With the growing slate of new true crime content coming our way, it seems that it’s time to hang up our thoughts about the genre only being watchable in the darker, colder months of winter.

Summer is becoming the prime time for true crime and with new series and films being announced each and every day, it doesn’t look like the beloved category is slowing down any time soon. In addition to an endless stream of podcasts, we also have a second season of Dr Death to look forward to and the menacing HBO adaptation of My Dentist’s Murder, but there are many that can be enjoyed right now. 

So from Netflix to Disney+, these are the new true crime series, documentaries and films you need to add to your summer watchlist. 

If you’re a big true crime fan, you’ll likely know of the case of Jan Broberg. It was the focus of Netflix’s Abducted In Plain Sight and back when it first aired in 2017, viewers were left both bemused and baffled at the kidnapping case at the heart of the documentary.

You see, 12-year-old Jan Broberg was kidnapped by trusted neighbour and close friend of the family’s, Robert Berchtold. While the story is already sinister and disgusting, it notches up tenfold once we learn that Berchtold abducted Jan not once, but twice. Now, the case is the focus of new Peacock drama A Friend Of The Family but as is the way with true crime dramas, we’re set to understand the saga from a whole new perspective.

As the synopsis says: “The Broberg’s – devoted to their faith, family, and community – were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbour used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart and turn their daughter against them. This is the story of how their lives were permanently altered – and how they survived.”

A Friend Of The Family comes from showrunner and writer Nick Antosca, who is known for his work on equally chilling series Candy and The Act. It’s safe to say, then, that this drama will be a stellar one. It’s also being produced by the Broberg’s – Jan and her mother, Mary Ann – themselves. 

The first three episodes of A Friend Of The Family will be available on 7 October on Peacock on Sky and Now, with new episodes dropping weekly.

Content warning: this section mentions sexual assault, which some readers may find distressing.

If we were to summarise this drama in one word, it would most definitely be “chilling”. Aside from centring on one of the most heinous real-life crimes to ever happen in Delhi, the under-the-radar series does a stellar job of exploring other topical issues like misogyny, sexism in a male-dominated workplace and police corruption.

In the first series of Delhi Crime, we follow Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Vartika Chaturvedi who is tasked with getting to the bottom of a gang rape case. The case itself is based on the 2012 Nirbhaya case that took the world by storm and the details of which make for haunting viewing. But it’s DCP Vartika and the other female characters in this series (like her young and fiery daughter Chandni or training police officer Neeti Singh) that carry this drama to brilliant heights. 

It’s a bold and fresh take on the crime drama genre but the fact that the first series is so chilling (like we’re expecting the second to be also) is because the series is based on true events that will definitely keep you up at night.

Season one of Delhi Crime is available to stream on Netflix, with season two being released on 26 August.

An honourable mention in this list must go to Netflix’s The Puppet Master: The Ultimate Conman, which features the same case that this brand new film is all about.

It’s the case of Robert Hendy-Freegard, a British man who masqueraded as an MI5 agent in order to control his victims. While the documentary focuses on the impact of Freegard’s actions and his coercive control over Sandra Clifton, this film follows the story of the conman from his early days.

James Norton (Happy Valley) plays Hendy-Freegard and is ever the charismatic gentleman. He quickly woos Alice Archer (Gemma Arterton), who falls for him and becomes determined to bring him to justice after being targeted. As the film outlines, Hendy-Freegard didn’t just use his fake MI5 identity to lure in women, he used it to kidnap countless victims, con people out of money and become embroiled in a high-stakes manhunt.

Since premiering on the platform earlier this week, this new release has quickly made its way to the top of Netflix’s streaming charts and it’s not difficult to see why.

Rogue Agent is available to stream on Netflix. 

If you’re yet to get Apple TV+ or have simply been letting the subscription gather dust, allow us to present Black Bird to you.

The new series is a triumph, not least because of the stellar performances of Taron Egerton, Ray Liotta and Paul Walter Hauser. The premise of the drama is enough to make you squirm, but its ability to make you confront masculine ideals and the toxic “good guy” narrative is what sets this series apart from other true crime watches. When drug dealer Jimmy Keene (Egerton) is offered freedom in return for information about a suspected serial killer, he contemplates his options: live in a maximum-security prison for the criminally insane alongside America’s worst convicts or continue seeing out his lengthy prison sentence.

He agrees to befriend Larry Hall, the serial killer at the heart of the series, but Larry’s perceived persona as a friendly and well-meaning figure is quickly replaced by a menacing murderer once Jimmy broaches the subject of women and sex. Much like prison-based drama Time, you’ll be left holding your breath for most of the series, hoping that the startling truth of Larry’s actions finally comes to light.

Black Bird is available to stream on Apple TV+. 

If there’s one thing Netflix has become synonymous with, it’s the impressive documentary offerings that it consistently comes out with – Girl In The Picture is no different.

The documentary comes from Skye Borgman, who directed the equally baffling Abducted In Plain Sight, and this film deals with the perplexing case of one woman whose identity was unknown to everyone – including herself.

When 20-year-old Tonya is found unconscious on the side of a road in 1990 – and later dies of her injuries – we soon realise that nobody actually knows who she is. Her friends ring her mother to notify her of Tonya’s death, but when she tells them that her daughter died as a baby two decades earlier, there’s only one question to answer: who actually is this woman?

Girl In The Picture is available to stream on Netflix. 

This upcoming Netflix documentary has already been added to our watchlist and we implore you to do the same. It comes from the aforementioned director Skye Borgman, so you just know this series is going to be a gripping one.

When young Anthony Templet shot his father, he made a phone call to the police and never denied it. But why he did it is the more complex question at the heart of this ordeal and it’s one with profound implications that go far beyond one family.

I Just Killed My Dad will be available to stream on Netflix on 9 August. 

We’ve been waiting eagerly for this true crime drama to come to UK shores, and this week, it’s finally arrived on Disney+.

The shocking true story the series is based on is enough to leave you with chills, but the series has all the elements of a stellar drama. Andrew Garfield leads the cast as Detective Jeb Pyre, who is forced to confront the inner workings of his Mormon religion when the murder of Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her 15-month-old daughter, Erica, rocks their religious community. 

All eyes are on her husband, Allen (Billy Howle), but what soon transpires is that the male-dominated Lafferty clan weren’t a fan of Brenda’s views about patriarchy, women and religion. It’s a slow burn of a series, in the best possible way, and it’s hard to tear your eyes away.

Under The Banner Of Heaven is available to stream on Disney+. 

Eight years ago, a murder rocked America and went on to cause a huge stir on social media due to the intricacies of the case. After sending a slew of text messages encouraging Conrad “Coco” Roy III to take his own life, 17-year-old Michelle Carter was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

The ‘texting-suicide’ case prompted much outrage, and in this new series, Elle Fanning plays the role of Carter, who we see inundate Roy with texts and then go on to stand trial for his death. The series relies on flashbacks and on-screen phone notifications to really get a sense of the kind of conditions Roy was subjected to, but the series highlights the very real nature of the case and how, ultimately, it exposed a judicial system that is ill-equipped to deal with modern-day crimes.

The Girl From Plainville is available to stream on StarzPlay. 

Based on The New York Times-bestselling book of the same name, The Most Dangerous Animal Of All is a four-part documentary series that explores one man’s search for the father who abandoned him, only to uncover the worst: he believes his father is the Zodiac killer, one of the most infamous serial killers in American history.

The Most Dangerous Animal Of All is available to stream on Disney+. 

If you’re an avid true crime watcher, you’ll know that this Netflix docuseries is up there with some of the most chilling. This is because, rather than talk about the cases and the people involved, I Am A Killer does what it says in the title: it interviews the murderers themselves.

In each episode, a convicted murderer is interviewed, giving crucial insight into cases past and present. We hear from those closest to them, family members or others involved in the case and get to see how they process the case to this day. With many of them on Death Row or spending the rest of their lives behind bars, the interviews are not only intriguing but often contain testimonies and details you were least expecting. And the good news is that a third series has just been confirmed, with six new episodes due to drop on the platform in late August this year.

I Am A Killer season one and two are available to stream on Netflix, with season three due to be released on 30 August. 

It was only a couple of months ago that this anticipated drama landed on Sky and Now, but it’s definitely worth an inclusion on this list because it stands to be one of the eeriest true crime dramas of the year.

The case that the drama revolves around is a real one and it’s lauded as one of the most confusing of all time. There’s no definitive answer for the cause of Kathleen Peterson’s death to this day and that fact is what makes this latest drama all the more endearing.

Back in 2001, novelist Michael Peterson rang the police to report that his wife Kathleen had had an “accident” in their home in Durham, North Carolina. He found her lying in a pool of her own blood, unconscious at the bottom of their staircase. In Michael’s eyes, it was a tragic accident likely induced by too much alcohol, but the 35 cuts, bruises and lacerations point to anything but. It’s a perplexing story – especially since Michael retains his innocence to this day – but is one that starts to unfold into a tale of family secrets, suspicion and whodunnits.

The Staircase is available to stream on Now. 

Image: Apple TV+