Why True Crime Show Fans Should Watch More Documentaries
Fans of true-crime dramas have a lot to watch these days, including such popular new limited series as The Girl from Plainville, The Dropout, WeCrashed, Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber, and upcoming additions to the trend like The Staircase. These shows depict real stories involving murder trials and corporate scandals concerning allegations of investor fraud and sexual harassment. There is nothing new to the dramatization of true-crime tales ripped from tabloid headlines, but in the past, such stories were fodder for cheap, sensational movie-of-the-week broadcasts on network television. Now they're prestige TV, spotlighting Oscar-caliber talent in front of and behind the camera. In many cases, such as with the reception of The Girl from Plainville and The Dropout, their performances spark awards buzz themselves.
More and more of today's true-crime dramas are also based on stories previously presented in documentary films, docuseries, and podcasts. Some of them even have direct links to the documentary versions. For example, The Girl from Plainville is a Hulu Original about the trial of Michelle Carter (portrayed by Elle Fanning), who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging her boyfriend to die by suicide. Prior to the making of the series, this same case was the subject of Erin Lee Carr's two-part HBO documentary I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth V. Michelle Carter. The director of that doc served as a consulting producer for the dramatic «remake.» Carr had already experienced seeing her doc subjects turned into dramatic series, having made the HBO documentary Mommy Dead and Dearest, which inspired the Emmy-winning Hulu show The Act.
Related: WeCrashed: Where Is Miguel McKelvey Now? All Updates
F
Read more on screenrant.com
