Let’s be honest, Dateline, 48 Hours and 20/20 are the absolute goats of the true crime show genre. I really can’t name any dislikes about either show so I’ll just list a few of my likes.
Many true crime watchers love one or all three of these shows for various reasons but mainly because they investigate actual criminal cases, not fictional stories. I’d have to say this is my bill.
As a writer, I enjoy how these shows use investigative journalism to examine evidence and inconsistencies.
As a huge fan of human storytelling, I think all three shows do a wonderful job of exploring the experiences of victims, families, and suspects. I especially love the interviews, which consistently feature the detectives, prosecutors, defense attorneys, witnesses, and family members involved in each case.
One of the things I appreciate most is that these shows bring local criminal cases to a national audience. Due to the amount of daily news, many of these cases would otherwise likely never reach the mainstream media.
So now that I’ve discussed my likes, tell me yours. Take the poll below and let me know which shows you watch.
P.S. you can stream all three shows for free on YouTube. Dateline offers a 24/7 stream of their previous episodes.
