‘Making a Murderer’: ten things to watch next

What is it? A trilogy of documentaries questioning the convictions of the West Memphis Three, the teenage outsiders accused of Satanism and sent to prison for the murders of three little boys. The films helped to make the case world famous, resulting in financial support from celebrities including Johnny Depp and Peter Jackson, and, ultimately, an acquittal.

Watch them because This is the most famous wrongful-conviction case in recent American history. If you’ve ever doubted the power of public opinion, for good and ill, watch in wonder.

What is it? A series of four hour-long documentaries directed by Werner Herzog (‘Fitzcarraldo’, ‘Grizzly Man’). Growing out of Herzog’s feature-length death row doc ‘Into the Abyss’, the series covers the cases of four convicted inmates through the eyes of a filmmaker who ‘respectfully disagrees’ with the death penalty.

Watch it because Herzog’s work is always worth seeking out, and his word on any subject is to be taken seriously. These films are totally honest in their depiction of the harsh realities of life in the last place on earth you’d ever want to be.

What is it? HBO’s documentary series is the obvious precursor of ‘Making a Murderer’, though they were actually in production at the same time. ‘Capturing the Friedmans’ director Andrew Jarecki takes a long, hard look at Robert Durst, an accused multiple murderer protesting his innocence. The result is complex, self-contradictory and utterly fascinating.

Watch it because It’s another multi-part documentary about a man accused of murder – though there the comparisons end. ‘The Jinx’ is a far more slippery and ambiguous piece of work.

What is it? Like all true crime stories, ‘Making a Murderer’ owes a huge debt to Truman Capote’s groundbreaking 1966 ‘non-fiction novel’, about the aftermath of a gruesome quadruple murder of a family in a remote Kansas town. This big-screen adaptation used real-life locations like the Kansas State Penitentiary in an effort to retain Capote’s sense of relentless realism, and scored four Oscar nominations in the process.

Watch it because It’s fascinating to explore the roots of this kind of sensational but grounded documentary journalism – and Capote’s book is an important milestone.