Summary
This will please lovers of the true-crime genre, but it will leave the audiences wanting more, and not in the good sense. For the show to have developed to its full capacity, longer episodes would have helped.
The review of the Netflix series Catching Killers does not contain spoilers.
Catching Killers is a four-piece American-produced true-crime series that provides harrowing and chilling details of three different cases, the final of which is a two-part special.
The first episode, titled “Body Count: The Green River Killer”, focuses on Gary Leon Ridgway. He admits to having killed at least 49 women, although, by his own admission, he may have killed more as he lost count of the actual number. In the second episode, “Manhunter: Aileen Wuornos”, the focus is on the infamous serial killer who murdered seven men in Florida in 1989-1990. The final two episodes, “True Lies Part 1-2: The Happy Face Killer”, tell the horrifying story of Keith Hunter Jesperson. These two episodes detail how Jesperson began strangling animals as a young child before brutally murdering at least eight women. As a whole, the four episodes range from 31 to 41 minutes in length.
For any crime buff out there watching, and let’s face it, if Twitter has taught us anything that’s most of us, this will be an interesting enough watch that most will speed through. But if truth be told, the series could have been done without the “Manhunter: Aileen Wuornos” episode. Even if you’re not a true crime buff, the 2003 film on her life, starring Charlize Theron, gave more than enough insight into the crimes she committed. Plus, if you’re a big enough true crime fan to watch Catching Killers, likely you’ve already read in detail about Wuornos on the internet.
The other episodes (episodes 1, 3, and 4) are, however, much more interesting. Adding to that, what is also neat about Catching Killers is the fact that all of the crimes that the show focuses on are pre-2000s. It’s a refreshing change from focusing on the crimes of the present day. As you would expect, there are first-hand interviews and reenactments in all of the episodes. Is this going to be as highly raved about as American Murder: The Family Next Door? No, but it should warrant enough interest to entertain a household or two.
It’s rated 18, so be aware of that before watching; Catching Killers is definitely not suitable for younger viewers. In a nutshell, this crime series will be of particular interest to lovers of true crime.
