Andy DehnartNetflix has announced its own 10-part series about long-running murder mystery: Making a Murderer, which debuts Dec. 18. The documentary reality series follows a case that unfolds over more than 30 years.
While this follows HBO’s success with the thrilling but problematic documentary series The Jinx, the series itself was filmed over 10 years, starting with a 2005 newspaper article that inspired co-directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos.
Here’s how Netflix describes the plot of the series:
“Set in America’s Heartland, Making a Murderer follows the harrowing story of Steven Avery, an outsider from the wrong side of the tracks, convicted and later exonerated of a brutal assault. His release triggered major criminal justice reform legislation, and he filed a lawsuit that threatened to expose corruption in local law enforcement and award him millions of dollars. But in the midst of his very public civil case, he suddenly finds himself the prime suspect in a grisly new crime.
The series takes viewers inside a riveting, high-stakes criminal case where reputation is everything and things are never as they appear. The filmmakers have documented every angle of the story, following the second investigation and ensuing trial of the accused, petitioning the court to avoid having to turn over their footage, gathering archival materials, and interviewing those closest to the case.
Making a Murderer examines allegations of police and prosecutorial misconduct, evidence tampering and witness coercion. The filmmakers look at what went wrong in the first case and question whether scientific advances and legislative reforms over the past three decades have gotten us any closer to delivering truth and justice in the system.”
Netflix’s VP of original documentaries, Lisa Nishimura, promises a thrilling series. “There are an unbelievable number of twists and turns in the story arc of Making a Murderer, it feels like it has to be fictional,” she said in a press release quote. Ricciardi and Demos have navigated very complex terrain and skillfully woven together an incredible series that leaves you feeling like you’re right in the middle of the action.”
In their press release quote, the directors express similar disbelief at what will unfold: “If we had not been there to witness these events we would have trouble believing they actually occurred.”