Sometimes, the best stories come from real life

Shows inspired by (crazy) true events are having a moment in pandemic era, and Netflix is perhaps the biggest supplier of the demand. If you are in need of some riveting historical fiction to get you through your reality, we’re recounting 10 of the best true crime series or shows loosely based on real events streaming on Netflix now.

1/10 The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

Based on Maureen Orth’s book Vulgar Favors: Andres Cunanan, Gianni Versace, and the Largest Failed Manhunt in U.S. History, the series explores the murder of designer Gianni Versace by spree killer Andrew Cunanan. The show focuses mainly on Cunanan, played by Darren Criss, who murdered five people during a three-month period in 1997.

2/10 Narcos

A chronicled look at the rise of the cocaine trade and Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Narcos unravels real-life stories of the late ‘80s and the corroborative efforts of law enforcement to meet Escobar head-on in bloody conflict. As efforts are made to control cocaine, one of the world’s most valuable commodities – legal, political, police, military and civilian find themselves in conflict.

3/10 Mindhunter

An American psychological crime thriller series, Mindhunter is based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Until written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Set in the late 1970s, two FBI agents are tasked with investigating serial killers to solve open cases, pioneering modern serial-killer profiling along the way.

4/10 The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story

Winning a total of 12 Emmy awards and the Golden Globe awards, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story is a dramatic retelling of the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial, specifically written off of Jeffrey Toobin’s 1997 book The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson (1997). The show is utterly gripping with extraordinary production, strong writing and direction, and a solid cast that includes David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian and Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J.

5/10 Orange Is The New Black

Running seven seasons, Orange Is The New Black (OITNB), based on the real-life Piper Kerman, takes on a wide spectrum of hot-button issues as it portrays Kerman’s experience at FCI Danbury prison for transporting drug money. Through comedy and drama, the series highlights real, pressing social issues, including inter-ethnic conflicts, queer identities and rights, mental illness, drug addiction, and the American prison system. The show has sparked numerous conversations over the years and has never been afraid to tackle controversial topics.

6/10 When They See Us

This poignant American miniseries is based on events of the Central Park Five that culminated into the wrongful conviction of five Black and Latino teenage boys from Harlem. Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Antron McCray, Yusef Salaam, and Raymond Santana served years for the violent rape and assault of a white woman on April 19, 1989, in Central Park, New York City—a crime they were much later found to be innocent of.

7/10 The Serpent

Shot on location in Thailand, The Serpent follows Charles Sobhraj (played by Tahar Rahim), a French serial killer of Indian and Vietnamese descent, as he drugs and robs travelers while going in and out of Bangkok between 1975 and 2000 with his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc. It’s an unbelievable story of brazen deceit and manipulation that’ll have you on the edge of your seat for all eight episodes.

8/10 Unorthodox

The first Yiddish Netflix series, Unorthodox is inspired by Deborah Feldman’s 2021 autobiography, Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots. The series explores the story of a 19-year-old Jewish woman who flees her arranged marriage and religious community to start a new life in Berlin.

9/10 Unbelievable

A miniseries based on the 2015 news article An Unbelievable Story of Rape, this show follows a teenager charged with lying about having been raped. Two detectives set on a twisted path to get to the truth.

10/10 The Crown

For fans of royal history, The Crown explores the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s to modern times. Based on award-winning play The Audience by showrunner Peter Morgan, the show touches upon the personal intrigues, romances and political rivalries that have shaped the monarchy’s relevance to the public by the end of the 20th century.