Television series
The Killer in My Family
- Serial killer
- Very dark
- Dip in and out
A documentary series that puts you inside the lives of families shattered by having a murderer in their midst. Through interviews and archive, it explores how they coped with the revelation, the media onslaught, and the permanent stain on their name. Unflinching but compassionate—less about the killer's psychology than about the collateral damage they left behind.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want to understand how a real crime ripples outward into the lives of the people who shared a kitchen with the killer, and you can sit with heavy material without needing it softened.
Skip it if you find case-file repetition wearing, since every story follows the same shape of interviews, archive footage and expert commentary across five seasons.
What it asks of you: Hour-long episodes, thirty-four of them across five seasons, unfold at a measured pace, and each one stays with its family's grief rather than hurrying toward the next crime.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
MINDHUNTER2017
Explores the psychology of serial killers through FBI profilers building the discipline from scratch. Methodical, intelligent, genuinely unsettling—it makes you understand how investigators think rather than glorifying the criminals.
But Slow-burn procedural. Long stretches without dramatic payoff, and it can feel more like a seminar than a thriller.
The Keepers2017
Documentary about a nun's unsolved murder that reveals institutional corruption and trauma rippling through a community. Haunting, meticulous, and centered on the survivors rather than the crime itself.
But Deals with abuse and institutional cover-up. Heavy subject matter that doesn't offer easy answers or closure.
Unbelievable2019
Limited series following detectives who crack a serial rapist case. Based on real events, emotionally intelligent, and focused on the victims' perspectives and the systems that failed them.
But Graphic depictions of sexual assault. The early episodes are deliberately difficult to watch.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Killer in My Family
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
A Thin Line Between Love and Hate1996
Both examine how violence and obsession ripple through relationships and families. This film explores the intimate machinery of manipulation and possession—what happens when the killer wears a charming face and you're supposed to love them.
A dark comedy-thriller about obsession and violence from the perspective of a woman pursued by a charismatic abuser. Uses genre and humor to examine cycles of control without ever winking at the danger.
But Tonal shifts between comedy and brutality feel jarring. 90s production values and sensibilities won't click for everyone.
More like this (8)
I'll Be Gone in the Dark2020
Michelle McNamara hunts the Golden State Killer while grappling with obsession and her own mortality. Darkly compelling, beautifully made, and about what it costs to pursue the truth.
But Blends true crime with memoir and becomes somewhat self-focused. Pacing feels uneven in places.
Killer Ratings2019
Brazilian documentary about a TV presenter who murdered his wife live on air. Explores how media complicity turned a killer into a celebrity, and society's appetite for spectacle.
But In Portuguese with subtitles. The sensationalism of the original crime remains deeply uncomfortable to witness.
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst2015
Robert Durst gives extraordinary on-camera interviews while a journalist closes in on him. Gripping and genuinely shocking—you watch a confession unfold in real time.
But Durst is manipulative and charismatic; the show risks making him fascinating rather than abhorrent. Six episodes is a long commitment.
Conviction
Documents the investigation and trial of two journalists accused of a crime, exploring media manipulation and the fragility of truth. Sharp and morally complex.
But Limited run means limited depth on some aspects. Assumes interest in British tabloid journalism.
Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer2019
Internet vigilantes track down a man posting animal abuse videos. A genuine thriller about crowdsourced justice and what happens when amateurs investigate.
But Contains graphic animal cruelty footage. Becomes self-congratulatory about the amateur investigators.
Catching Killers2021
Retired detectives reflect on their most significant cases with archival material and new interviews. Insider perspective on investigative craft and the human cost of the work.
But Episodic structure means no deep dive into any single case. Some episodes are stronger than others.
The Staircase2022
Like 'The Killer in My Family,' it centers on how a crime unmakes the family around it—and how outsiders (the viewers, the media, the court) must live with uncertainty about who someone really is.
Limited series about a man convicted of his wife's death, told with formal brilliance and deep skepticism about justice. It questions everything: the evidence, the trial, our certainty. Documentary-style but dramatically told.
But Thirteen episodes to tell one story; pacing can feel bloated. Michael Peterson's behavior oscillates in ways that make him neither sympathetic nor clearly guilty, which some find frustrating.
We Need to Talk About Kevin2011
The ultimate wildcard for this series: it's the inverse. Instead of the family *after* the crime, we inhabit the perspective of a family *before* and *during*—and it refuses to provide the psychological diagnosis that might make sense of it all.
A mother reckons with her relationship to her son after he commits a school massacre. Formally inventive, psychologically harrowing, and profoundly about maternal ambivalence and blame. Tilda Swinton gives her most controlled performance.
But Non-linear structure makes it disorienting. The film doesn't resolve the central question—is it nature or nurture?—and offers no comfort. Viscerally upsetting.
People
Cast
Louise HollandNarrator