Ryan obsesses over details; Shane stays skeptical. It's neither sensationalist true crime nor academic—more like watching smart people argue about mysteries over beers. Addictive for anyone who loves a good puzzle or enjoys hanging out with charismatic hosts.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you like hosts who bicker their way through case files, letting jokes and theories ping-pong until a real puzzle snaps into focus, and who enjoy following a mystery one short episode at a time.
Skip it if you want a sober, forensic account of real crimes, because the constant jokey tangents can undercut subjects that deserve more gravity.
What it asks of you: Episodes run about twenty-two minutes across eight seasons and sixty-four installments, so it is a chatty, unhurried stretch best taken in small doses.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Making a Murderer2015
A meticulous documentary that lets you form your own conclusions about a controversial conviction. Gripping, well-structured, and genuinely makes you want to investigate yourself.
But The runtime is brutal—ten hours of deep focus. Some feel it's manipulative in its framing, and the case itself can feel bleak and exhausting.
MINDHUNTER2017
Absorbing drama about early criminal profiling that captures the obsessive detective work behind unsolved cases. Sharp writing, great performances, and genuinely unsettling without cheap scares.
But Very slow-burn with long stretches of office politics. Based on real cases but dramatized heavily—purists will bristle. The show was cancelled on a cliffhanger.
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst2015
A six-part documentary following one man's possible connection to multiple murders. The story unfolds like a thriller, and the final episode has a genuine jaw-dropping moment.
But The interview subject is deliberately evasive and unreliable, which makes some moments feel manipulated. Real people died; the tone occasionally feels like entertainment over respect.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Sharpe1993
Both use humor and banter between hosts/characters as a counterweight to dark material. But Scarce weaponizes that contrast—the lightness becomes sinister as danger closes in.
A Norwegian limited series where a podcaster investigates a cold case and gradually realizes she's uncovering something dangerous about her own town. Paranoid, claustrophobic, and subverts true-crime podcast tropes brilliantly.
But Subtitled, and deliberately obscure—it's less about answering questions than generating dread. Some viewers find it too bleak and self-aware in a way that's off-putting.
More like this (6)
Zodiac2007
Fincher's obsessive dive into the hunt for the Zodiac Killer. Methodical, paranoid, and captures the maddening pursuit of an unsolved mystery better than any true crime show.
But Three hours, minimal violence shown, and no satisfying conclusion—because there isn't one. Some call it glacial; the ambiguous ending infuriates viewers craving resolution.
The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann2019
Netflix's four-part series about one of the world's most famous missing child cases. Genuinely investigative rather than sensationalist, with access to case files and key people.
But It's relentlessly grim. The unresolved nature can feel like exploitation, and some feel the documentary itself became part of the circus around the case.
Oxygen2017
A tight, clever sci-fi thriller where a woman wakes alone in a cryo-chamber with no memory. Intense problem-solving in a confined space that mirrors investigative obsession.
But It's genre sci-fi, not grounded mystery. The finale pivots hard in a direction some find gimmicky. Low budget shows in the production design.
Only Murders in the Building2021
A comedy-mystery where three neighbors investigate a murder in their apartment building. Perfectly balances humor with genuine whodunit momentum and fantastic ensemble chemistry.
But It's comedic first, mystery second. If you want pure investigative tension, the jokes get in the way. The logic of the plot can be loose.
The Keepers2017
A documentary about a nun's unsolved murder in 1969 Baltimore. Methodical, humane, and explores how institutional power corrupts investigation itself.
But Very heavy subject matter involving abuse and corruption. It's slower and less sensational than true crime fans expect. The mystery never fully resolves.
Memories of Murder2003
The core DNA: smart people chasing something they can't quite catch, with humor and personality keeping them (and you) sane. But where Unsolved is casual and energetic, this is austere and tragic.
Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece about Korean detectives hunting a serial killer in the 1980s. A procedural that's also a study of frustration, power, and the toxicity of obsession. Visually stunning and morally complex.
But Subtitled. The pacing is deliberate and the ending deliberately unsatisfying. It's a film about failure, not catharsis—if you need closure, you won't find it.
People
Cast
Directing
- TJ MarchbankAssistant Director
Production
- Matthew HenickExecutive Producer