True Crime Junkies Have Inspired These New Classic Mysteries
As technology improves and the exchange of information is made easier, true crime junkies have grown from a niche group of people into the mainstream.
While true crime and investigative journalism has existed for centuries, only in the past decade has it truly boomed to a new level of popularity, which can be proven by the numerous true crime documentaries on Netflix and other streaming services. But this newfound true crime obsession may have also spawned a resurgence of another classic genre: mysteries.
Almost everyone knows what NXIVM is and can name the infamous cult leader, Keith Raniere. America’s eyes were glued to their screens during the disappearance (and subsequent murder) of Gabby Pettito in 2021. Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Charles Manson are household names and have spawned numerous documentaries, reenactment series, and continuing releases of never-before-seen footage.
This increased obsession isn’t just in our heads—a 2023 Pew Research Center study shows that true crime is the most common topic among top-ranked podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. And Edison Research found in 2024 that true crime podcast listeners tripled from 2019, in which there were just 6.7 million listeners. Five years later, there are a reported 19.1 million true crime podcast listeners, proving the genre’s popularity growth.
But it would be a depressing world if all we did was consume the gritty reality of true crime, so writers and producers have adapted by reviving the mystery genre. Of course, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap doesn’t have the same controversy and shock factor as a gruesome unsolved murder, but mysteries can provide a more light-hearted and creative outlet of enjoyment for true crime junkies.
The true crime and mystery genres have several similarities that have contributed to the rise of classic mysteries.
Art is often driven by life, love, and of course, capitalism. If more people are consuming true crime, television and film producers will naturally look for stories that will capture those growing audiences. In addition, as more people are exposed to true crime, more writers will pop up inspired by what they’ve read, listened to, and watched. This creates the perfect storm for a rise in mysteries.
True crimes are fascinating for several reasons: the shock and horror of how far humanity can go, the feelings it stirs up in viewers as empathy for victims and hatred or disgust towards perpetrators, and putting together the puzzle pieces of what happened. It’s this desire to solve the real-life mysteries that has perhaps played a part in the genre’s popularity; as the exchange of information grew easier through social media, blogs, and other internet forums, amateur sleuths’ desire to solve the crimes brought more cold cases to light and garnered more interest in true crime as a whole.
Like true crimes, fictional mysteries have the puzzle ready to solve. Not only that, but these puzzles are crafted to tickle the viewers’ minds and connect in such a way that it makes perfect and complete sense. They feed us breadcrumbs so that we can solve the mystery ourselves before getting a full explanation of who did what and why.
Mystery films and series often follow someone the viewer can relate to—either an amateur or professional detective trying to figure out a murder, theft, kidnapping, or any other type of mysterious crime. As we learn more about the mystery, we’re drawn to the stories of the victims and their families, feeling for them while piecing together what could have happened.
While the similarities between true crime and mysteries can draw in new fans of the mystery genre, the differences are what keep us there and keep the popularity of mysteries on the rise. Unlike true crimes, mysteries tie up each story neatly with every answer question, giving us the satisfaction real life often evades. Plus, it’s much easier for mystery culprits to get their comeuppance, while the rigamarole of court proceedings, gathering evidence, and legal loopholes in true crime can often mean that real-life perpetrators walk free (or with few consequences). Real life is messy, so the full-circle ending, and often humor, of a fictional mystery series or film provides a sense of relief and closure not experienced with true crime.
The mysteries of 2025 are proof that the genre is regaining popularity.
While mysteries have always been popular, beginning with classic whodunnits and detective stories, largely in the 19th century, the genre has ebbed and flowed in popularity over time. The Golden Age of detective and crime fiction took place in the decades leading up to WWII from 1920–1939 when Agatha Christie’s stories and plays became part of the mainstream. After WWII, mysteries traveled from literature into film, but became much less about solving the crime and more about the psychological and societal elements of mystery stories.
This fed into the horror-thriller genre and led audiences away from classic Golden Age mysteries. But when literature and on-screen media found inspiration in true crime, the genres entwined and created some of our most popular mystery series and films. Authors like Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins wrote novels that inspired films Gone Girl and Girl on a Train, feeding into the cycle of true crime-thriller-mystery popularity.
In the summer of 2025, Netflix’s Untamed and Dept. Q were two of the service’s most popular series. Untamed follows a detective who works for Yosemite National Park after he’s called to the scene of a deceased Jane Doe. It’s up to him and the Park Rangers’ newest recruit to figure out who she is, why she died, and who is responsible. Throughout the show’s six episodes, the pieces are slowly revealed to provide the ultimate twist ending.
Dept. Q is a bit quirkier with witty, dry dialogue and an unlikable protagonist detective who lets his sarcasm and skepticism get in the way of building meaningful relationships. Much like an investigative detective version of House, Carl Morck is tasked with solving the department’s most notorious cold cases, a dream for any true crime junkie. In the first season, the case is a gnarly kidnapping case tied up with torture, psychopathy, and past relationships, painting the full picture through each small clue, allowing us to solve the mystery from our couch.
Then, of course, The Thursday Murder Club, which released on Netflix on August 28, adapts mystery writer Richard Osman’s novel into a star-studded film. With humor and tenacity, four senior citizens form a club to solve the crime of a dual disappearance, showing that true crime and mystery is for every person and every mood.
Throughout the past few years, mysteries have taken over Hollywood and television: The White Lotus, Knives Out, Netflix’s Murder Mystery (starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston), Apple TV Plus’s After Party, Netflix’s The Perfect Couple, Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building, Peacock’s Poker Face, and even shows like Stranger Things and Wednesday can be classed as mysteries. Mystery-themed plotlines have been central to network procedurals for years, such as Law & Order, Criminal Minds, FBI, and more, but the growing popularity of true crime and mystery among younger audiences has led to a high-quality prestige boom of classic mysteries. And we’re definitely not complaining.
