October 8, 2020 – The Brits know how to make strong, intelligent dramas. The following crime series are based on true events. They will challenge your mind, make you squirm in your seat, and at times get you frustrated. And, note, some of these series are only two or three episodes total.
Though it’s not technically a crime drama, HBO’s Chernobyl should also be mentioned, as its one of the best dramas based on true events ever made.
Each episode opens with this: “What follows is a dramatisation based on extensive research, interviews and published accounts.” DS Steve Fulcher must find the killer of a teenage girl. Was even better the second time I watched it.
Writers: Jeff Pope (Little Boy Blue), Steve Fulcher
Cast: Martin Freeman, Siobhan Finneran, Imelda Staunton
IMDb: 7.5
Where: BritBox
Another show knocked out of the park. Based on something that happened in 2018, which I wasn’t aware of. Two Russians are killed on British soil, starting a chain reaction of events. Anne-Marie Duff is pitch-perfect as usual. On the new streaming service AMC+.
Series director: Saul Dibb
Cast: Anne-Marie Duff, MyAnna Buring, Rafe Spall
IMDb: 7.2
Where: AMC+
This is a new original series on the new streaming service HBO Max. Three generations of a family are killed, and all of the evidence seems to point to a particular perpetrator. But a persevering detective has a different theory.
Series director: Paul Whittington (The Moorside, Little Boy Blue)
Cast: Mark Addy (Game of Thrones), Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Freddie Fox, Alexa Davies
IMDb: 7.4
Where: HBO Max
What’s particularly gripping about this series is the acting. In 2008, a Yorkshire schoolgirl goes missing, and the entire Moorside Estate community searches for her.
Writer: Neil McKay (Appropriate Adult)
Cast: Sheridan Smith, Gemma Whelan (Game of Thrones), Sian Brooke, Siobhan Finneran
IMDb: 7.2
Where: BritBox
Based on the true story of the investigation into the death of a French student in London. The manhunt for the killer was led by Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton.
Writers: Colin Sutton, Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness)
Cast: Martin Clunes (Doc Martin), Katie Lyons, Claudie Blakley
IMDb: 7.4
Where: Hoopla, Acorn TV, Amazon On Demand, Google Play, Vudu
A young boy is murdered and everyone knows who did it. The problem is proving it.
Writer: Jeff Pope (A Confession)
Cast: Stephen Graham, Sinead Keenan, Brían F. O'Byrne
IMDb: 7.9
Where: BritBox, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Google Play, Vudu
The great Douglas Henshall of Shetland plays Detective William Muncie who doggedly pursues a serial killer in Lanarkshire county in Scotland.
Series director: John Strickland (Line of Duty)
Cast: Douglas Henshall, Martin Compston, Shauna Macdonald
IMDb: 7.4
Where: BritBox
A detective, leading an investigation into the deaths of two young girls, teams up with a scientist who thinks he can use people’s unique DNA to help solve the case. Not a great series, but probably the only one to show the birth of using DNA in criminal investigations.
Writer: Michael Crompton (Silent Witness)
Cast: John Simm, Anna Madeley, David Threlfall
IMDb: 7.6
Where: Hoopla, Acorn TV, Amazon On Demand, iTunes
A former major in the British Army is suspected of cheating on the game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in 2001. Matthew Macfadyen at his dorkiest.
Series director: Stephen Frears
Cast: Matthew Macfadyen, Sian Clifford, Mark Bonnar, Michael Sheen
IMDb: 7.4
Where: Fubu, AMC+, Sling, iTunes, Amazon On Demand, Google Play