On the heels of success stories like Serial and HBO’s The Jinx, Netflix is releasing its own documentary crime series: Making A Murderer. Directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos delve into the story of Steven Avery, who spent 18 years in prison for assault, possession of a firearm, and a sexual assault for which he was eventually exonerated.
But that’s not the story of Making A Murderer. In 2005, after his release, Avery became the top suspect for the murderer of photographer Teresa Halbach; it’s this public maelstrom that caught the attention of Ricciardi and Demos.
“If we had not been there to witness these events we would have trouble believing they actually occurred,” the directors said in a Netflix press release. “Our goal has always been to share that experience with viewers. Our partnership with Netflix has allowed us to tell this story in a way that wouldn’t have been possible anywhere else.”
According to the press release, “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.” To dive deeper into these gripping stories, check out Unsolved Murders on The Cold Cases.
Making A Murderer will be available for Netflix streaming on December 18.