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The Best True Crime TV Shows

Updated January 4, 2021 28.1k votes 7.6k voters 658.3k views83 items

List RulesVote up your favorite shows that follow and investigate true crimes.

These are very best true crime shows on television, ranked from best to worst. This list of the greatest true crime shows also includes pictures from the shows, when available. Popular true crime TV shows have been a staple of television for years, so there's often debate about what the most entertaining true crime shows of all time are. Don't let your favorite true crime television programs in history fall to the bottom of the list - be sure to vote them up so they have the chance to reach the top. The list of true crime television television series below includes information like the program's cast and premiere date, when available.

What are some good true crime TV shows? Examples include Disappeared and Snapped, among other real crime shows that pair docudrama with thorough investigation, or use their format as true crime miniseries to dive deep into a story. What is the best true crime show of all time? If you've caught any true crime shows, you know which ones you like and probably have a quick answer when someone asks you, "What are the greatest true crime shows?" You're well aware that these are the best real life crime shows ever.

True crime series are incredibly engaging and arguably some of the best shows on TV. Vote up the true crime TV shows you think are the best and rerank to see how your favorites stack up against the rest.

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2,226
467
Forensic Files
Dayle Hinman, Peter Thomas
Premiered: 1996
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2
1,239
319
Cold Case Files
Danny Pino, Anthony Green
Premiered: 1999
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#152 of 538 TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time#74 of 162 The Best TV Crime Dramas
3
1,296
381
Dateline NBC
Lester Holt, Ann Curry
Premiered: 1992
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4
1,192
384
The First 48
Dion Graham, Caroline Mason
Premiered: 2004
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#1 of 19 The Best Current A&E Shows#1 of 84 The Best A&E Network TV Shows
5
543
142
48 Hours
Maureen Maher, Peter Van Sant
Premiered: 1988
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1,097
356
Homicide Hunter
Josh Casaubon, Joe Kenda
Premiered: 2011
7
813
250
Unsolved Mysteries
Robert Stack, Dennis Farina
Premiered: 1987
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810
260
Cold Justice
Kelly Siegler, Yolanda McClary
Premiered: 2013
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584
192
American Justice
Bill Kurtis
Premiered: 1992
10
809
292
Snapped
Laura San Giacomo
Premiered: 2004
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#58 of 116 The Best Shows On Peacock And The Series We Can't Wait To Watch#6 of 43 The Best Current True Crime Series
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409
125
A Crime to Remember
Marc A. Hermann, Michelle McNamara
Premiered: 2013
12
366
111
20/20
Elizabeth Vargas, David Muir
Premiered: 1978
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530
189
The FBI Files
James Kallstrom, Anthony D. Call
Premiered: 1998
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#41 of 44 The Best 2000s Crime Drama TV Shows#26 of 260 The Best Documentary Series & TV Shows
14
505
192
Disappeared
Christopher Crutchfield Walker, Kiff VandenHeuvel
Premiered: 2010
15
395
139
Killing Fields
Rodie Sanchez, Aubrey St. Angelo
Premiered: 2016
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#38 of 39 The Best Current Discovery Channel Shows#11 of 30 The Best True Crime Reality Series
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457
171
Nightmare Next Door
Greg Diefenbach, James Davenjay
Premiered: 2011
17
471
180
America's Most Wanted
John Walsh
Premiered: 1988
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#52 of 93 The Best Serial Cop Dramas of All Time#10 of 70 The Best Lifetime Television TV Shows
18
433
166
Deadly Women
Lynnanne Zager
Premiered: 2005
19
427
164
The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst
Robert Durst, Andrew Jarecki
Premiered: 2015
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‘The Jinx’ Is A Documentary Series About An Allegedly Unrepentant Wealthy Murderer#3 of 20 The Best True Crime Documentaries To Watch
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308
120
Making a Murderer
Steven Avery, Brendan Dassey
Premiered: 2015
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21
412
180
Solved
Kathleen Garrett, Skoti Collins
Premiered: 2008
22
170
50
Web of Lies
Nathan Wiley, Cherise Silvestri
Premiered: 2014
23
335
153
The New Detectives
Gene Galusha
Premiered: 1996
24
163
51
FearThy Neighbor
Tish Iceton, David Bacque
Premiered: 2014
25
165
55
Your Worst Nightmare
Eric Abraham, Clark Sarullo
Premiered: 2014

The First 48

Disappeared

Nightmare Next Door

Solved

Web of Lies

The New Detectives

FearThy Neighbor

Your Worst Nightmare