15 Must-Watch True Crime Documentaries on Peacock

Are you someone who likes to get to the bottom of a criminal case? Here at Peacock, we dive into true crime as much as you do. That’s why we’ve given you so much to choose from. There are tons of true crime titles on our service, from 13 seasons of Dateline episodes, to popular series, hit movies, and so much more. But here we’re focusing on the hard core: the documentaries. And while there are way too many to list, below are what we feel are some outstanding true crime documentaries on Peacock.

1. The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets 

This Peacock Original docuseries pulls viewers into the shocking case of Rex Heuermann, the man charged with the infamous Gilgo Beach murders. The three-part series gives an unprecedented look inside Heuermann’s home life, featuring candid interviews with his family, friends, and neighbors as they come to terms with the possibility that a serial killer was living among them. With gripping storytelling and exclusive access, the series explores how a carefully crafted double life unraveled and what those closest to him missed along the way. 

Watch The Gilgo Beach Killer: House of Secrets on Peacock.  

2. The Idaho Student Murders 

This feature documentary explores the pre-trial case against Bryan Kohberger, the criminology graduate student accused (and now convicted) of the murders of four University of Idaho students. Exclusive, never-before-seen interviews with Kaylee Goncalves’s brother and other close friends of the victims bring heart-wrenching clarity and empathy to the victims' lives while experts examine the evidence and possible motivations of the crime.  

Watch The Idaho Student Murders on Peacock.  

3. Making Manson  

This three-part Peacock Original docuseries uncovers new revelations from Charles Manson’s own words, offering the most comprehensive Manson portrait yet on film or television. Featuring never-before-heard audio of Manson culled from more than 100 hours of intimate conversations recorded over 20 years up until his death in 2017, the series offers new details about Manson’s past and surprising insights into his worldview. Nearly 20 contributors appear in the series, from those closest to his crimes in “The Family” to family members of victims, some speaking out on-camera first time.  

Watch Making Manson on Peacock.  

4. Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story  

Directed by Jamila Wignot, the three-part Peacock Original docuseries offers an astonishing investigative look into the life and career of Joe Francis, a man whose name and multi-million-dollar Girls Gone Wild empire were inescapable in the early 2000s. The docuseries includes Francis’ first in-depth, in-person interview with a journalist in almost a decade, drawn from Scaachi Koul’s on-the-record conversation at his Mexican compound, which spanned nearly nine hours, powerful personal accounts from 11 former employees and survivors, and never-before-broadcast video and audio recordings.  

Watch Girls Gone Wild: The Untold Story on Peacock.  

5. The Case of Caylee Anthony 

The disappearance of 2-year-old Caylee Anthony gripped the nation. This three-part investigation brings together a powerhouse team of criminal minds, including former FBI agent Jim Clemente and behavioral analyst Laura Richards, to reconstruct the case from the chilling 911 call onward. Using original police files, court testimony, and expert re-examination, the series unpacks the tangled web of evidence, courtroom drama, and public judgment surrounding Caylee’s tragic fate. 

Watch The Case of Caylee Anthony on Peacock.  

6. Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes 

The two-part docuseries uses Death Row audio interviews with Ramirez as well as audio and video interviews with his family, friends and wife, most of which have never been heard before, to explore how a perfect storm of child abuse and twisted boyhood influences enabled a troubled young man from El Paso, Texas, to become the infamous Night Stalker. These tapes offer an unsettling and thought-provoking look into the mind of a brutal serial killer and, by the end of the series, will provide significant findings to the age-old question of whether a monster is born, created, or both.  

Watch Richard Ramirez: The Night Stalker Tapes on Peacock.  

7. The Real Murders of Atlanta  

The series is an exploration of horrifying murder cases in Atlanta that highlight the boundaries between gentrified Southern dynasties and the flashy nouveau riche.  

Watch The Real Murders of Atlanta on Peacock.  

8. Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies 

Considered one of the first “trials of the century,” the Casey Anthony case polarized conversation in living rooms across America. There have been several movies and documentaries made to fill in the gaps, and yet, the woman at the center of it all remains the biggest mystery. In this three-part Original docuseries, Casey Anthony finally tells her story in her own words, offering a new perspective on the untimely death of her two-year-old daughter Caylee. 

Watch Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies on Peacock.  

9. John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise 

This Peacock Original tells the chilling story of one of the world’s most notorious serial killers told through the words of John Wayne Gacy, “The Killer Clown,” himself, alongside those who were forever changed by his unspeakable deeds in the Chicagoland area during the 1970s, and others who believe that the full truth about the case remains concealed to this day. Featuring exclusive footage and voices, the series unfolds across six episodes and explores why, more than 40 years after Gacy’s crimes were discovered, the case continues to grab headlines. 

Watch John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise on Peacock.  

10. Cocaine Bear: The True Story 

In the hit Hollywood movie Cocaine Bear, a huge bag full of cocaine drops out of the sky into the woods of North Georgia and is eaten by a black bear, who goes on an epic rampage. It all seems like fantasy, but it's actually based on a true story that's just as bizarre as the movie plot, involving drug cartels, murder, mayhem and a Lexington Kentucky blueblood. This documentary features interviews with those closest to the case, including the former sheriff who was one of the first on the scene, and the special agent whose team found the Cocaine Bear.     

Watch Cocaine Bear: The True Story on Peacock.  

11. I Love You, You Hate Me 

This documentary chronicles the spectacular rise of Barney the Dinosaur, the furious backlash against the character, and what it says about the human need to hate. From Barney-bashing to frat parties to homicidal video games, something in American society broke into a million pieces, and it's never been put together again… or is this just who we were all along? 

Watch I Love You, You Hate Me on Peacock.  

12. The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media 

The disappearance of 22-year-old video blogger Gabby Petito gripped America and caused the internet and social media to go into a frenzy. This definitive documentary reveals the truth behind the mass of global speculation and online theories. In exclusive interviews, Gabby’s own family sheds new light on the real Gabby Petito, while experts and journalists who covered the case tell the whole story in forensic detail. 

Watch The Murder of Gabby Petito: Truth, Lies and Social Media on Peacock.  

13. Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell 

This three-hour Peacock Original documentary investigates the mysterious world of Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite and once heiress to the Maxwell fortune, whose life takes a sordid downturn when she meets Jeffrey Epstein, a serial sex offender. A glimpse into the complicated story of power, sex, and money that leads to her arrest and trial. 

Watch Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell on Peacock.  

14. Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert 

Most people know about the Amber Alert. In this documentary, discover the true story behind nine-year-old Amber Hagerman's kidnapping and a murder mystery that remains unsolved after 27 years. Despite thousands of leads Amber’s killer remains at large, but her legacy lives on. Lessons learned from her case inspired the alert system that could have saved Amber's life but instead has saved more than a thousand children. Amber's mother gives her final interview and shares chilling documentary footage that captured Amber's final days. 

Watch Amber: The Girl Behind the Alert on Peacock. 

15. The Battle for Justina Pelletier 

This four-part Peacock Original docuseries explores the harrowing true story of a 14-year-old-girl who entered Boston Children’s Hospital with a mysterious set of symptoms. Quickly, suspicions turned toward the parents and Justina became a ward of the state. The family called it “medical kidnapping.” The hospital accused the parents of medical child abuse, aka “Munchausen syndrome by proxy.” The battle between the two sides hurled the family into a national debate about parental rights, child protections, and the gray areas in between.  

Watch The Battle for Justina Pelletier on Peacock.  

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