The world of true-crime documentaries continues to expand and mature in 2025, with filmmakers pushing beyond sensationalism to interrogate power, trauma, ethics, and institutional failure.
This year’s slate of true-crime releases reflects a noticeable shift in tone: fewer shock-first narratives and more victim-centered storytelling, deeper context, and uncomfortable questions about responsibility—both personal and societal. From intimate survivor accounts to unsettling re-examinations of cases we thought we understood, these are the true-crime documentaries that defined 2025.
Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner: The Shocking Hollywood Homicides
Viewer discretion is advised, as many of these films address violence, abuse, and loss.
10. Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror
Platform: Hulu
Release date: August 19, 2025
Episodes: 3
Watch on: https://www.hulu.com
This harrowing docuseries centers on Samantha Stites, who recounts being stalked for more than a decade by Christopher Thomas. Rather than focusing solely on the crime’s climax, the series documents the relentless exhaustion of living under constant threat.
