I spend most of my work day writing and talking about crime as Mamamia's News Editor and host of our podcast, True Crime Conversations .

You'll often find me settling in on a Friday night to watch the latest true crime doco dropped on the streaming platforms.

Sure, I am also known to reach for a trashy TV show or a girly, sugary rom-com, but my day job doesn't deter me from devouring the latest crimey content. It's safe to say, I live and breathe this genre.

But it's a big genre — the biggest in-fact — so it's easy to miss some absolute much-watches. Don't worry, I've got you.

Here are just 11 of the true-crime documentaries you need to watch.

1. Con Girl.

You might've missed this four part series, because it's hidden away on 7Plus, but it needs to be top of your list.

It follows the life and crimes of Australian con-woman Samantha Azzopardi, a now 36-year-old who has spent the last 15 years conning hundreds of people around the world using 75 different aliases.

It's one of the most bizarre crime stories I've ever delved into, but this docu-series is so well done, covering just a few of Azzopardi's ruses to help paint the picture of close to two decades of deceit.

It's well-made, well-shot, victim-led and gripping…I couldn't look away.

Listen: To the producer of this show give us a snapshot on True Crime Conversations. Post continues after podcast.

2. The Menendez Brothers.

While Monsters is a dramatised version of real events — very flashy, very watchable — The Menendez Brothers is a much more true to life documentary about the same crime.

Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without parole for the shooting murders of both their parents in 1989. But their crimes are underpinned by what the brothers allege is a childhood of sexual abuse by their father, and cover-up by their mother. Their first trial, using this defence, resulted in a hung jury. However, the second trial was not allowed to include any of the same evidence…resulting in the harshest punishment.

This documentary is well told, fascinating and a much more authentic re-telling.

Watch: The Menendez Brothers official trailer. Post continues below.

3. American Murder: The Family Next Door.

This particular crime is one I've never been able to forget, Christopher Lee Watts murdering his pregnant wife Shanann by strangulation, and their two children Bella and Celeste by suffocation.

This documentary is so chilling, because there is so much footage of the family prior to the murders. Seemingly normal 'happy' family footage of two loving parents and their kids. Except he was a killer, and he annihilated his whole family.

There's footage of Shanann on the door camera arriving home, the police first arriving at the house, them meeting Christopher. It's all there to see, and it's terrifying to watch him acting so normally, after doing something so horrific.

It's available on Netflix.

4. The Fire That Took Her.

Released in 2022, this is a harrowing story that is beautifully told using archival footage and interviews with family members.

Judy Malinowski was a mother-of-two who was set on fire by her partner in 2015, suffering burns to 90 per cent of her body. She survived for two years, living long enough to testify at her own murder trial — a world first.

Five months before her death, Judy's pain meds were reduced so she could give three hours of gruelling evidence (including cross-examination) via video-link, footage that was later used to help convict her killer of murder.

It follows the grief of her children and mother, and their struggle to understand the court system and their mother's story.

It's a hard watch. But an important one. I am still thinking about this documentary, months after watching it. It's available on Amazon Prime.

5. Exposed: The Case Of Keli Lane.

This is one of my all-time favourite documentaries, that I highly recommend you watch, if you haven't already.

If follows the re-investigation of the Keli Lane case through the eyes of ABC journalist Caro Meldrum-Hanna, who responds to a plea for help from the convicted murderer.

Lane was found guilty in 2010 of murdering her newborn daughter Tegan, whose body has never been found. She has always maintained her innocence, and Meldrum-Hanna re-interviews all of the players in the case and analyses and questions the testimony of both Lane and the prosecution.

It's one of those docos that really makes you think, did we get it right? Is Lane a convicted killer or an innocent woman?

You can watch it on ABC iView and Netflix.

6. What Jennifer Pan Did.

The tale of Jennifer Pan is fairly well known, but this Netflix documentary is the first comprehensive documentary following her life and crimes.

Charged with murdering her parents, the unravelling of Pan's secrets and the lies that lead to her mum and dad's deaths sounds like it should be a Hollywood movie, not real life.

The most fascinating part for me, was watching her police interviews and how they gradually un-did her.

A brilliant documentary, about a harrowing crime.

7. Mommy Dead and Dearest.

You've no doubt heard the story of Gyspy Rose Blanchard, who orchestrated the murder of her mother at the hands of her former boyfriend. She was finally released from prison this year.

Like the Menendez brothers, this documentary follows the complicated story of an alleged child of abuse, who ended up killing their parent.

There are a lot of... opinions… out there about Blanchard, and this documentary does a great job of just telling the facts as they are and letting you come to your own conclusion.

Available on HBO Max, it's a great weekend watch.

8. Sweet Bobby.

Whether you listened to the 2021 podcast by the same name or not, this doco is a much watch. It follows the catfish nightmare experienced by Kirat Assi who, over a decade, went online and be-friended, and fell in love with, handsome cardiologist 'Bobby'. Their virtual relationship upended her life, with Kirat continually trying to meet her 'true love' in real life.

Only, extraordinary events kept getting in the way, and eventually the truth came out. He wasn't who he seemed.

Even though I'd listened to the podcast, I was gripped and shocked through the screen adaptation, and loved seeing Kirat and the other people involved in real life. Even the real Bobby appears.

For a true crime documentary, it's on the lighter end — even though the themes are dark, it's not about murder and violence — so if you're up for a suspenseful gripping show, but not keen for a hard-watch, this is the one to reach for.

It's on Netflix.

9. The Man with 1000 kids.

I have one word to describe this documentary: wild.

It follows the story of Jonathan Meijer, a Dutch sperm donor accused of fathering more than five hundred children and lying to families about it both in the Netherlands and across the world (including Australia).

You get to meet a bunch of the families (and children) in this documentary, and it's just a fascinating watch. Another fairly easy true crime documentary to consume after a busy week when you just want to flop on the couch with something interesting but not too heavy.

It's available on Netflix.

10. Wrong Man.

Wrong Man is a six part docu-series investigating the criminal convictions of three people who claim their innocence. It's from 2018, so a bit older, but well worth a binge.

This is one of those 'watch it unravel with the documentary makers' type watch, where you feel like you are investigating the story in real-time.

Season One follows the cases of Christopher Tapp, Evaristo Salas and Curtis Flowers. All of these men have since been exonerated.

You can find it on Stan.

11. The Jinx.

Last but definitely not least, The Jinx is a TV series following the story of New York real estate heir Robert Durst, who is suspected in the disappearance of his wife, and the murders of two other people.

There is so much research, exposé and un-ravelling in this series, it's hard to look away. We're talking never before seen footage, key witnesses, prison recordings, hidden documents, twists and turns.

Spoiler alert…the doco led to him being charged for murder. It's so, so good, add it to your list.

You can watch it on Apple.

12. Aileen: Queen of the Serial Killers.

It's true that male serial killers tend to dominate documentary series, while women who kill? They're a phenomenon we haven't yet figured out.

However, Aileen Wurnos has bucked this trend — having been the subject matter for Monster (played by Charlize Theron) — and now a Netflix documentary built almost entirely on interviews she gave back in 1997.

It's kind of like a diary note of the final years before her execution.

Whether or not you believe her, it makes for an interesting watch.

13. Unknown Number: The High School Catfish.

Viral for a reason, this 2025 release is a genuinely well-made documentary about a Michigan teenage girl who was targeted by an anonymous texter.

The exchanges are cruel, deeply personal, and obviously sent by someone who knew exactly how to hurt her.

This is a 'reveal' you'll never forget and will stop you from 'double screening' with your iPhone. It's not a murder doco, but the damage and fall out from this will still make you flinch.

A Netflix special, you won't forget this in a hurry.

14. The Perfect Neighbour.

This Netflix documentary follows a 35-year-old Black mother of four in Florida, AJ Owens, whose white neighbour, Susan Lorincz, spent months harassing her.

She would call the police for odd reasons and created a climate of fear within the community. It culminates with a shot sent through a closed front door, with Owens completely unarmed.

This documentary feels so strong because of all the tension leading up to the moment, you really feel like you're living in the community's anxiety with them.

It's become a symbol of 'weaponised fear' and how neighbour disputes can turn fatal.

Feature image: 7Plus/Paramount, Netflix.

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