By: Maddie Rowley
There’s not much in the way of stopping the true-crime train of content that will rain upon us in March (spring-like pun intended). After I finished binge watching The Pharmacist on Netflix a few weeks ago, (a tug-at-your-heart-strings story about a man who never gave up on finding his son’s killer, and then took it a step further to stop the pill mills that were feeding the opioid epidemic spreading like wildfire throughout the town) I’ve pretty much been hitting the refresh button on the remote—just hoping for another true crime docu-series to drop. If you’re anything like me—always ready consume pretty much anything that covers murder, buckle up because March is about to serve it up to us on a silver platter.
The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez - Available now on Netflix.
I know, I know. The title of this post says true crime documentaries coming in March, but I figured watching this documentary between now and March 6th when the next two shows premiere made sense.
This six-part docu-series is heartbreaking and here’s your warning up-front: it’s difficult to watch. It contains in-depth descriptions of the torture and abuse 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez endured at the hands of his mother, Pearl, and her boyfriend, Isauro, which lead to his eventual murder on May 22, 2013.
Peal called 9-1-1 to report that Gabriel had stopped breathing. After being rushed to the hospital by paramedics, who immediately knew that something wasn’t right, doctors found that Gabriel was barely hanging on to life with an indented skull, two BB-gun bullets lodged in his lung and groin, broken ribs, burned skin, and more horrific injuries.
This story is two-fold in that it covers the trials of Pearl and Isauro as well as the failings of the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family services, which conducted multiple investigations of child abuse within Gabriel’s home, yet no action was taken to remove him or his siblings from the danger that Pearl and Isauro were clearly inflicting. For more on this story, check out this in-depth article from The Atlantic, which was written in 2018.
The Most Dangerous Animal of All - March 6 on FX Network and March 7 on FX Network via Hulu
Who is the Zodiac Killer? Detectives and citizens alike have wanted to know the answer to this question since the 1970s and yet the case has remained unsolved. But one man swears he knows the identity of the killer—his own father.
Based on the eponymous book written by Gary L. Stewart and Susan Mustafa, The Most Dangerous Animal of All is a four-part bingeable docu-series that covers author Gary Stewart’s all-consuming journey to find out more about his father, whom he never knew, but swears that there are just too many coincidences that prove that the Zodiac Killer was indeed his dad.
The trailer seems to throw an interesting hook into the show when, during an interview, an unidentified woman says “What are the odds that Gary Stewart thinks his father was the Zodiac Killer and they’ve got the same handwriting, the same scar, and they’re in the same places?”
Insert bug-eye emoji here. You know what I’ll be watching on March 6th!
Spenser Confidential - March 6 on Netflix
Two words: Mark Wahlberg. I’m calling it now, Spenser Confidential will provide the light hearted “cheese” we’ll need in the midst of these darker tales, but those of us who still need that true crime-y tie in will get it because this movie follows former cop-turned-criminal, Spenser (Markie Mark) and MMA fighter Hawk (Winston Duke) who pair up to investigate the murder of two of Spenser’s former Boston police colleagues. On the way, they uncover a conspiracy tied to the deaths. This movie also features pop singer Post Malone and comedian Iliza Shlesinger.
Lost Girls - March 13 on Netflix
Based on a true crime book by Robert Kolker which covers the story of five “Craigslist” prostitutes who were found murdered on Long Island in 2010, Lost Girls the movie focuses on the story of a mother named Mari Gilbert who won’t let law enforcement give up on the search for her missing daughter.
As she uncovers clues about her daughter’s disappearance, she stumbles upon the similar threads that lead to the unsolved murders of over a dozen sex workers whose bodies were found scattered along Gilgo Beach.
To this day the identity of the LISK (Long Island Serial Killer) is still unknown.
Agatha Christie: The Pale Horse - March 13 on Amazon Prime Video
This two-part series adapted from murder mystery queen Agatha Christie’s novel, The Pale Horse will prove to be a creepy, twisty tale set in the 1960s just based on watching the trailer. Starring Rufus Sewell as main character Mark Easterbrook, the show centers on a strange list of names that was found nestled in the shoe of a murdered woman.
When people on the list start mysteriously dying off, Easterbrook begins digging further into the murder and the seemingly random group of people included on the list, and he starts wondering if he’ll be the next to go.
In a Stephen King-like twist, there seems to be some supernatural elements afoot, but we’ll have to watch the series to find out for sure.
Little Fires Everywhere - March 18 on Hulu
Ok, so we’re going to count this as a different type of mystery for a couple reasons. Reese Witherspoon. That’s one reason (anyone getting major Big Little Lies-esque butterflies?) Kerry Washington. That’s reason number two (Scandal I miss you so much). And the third is author Celeste Ng’s who wrote the book, Little Fires Everywhere which is amazing and everyone should absolutely read it. I just finished it and am thrilled that I have the show to look forward to now.
Mysteries and secrets abound in the little town of Shaker Heights, Ohio where the Richardsons live in their McMansion with their four children and mother-daughter characters Mia and Pearl Warren who just moved to town and are leasing the Richardson’s rental house across the way.
The families intertwine outside of the rental contract when teens Pearl and Moody Richardson become friends, and the mysteries and secrets start to unravel in the form of an adopted baby and a photograph on display in the local museum.
I don’t want to give too much away since I’ve read the book, so all I can say is get ready for Grade A television and a wild ride!
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness - March 20 on Netflix
Before this show premieres on March 20th you have to listen to the “Over My Dead Body” podcast, which will serve as a great little preview before the show airs.
The documentary (and podcast) chronicles the wild tale of Joseph Maldonado-Passage aka Joe Schreibvogel aka “Joe Exotic,” a big cat, bear, and baboon breeder who ran a zoo in Oklahoma and found himself in prison after a series of events that included the illegal buying and selling of lions and tigers, a murder-for-hire plot, an unofficial wedding where he married two of his lovers at the same time, and a very active YouTube channel that hosted his show, Joe Gone Wild.
There are so many ins and outs to this story that diving into anything in detail wouldn’t make sense. This is the type of story that continues to unfold—right when you think your jaw has hit the floor, a new detail emerges that sends everything into a tailspin.
Just tune in, you won’t regret it. Here’s an in-depth article on the case reported by TexasMonthly.
Blow the Man Down - March 20 on Amazon Prime
This misty and moody movie set in Maine first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and follows the story of sisters Mary Beth and Priscilla Connolly who, while grieving the loss of their mother, have a run-in with a man who they realize is a very dangerous person after Mary Beth notices strange debris in his car.
Things spiral after that and they end up having to conceal their actions in relation to this man and in the midst of all this, a woman’s body washes onto shore—a bullet hole through her forehead.
This proves to be a windy story indeed, and we’ll have to see how it all plays out on the small screen starting March 20th.
Forensic Files II - New Episodes every Sunday on HLN
Forensic Files—a true 90s cult classic was recently brought back to life in the best way. Simply rebranded “Forensic Files II,” HLN launched the series on February 23rd with two episodes, but I wanted to include it on this list because new episodes will drop every Sunday throughout March.
The show’s narrator, Bill Camp, seamlessly and gracefully takes the reigns from the iconic Peter Thomas, who narrated the show in the 90s and has since passed away. The two new episodes that premiered, “Buried Secrets” and “On the Rocks” were intriguing and powerful in a sense that I actually learned something about forensics during both episodes (who knew you could use a little vacuum to suck up minuscule DNA evidence?)
Now I have something to look forward to every Sunday and it helps that I can watch it on Demand or Live via Hulu! 10/10 tune in, it’s worth it.