That’s the problem with most serial killers: they might appear to be gentlemen, but below the charm is a cold-blooded murderer. That is most likely what draws viewers into their story. Serial killer TV series, which reveal to viewers what goes on in the brains of some of the most heinous murders, has grown in popularity over the years. Multiple killings, unusual strategies, and graphic crime scenes characterize some of the finest serial killer TV episodes that have had viewers on the edge of their seats.
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Serial killer programs, whether about the fictitious vigilante serial murderer Dexter Morgan or real-life serial killers like Ted Bundy and Charles Sobhraj, provide terrific binge-watching possibilities. While one series is more interesting than the other, they will keep you peering through your fingers throughout several episodes.
Dexter
This is one of the finest serial killer programs, starring Golden Globe winner Michael C. Hall as the likable and charming Dexter Morgan. Dexter, which has eight seasons and a special program, depicts the battle between the protagonist and performing horrific acts such as murder. Jennifer Carpenter plays Debra Morgan, while John Lithgow plays Trinity Killer.
Dexter is a forensic specialist in blood spatter with the Miami Metro Police Department by day and a cunning and cold-hearted serial killer at night. This is due to the trauma of his turbulent childhood, which reveals itself in his drive to kill.
Furthermore, because he works with the police, he has access to all of the inside knowledge needed to prevent and solve murder mysteries, allowing him to leave no trace.
There is, however, a catch. Dexter’s victims are fellow serial murderers in a bright and beautiful Miami. This serial killer program, full of dark comedy, was revived through a mini-series named Dexter: New Blood (2021-2022), which marked the conclusion of Dexter Morgan’s killings.
Mindhunter
Mindhunter is one of Netflix’s top serial killer TV episodes, set in the 1970s, when FBI Special Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) joins the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit chief, Special Agent Bill Tench (McCallany), to interview real-life serial murderers.
The two, together with criminal psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), interview serial killers to further the study of criminal profiling, which is still in its infancy. The term “serial killers” was used after criminal profiling and identification of such murderers.
The series, based on the non-fiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, was a blend of genuine language from interviews with serial murderers and dramatization of true events. Cameron Britton, who plays the hated serial murderer Edmund Kemper, won an Emmy nomination for his outstanding performance. Holden and Bill are based on the actual stories of retired FBI agents John E. Douglas and Robert K. Ressler.
If real crime stories and the inner workings of serial killers pique your interest, Mindhunter should be at the top of your list.
Hannibal
The gruesome serial murderer program was broadcast on NBC’s network television. It is based on Thomas Harris’ novels Red Dragon (1981), Hannibal (1999), and Hannibal Rising (2006), it is about horrible kills by a predator who appears sophisticated and charming and possesses a rare proficiency with a knife.
When FBI special investigator and criminal profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) pays a visit to renowned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) to learn more about the minds of violent serial killers, he has no idea he is speaking with a horrible serial killer. The show’s plot revolves around their friendship.
Hannibal is a complex character. In addition to being a superb psychiatrist, he is an outstanding chef and a cannibal. While he can create perfectly prepared dishes using the victim’s limbs, he also goes to tremendous measures to get access to Graham’s thoughts and influence him.
YOU
Should you believe everything you see? This Netflix series will make you question everyone around you.
Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) is your normal lovely, charming neighbor guy. However, if it is your bad luck, you will discover his terrible secret. He is an obsessive romantic, and if he desires you, you are in for a surprise. He falls in love with a girl in a bookshop in the first season but quickly tries to influence and control every area of her life. When things don’t go as planned, the psychotic serial murderer appears.
However, after committing many murders, Joe relocates to London in search of a new beginning. While attempting to flee his past, Joe encounters someone who is equally enamored with him. By the conclusion of the season, though, he becomes engrossed in his own game.
Bates Motel
Nobody is born bad, they say. And this is one of the finest serial killer TV series because it goes back in time to illustrate what lead Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) to become the infamous killer he is in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 picture Psycho.
Although the series is portrayed as a prequel to the film, it is set in the present day. The series follows Norman and his mother, Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga), who own their eponymous motel and have a weird relationship. Norman is infatuated, practically having an Oedipal complex with his mother, whom he believes murdered both his buddy and his mother. She, on the other hand, conceals his killings.
While Hitchcock presents the mature serial murderer, this A&E television series depicts an adolescent who had a terrible background, which harmed his mental health and sent him on a murder spree.
We can guarantee that if you see Highmore in The Good Doctor (2017-) after seeing his portrayal in this five-season serial murderer program, you will be blown away by the actor’s range.
Conversations With A Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes
If genuine crime, real-life criminal brains, and an incredible murder soundtrack spark your curiosity, Netflix has you covered. It transports viewers to the terrible days of one of America’s most heinous serial killers.
Ted Bundy was condemned to death and killed in Florida in 1989 after being accused of several rapes and murders in the 1970s and prior. During his trial, Ted became somewhat of a celebrity and received a lot of media attention, especially after he escaped from jail in Colorado in 1977. Because of his unmistakable attractiveness and brilliance, his trial was widely publicized.
The Netflix docuseries unearths several important interview tapes with the perpetrator, his family, friends, surviving victims, law enforcement authorities, and others. Despite being just four episodes long, it provides various undisclosed facts and information about the serial murderer that many people may not be aware of.
The Serpent
The Serpent is another Netflix true-crime series that follows the life of the infamous ‘bikini killer,’ Charles Sobhraj.
This fashionable and flamboyant serial murderer preyed on tourists in Thailand who traveled the ‘hippie trail’ in the 1970s. He poisoned them first, then stole their passports and things before killing them. Another distinguishing feature of this demonic killer was the way he exploited his domineering charm and charisma to get past trials and jail officials. While in prison, he even attracted female inmates.
In the series, Tahar Rahim portrays Charles. The docuseries follows him and his girlfriend Marie-Andrée Leclerc (Jenna Coleman) as they travel the world selling jewels for a year until a Dutch ambassador Herman Knippenberg begins investigating the murder of two Dutch tourists, which leads him to this killer’s wormhole. All of the allegedly true-life incidents are dramatized in the series.
The Raincoat Killer: Chasing A Predator In Korea
When a teenage Yoo Young-Chul emerged as one of South Korea’s most heinous serial murderers in 2004, he drew international notice.
This Netflix true-crime docuseries follows the gruesome killings and the manhunt for the serial murderer. Young beat and burned his victims, who were mostly sex workers and wealthy old people, with hammers.
The landmark case and its brutal cannibalism details sparked a controversy about the serial killer’s death punishment as well.
Prodigal Son
Prodigal Son differs from other serial killer shows in that it incorporates a little biblical perspective of the prodigal son into the main narrative.
In the primary part, Tom Payne plays Malcolm Bright. Malcolm is a former FBI profiler who now works for the New York Police Department. He is well-known among his peers for turning in his serial murderer father, Dr. Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen), dubbed The Surgeon, and for his unusual ability to analyze a murder from the point of view of the culprit. Malcolm comes to his father after another serial killer embarks on a killing rampage utilizing Martin’s tactics.
Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi
The Indian national capital, New Delhi, was devastated by horrible serial killings in the 2000s. When the authorities began investigating the case, further terrible facts emerged, including decapitated and disfigured victims discovered across the city. In an unexpected turn of events, the killer sends an open letter to the police, challenging them to find him.
Ayesha Sood directs this three-part docuseries based on the infamous serial murderer Chandrakant Jha. The heinous deaths, police investigations, Jha’s witch hunt, and final arrest make this one of the most disturbing shows about serial killers.
Altaf Hussain plays Chandrakant Jha, Manjit Singh plays Sunder Singh, and Pankaj Sharma plays Narendra Kumar in the Hindi-language series.
Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
Dahmer – This is one of the most terrifying real crime dramas available on Netflix. Since its debut on the OTT platform, it has been embroiled in several issues. From viewers being shocked by the gruesomeness to the relatives of Jeffrey Dahmer’s victims expressing their displeasure, this series has made the news.
Do you want to know why? That’s because it’s based on a true story. Jeffery Dahmer was a real person who terrorized the United States from 1978 to 1991 with his heinous actions. He was known as the ‘Milwaukee Cannibal’ or the ‘Milwaukee Butcher’ and was America’s most sought serial killer.
Jeffrey Dahmer, born on May 21, 1960, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, murdered 17 men and boys, committed sexual offenses, and engaged in cannibalism over 13 years.
This criminal drama limited series is unlike anything you’ve seen before, so be psychologically prepared to watch the most horrible murders and offenses in this Netflix series.
