Why are we so obsessed with True Crime TV? From the edgiest horrific stories to gut-wrenching crime scenes that feature gore, True Crime fans are often questioned about where their fascination with such tragedies stems from.
Tragic or Not — True Crime TV is Interesting to Explore
Similar to how other forms of TV shows are made, viewers find themselves reeling in closer to the screen to figure out the puzzle, with the biggest questions in mind being: "Why did the killer do that?" "Is it possible to kill someone this brutally?"
How the media portrays True Crime TV also happens to affect how viewers perceive the victim, the crime, and the culprit.
Learning their motive, and how their pattern of behavior and lifestyle led them to their sentence gives them a cathartic feeling of having the truth unravel right in front of them. Suddenly, "it all makes sense."
True Crime TV Grounds Viewers Into Reality (At Least Some Part of It)
According to Charlie Tuggle, who has worked for local television for over 16 years, True Crime's appeal "stems from a sense of justice" in that a number of scenarios or episodes somehow "broke" the justice system.
"The murderer winds up not paying consequences," Tuggle said, "Maybe it's ineptitude by the investigators or prosecutors, or even malfeasance where people get bribed. This person committed a murder and should pay."
In some cases, such as Netflix's Menendez Brothers' case, Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, two sides of a coin are shown in documentaries that further complicate the story.
While the culprits are still human, what they did isn't always justified and humane when facing the law.
Therefore, the more complicated the case is, the more eager viewers want to uncover the entire story.
Groundbreaking Discoveries Found in True Crime
A 'sneak peek', if you will, into the corrupted justice system and how, more often than not, they slip through the loophole without a single mark of consequence on their crime.
Take Netflix's Griselda story, for example. While she was indeed punished for her crimes, the case of Griselda Blanco's smuggling ring is one of the most profound true crime TV releases in 2024, especially considering what happened to the money she stashed away after her imprisonment and then later death.
READ NEXT: Top 5 Food Reality Shows Every Foodie Should Watch
Make sure to follow our official Facebook page for more news and explainer articles about your favorite films and TV shows!