Ranker TVList RulesVote up the best Lifetime movies that were based on real events.
Lifetime has a built a brand out of ripped-from-the-headlines, made-for-TV drama - but it’s not just for middle-aged, bored divorcees like the stereotype. The network is absolutely loaded with action-packed retellings of true crime that deal with hyper-gritty subjects. In fact, the list of Lifetime originals based on true stories might even be more impressive than every season of Law & Order: SVU combined.
It’s true that most of the Lifetime movies that really happened focus on mothers, daughters and the struggles they’ve overcome, but sometimes it’s straight-up serial killers like The Happy Face Killer and Blue-Eyed Butcher. Other times, it’s a heartwarming coming-of-age triumph like the ultimate Lifetime classic Gracie’s Choice.
These Lifetime movies based on true events are the best of the best and the worst of the worst. Vote for your favorites to pick an ultimate, action-packed, drama-filled winner.
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27454The Face on the Milk Carton
Jill Clayburgh, Sharon LawrenceReleased: 1995
A teenage girl (Kellie Martin) sees a photograph of herself one day in the school cafeteria - on a Missing Persons column on the side of a milk carton. But her beloved parents would never kidnap anyone and there's a deeper mystery ahead.
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24351Cleveland Abduction
Taryn Manning, Raymond CruzReleased: 2015
Directed by: Alex Kalymnios
A single mother who becomes the first victim of kidnapper Ariel Castro (Raymond Cruz) finds herself trapped in his home for 11 years, where she eventually becomes a friend and sister to two other women who are taken captive by Castro.
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20653I Am Elizabeth Smart
Elizabeth Smart, Alana BodenReleased: 2017
Police launch a high-profile investigation after a teenager (Alana Boden) is abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City.
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17540Gracie's Choice
Kristen Bell, Diane LaddReleased: 2004
A teenage girl tries to raise her three half-brothers and one half-sister on her own after their drug-addicted mother is sent to jail.
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19954Fifteen and Pregnant
Kirsten Dunst, Katee SackhoffReleased: 1998
Directed by: Sam Pillsbury
Based on a true story, 15 year old Tina Spangler discovers she is pregnant. Her choices are abortion, adoption, or a lonely, exhausting life as a single parent.
![A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story]()
616739A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story
Mercedes Ruehl, Avan JogiaReleased: 2006
Directed by: Agnieszka Holland
The true story of Gwen Araujo, a young trans woman who was brutally slain by four men in 2002.
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20662No One Would Tell
Shannen Doherty, Mira SorvinoReleased: 2018
Based on a true story and a remake of the 1996 film of the same name. A shy high school student's seemingly perfect relationship with a popular jock quickly turns abusive and dangerous.
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16541Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret
Tania Raymonde, David ZayasBased on the disturbing trial that gripped the nation, this Lifetime Original Movie tells the story of a seductive, aspiring photographer found guilty of ending the life of her former lover.
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15438Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story
Ellen Page, Thora BirchReleased: 2003
Directed by: Peter Levin
Based on a true story. Liz Murray is a young girl who is taken care of by her loving, but drug-addicted parents. Liz becomes homeless at 15 and after a tragedy comes upon her, she begins her work to finish high school.
![Abducted: The Carlina White Story]()
1014843Abducted: The Carlina White Story
Sherri Shepherd, Keke PalmerReleased: 2012
Directed by: Vondie Curtis-Hall
A baby abducted at birth and raised by the woman who took her, eventually discovers she is a missing child, reconnects with her birth parents, and struggles with choosing between her two identities.
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12934Girl Fight
Anne Heche, Jodelle FerlandReleased: 2011
Directed by: Stephen Gyllenhaal
A video of an assault on a teenager surfaces on the Internet.
![Murder in the Hamptons]()
1211931Murder in the Hamptons
Poppy Montgomery, Diego KlattenhoffReleased: 2005
Directed by: Jerry Ciccoritti
When multi-millionaire Ted Ammon is found bludgeoned to death at his East Hampton estate, suspicion falls on his estranged wife, Generosa Rand, and her lover, Danny Pelosi.
![The Pregnancy Pact]()
1312639The Pregnancy Pact
Thora Birch, Nancy TravisReleased: 2010
Directed by: Rosemary Rodriguez
Inspired by the true story of teenagers at Gloucester High School in Massachusets who agreed to get pregnant at the same time.
![Blue-Eyed Butcher]()
1412742Blue-Eyed Butcher
Lisa Edelstein, Sara PaxtonReleased: 2012
Directed by: Stephen T. Kay
Texas beauty Susan Wright appeared to have a fairytale life with an adoring husband, Jeff, two beautiful kids, and close family and friends. But in 2003, six years into their marriage, the fairy tale crumbles when Jeff is found dead and buried in the backyard of their suburban home.
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11333The Capture of the Green River Killer
James Marsters, Sharon LawrenceDirected by: Norma Bailey
A pair of girls seeking adventure beyond the their Western Washington trailer park encounter the area's most ruthless serial killer.
![Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal]()
1613251Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal
Ashley Benson, Tatum O'NealReleased: 2008
Directed by: Tom McLoughlin
A teacher is harassed by a group of snotty, popular cheerleaders who think they can get away with anything. However, the teacher has no intention of taking their rude behavior.
![Lizzie Borden Took an Ax]()
1711340Lizzie Borden Took an Ax
Christina Ricci, Clea DuVallReleased: 2014
Directed by: Nick Gomez
In Massachusetts in 1893, Lizzie Borden is put on trial for ending the lives of her father and stepmother with an axe.
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11949Girl in the Bunker
Julia Lalonde, Henry ThomasReleased: 2018
A teenage girl is abducted and held in a forest in an underground bunker by a sexual predator.
![The Client List]()
1910639The Client List
Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cybill ShepherdReleased: 2010
Directed by: Eric Laneuville
Riley (Jennifer Love Hewitt) is a single mother living in a small Texas town and leading a shocking double life.
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12456The Brittany Murphy Story
Amanda Fuller, Sherilyn FennReleased: 2014
Directed by: Joe Menendez
A chronicle of Brittany Murphy's rise to fame in the 1990s, her struggles with self-esteem, and her tragic early death.
![An Officer and a Murderer]()
218733An Officer and a Murderer
Gary Cole, Laura HarrisReleased: 2012
Directed by: Norma Bailey
The riveting film is based on the true story of a powerful and respected military officer who committed numerous brutal crimes and was eventually brought down by a tenacious small town police detective.
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8229Baby For Sale
Dana Delany, Hart BochnerReleased: 2004
Directed by: Peter Svatek
A couple discover that the baby girl they're trying to adopt is being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The couple become part of a sting operation to bust the baby-selling ring.
![Natalee Holloway]()
2310447Natalee Holloway
Catherine Dent, Amy GumenickReleased: 2009
Directed by: Mikael Salomon
An 18 year old girl, Natalee Holloway (Catherine Dent), goes on a senior class trip to Aruba, only to mysteriously disappear after meeting a man at bar.
![Fatal Honeymoon]()
248735Fatal Honeymoon
Harvey Keitel, Amber ClaytonReleased: 2012
Directed by: Nadia Tass
A man is accused of drowning his wife during their scuba diving trip at Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
![A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster]()
258233A Date with Darkness: The Trial and Capture of Andrew Luster
Lisa Edelstein, Sarah CarterReleased: 2003
Directed by: Bobby Roth
Andrew Luster, the heir to the Max factor fortune, is convicted of rape on 86 counts. This Lifetime original movie recounts the crimes committed by the infamous Andrew Luster and the women who brought him to justice.
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