The 20 most disturbing TV shows about real events

David Tennant has a knack for creating compelling and absolutely terrifying characters, and this is particularly true of Des, in which he plays real-life serial killer Dennis Nilsen. He ably conveys the darkness of the criminal narcissist’s mind. However, what makes the show so disturbing is the fact that Tennant is bringing this man to life, and thus he can’t help but be charismatic. Evil, as TV never tires of reminding the viewer, is often as fascinating as it is repugnant. 

Olivia Colman and David Thewlis are predictably brilliant in the miniseries Landscapers, in which they portray the real-life story of Susan and Christopher Edwards, who kill her parents and bury them in the backyard. The disturbing nature of the series stems from the way that Colman and Thewlis perfectly capture the seemingly banal normality of the two murderers. Sometimes, it seems, the darkness of the human soul really does flourish in banality. Thanks to the performances from the two leads, one can’t help but like these people, for all of the horror of their actions. 

American Horror Story: Hotel, like many of the other series of the show, draws much of its horrifying power from the fact that it has a basis in truth. In addition to being based on the Cecil Hotel, it draws on a number of other real-life horrors, including James Patrick Marsh, loosely based on H.H. Holmes, who committed several murders during the time of the World’s Columbian Exposition. As if that weren’t enough, the series also showcased a number of other real-life serial killers, including John Wayne Gacy and Aileen Wuornos.

Few cases have excited as much commentary as that of Natalia Grace, who was adopted by an American family, who then subsequently claimed she was far older than she claimed to be. Good American Family fictionalizes the events surrounding this sordid case, and it’s quite a melodramatic and deeply disturbing series. In addition to capitalizing on the bizarre nature of the case at hand, it also sheds light on various aspects of the key players involved, suggesting that nothing is ever quite as simple as it seems.

Based on the podcast with the same name, Dr. Death’s two seasons focus on two notorious doctors, Christopher Duntsch and Paolo Macchariani, both of whom left a trail of death and mutilation behind them. While their actions are disturbing in and of themselves, what makes the series so disturbing is the extent to which they were able to get away with what they were doing for so long. As such, these docuseries demonstrate the extent to which bad actors can exploit weaknesses in the systems designed to defend and protect the public.

The Devil Next Door is arguably one of the more disturbing docuseries of the 2010s. Released by Netflix in 2019, it focuses on John Demjanjuk, a man accused of being a notorious guard during the Holocaust. Though he was ultimately cleared of the crime, he was later accused of being a guard at a different concentration camp. Due to its inclusion of testimony from Holocaust survivors and images of the camp, the film serves as a disturbing reminder of just how cruel, brutal, and inhumane humans can be to one another.

The 2020s have been a particularly fruitful decade for the true crime docudrama, and The Act  features a strong cast, including Patricia Arquette, in its portrayal of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her abuse at her mother’s hands. The brilliance of Arquette’s performance is the extent to which she draws out the various shades of this character. In turn, this is precisely what makes the series so disturbing, as it forces the viewer to confront the fact that even those who commit heinous acts are more complicated than they might seem.

The bluntly titled Don't F--k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer focuses on the efforts of a wide variety of internet sleuths to hunt down Luka Magnotta. Magnotta was notorious for filming various acts of horrific cruelty toward animals as well as for murdering Jun Lin, a Chinese exchange student. The docuseries spares no detail in showing just how depraved Magnotta was, and although it makes for difficult viewing at times, it remains a compelling piece of true crime television. 

Jessica Biel gives an unnerving performance in Candy, in which she stars as Candy Montgomery, who was accused and ultimately acquitted of murdering her lover’s wife. The most disturbing aspect of this series — as well as Love & Death, which also depicted the case — is the extent to which Candy is shown brutally slaughtering a woman with an axe and then acting as if nothing at all had happened. As a result, one gains an understanding of how people can truly compartmentalize their actions, allowing them to live with the horrors they commit. 

David Fincher might be best known as a visionary film director, but he has also brought his considerable skills to TV. Mindhunter, for example, focuses on those in the FBI who want to study serial killers with the intention of grasping their psychology and using this to help with other cases. Though fictionalized, it’s based on very real cases and murderers, including Ed Kemper, played with disturbingly mesmeric force by Cameron Britton. The show offers an unsettling glimpse into the minds of some of society’s most notorious killers.  

The scourge of the opioid epidemic is one of the most significant public health crises of the 21st century. The series Dopesick  gives the crisis a very human face, focusing on a number of characters who are affected by the Sackler family and their relentless pursuit of wealth at the expense of public health. In addition to showcasing the devastating impact of opioids in places like Appalachia, the show features some terrific performances from actors like Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, and Rosario Dawson.

While many of the most disturbing series about real events are fictional, The Jinx is very real. In large part, the disturbing nature of the series stems from its subject, Robert Durst, who was eventually convicted of murder. However, an equal part of the disturbance stems from the fact that there were far too many in Durst’s life who were willing and able to not see what was right in front of them. As is far too often the case, it’s not just the murderers who are the monsters, but those who enable them.

The American series The Staircase  is based on the French documentary of the same name, focusing on the death of Toni Collette’s Kathleen Peterson, which may or may not have been at the hands of her husband, Colin Firth’s Michael. The series includes some very graphic re-enactments of her death, all of which attempt to illustrate what may or may not have happened. The series is like a punch in the gut, and there’s something deeply disturbing about the fact that it remains unclear exactly what happened.

Ryan Murphy has long had his finger on what makes for visually and narratively striking TV storytelling. His instincts serve him well in The Assassination of Gianni Versace, which portrays the killing of the fashion icon by unhinged Andrew Cunanan. Darren Criss gives a particularly unsettling performance as the killer, bringing out his many depths and giving a tinge of madness to his undeniable beauty. 

Kids who grew up in the 1980s and 1990s were all scarred in one way or another by Unsolved Mysteries, particularly when it was hosted by Robert Stack. It was one of the most chilling and sometimes downright terrifying shows on the air at the time, thanks to the fact that its mysteries were so often based on real cases. Though it has been rebooted in recent years, nothing compares to the spooky atmosphere that the original series managed to create throughout its run.

Both seasons of the anthology drama The Terror are based on real events, although they also incorporate the supernatural to lend their stories a unique bite. The first focuses on the disappearance of two ships attempting to make it through the Northwest Passage, while drawing on the internment of the Japanese during World War II. Though numerous supernatural elements make both series quite frightening, it’s really the fact that they are drawn so much from real events that makes them chilling to watch.

The Lost Colony of Roanoke remains one of the most fascinating mysteries in American history, serving as inspiration for the sixth season of American Horror Story. In this imaginative retelling of that history, the horrors are real, with the lost colonists locked in a brutal cycle in which they commit murders on a regular basis. History and horror come together in new and compelling ways in this Ryan Murphy creation, revealing the extent to which he has a knack for exploring the darkness of the American unconscious. 

Evan Peters is truly disturbing in his performance as Jeffrey Dahmer in Ryan Murphy’s Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. As its title suggests, the series focuses on the notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It does take some liberties with established facts, but it is remarkably accurate. More to the point, it doesn’t try to humanize or excuse Dahmer or his horrifying actions, and this is precisely what makes it so disturbing. He really was that monstrous, and this show is a reminder of just how depraved he was.

Ryan Murphy has long had a keen grasp of what makes for compelling (and controversial) TV, and those instincts are much in evidence in Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. As its title implies, the series focuses on the Menendez brothers and the events that led up to the fateful night when they murdered their parents. The series doesn’t shy away from showing the abuse they suffered at the hands of their father in particular, and though it can be sensational, its truly disturbing force comes from its nature as a true story.

The disaster at Chernobyl was one of the most terrifying events of the 1980s, so it makes sense that it would make for compelling and unsettling television. HBO’s Chernobyl might take some liberties with the established historical facts, but it nevertheless crafts a gripping story out of this nuclear disaster. It serves as a cautionary tale about what happens when governments lie to their people about the events happening around them, and it gained new and disturbing relevance during the unfolding of the COVID-19 pandemic.