Netflix announced today that it is producing Making A Murderer, a new true-crime documentary series that follows the multi-decade story of a man who finds himself accused of at least two violent crimes, the latter of which is investigated simultaneously by police and the filmmakers. If you read that and thought to yourself, “Hmm, that sounds a little like HBO’s true crime series, The Jinx,” there’s a pretty good reason for that: It sounds a little like HBO’s true crime series, The Jinx.
From the press release:
Inspired by a newspaper article from 2005, directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos have spent the last decade documenting an unprecedented real-life thriller that spans more than 30 years. Set in America’s Heartland, Making A Murderer follows the harrowing story of Steven Avery, an outsider from the wrong side of the tracks, convicted and later exonerated of a brutal assault. His release triggered major criminal justice reform legislation, and he filed a lawsuit that threatened to expose corruption in local law enforcement and award him millions of dollars. But in the midst of his very public civil case, he suddenly finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
The series takes viewers inside a riveting, high-stakes criminal case where reputation is everything and things are never as they appear. The filmmakers have documented every angle of the story, following the second investigation and ensuing trial of the accused, petitioning the court to avoid having to turn over their footage, gathering archival materials, and interviewing those closest to the case.
Now, obviously, there are major differences between this series and The Jinx, the most notable being that it won’t be told through a series of interviews with its creepy, burping subject. Which is a shame. (Unless they somehow got Robert Durst to narrate this. Which would be weird. And kind of great?) The bigger point is that between this new show, The Jinx, and the first season of Serial, twisting and turning true-crime stories appear to be all the rage right now. And that means one important thing: The time is right for a documentary series about the 4-ton French cheese heist. It’s the next logical step.
Making a Murderer premieres on Netflix on Friday, Dec. 18.
