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Netflix puts out true-crime programming with a certain regularity, accordingly some of their content gets lost in the shuffle. Their latest docu-series, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, is experiencing no such fate, however. In fact, the program sits as the most-streamed show on the platform today. It’s possible that the exclusive nature of the series is helping it resonate with subscribers. The production managed to secure an exclusive interview with the prime suspect in the cases, James Lewis. This marks his first (and only) full-length sit-down.

Ari Pines and Yotam Guendelman directed the popular docu-series for Netflix, but neither was responsible for securing Lewis as an interview subject. It was producer Molly Forrester who pinned down the prime suspect. According to a profile in The Hollywood Reporter, Lewis responded positively to Forrester because she approached him on a human level and offered him the chance to tell his side of the story.

In 1982, seven people in Chicago died completely unexpectedly. The common thread that tied their mysterious deaths shocked the nation: They’d all taken Tylenol laced with cyanide. News of the circulation of these lethal Tylenol capsules sparked a panic across the country and one of the largest criminal investigations in US history.

The three-part documentary series Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is the latest installment in the Cold Case franchise. The Tylenol Murders reexamines the case that turned the ubiquitous over-the-counter drug into a murderous threat — and fundamentally called into question the blind faith many have in the world’s most trusted brands. Was it a maniacal killer who acted alone or a larger, potentially more unsettling conspiracy and cover-up?

From directors Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines and executive producer Joe Berlinger, the documentary weighs shocking...

“Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders,” a three-part docuseries, revisits a chilling chapter in American history: the 1982 Chicago area poisonings. Seven people met an untimely end after taking Extra Strength Tylenol capsules filled with cyanide. The series opens by immediately plunging the viewer into the widespread panic that seized the nation.

We see how Johnson & Johnson, the maker of Tylenol, responded quickly, pulling its product from shelves everywhere. This program sets out to investigate the unsolved crimes, the complex investigation that followed, and the lasting societal changes born from this tragedy. It’s a stark reminder of a moment when a trusted remedy became a source of terror.

The Dawn of a Modern Fear

The series excels in detailing the frightening randomness of the 1982 incidents. Ordinary individuals, a young girl among them, simply sought relief from common ailments and instead faced death. You get a palpable sense of the bewilderment...

Fans of true-crime shows have undoubtedly come to learn that Netflix features a treasure trove of programming that will satisfy the urge to learn more about some of the most infamous murder cases in history. Their newest hit, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, was released yesterday and is already skyrocketing up the charts, taking the #2 slot right behind their dark comedy series Sirens. It's no surprise, really, as the three-part docuseries traces one of the biggest unsolved cases in U.S. history.

Directed by Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, Cole Case: The Tylenol Murders takes an in-depth look at one of America's largest criminal investigations that changed the way pharmaceuticals were distributed. Taking place in the early 80s in Chicago, the case began when several people died from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. This led to widespread panic about public health as authorities raced to find a culprit, with the biggest suspect being James William Lewis,...

Netflix’s 2025 true crime docuseries Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders revisits the 1982 Chicago-area poisonings that led to seven deaths from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. The series delves into the investigation, the primary suspect James Lewis, and the lasting impact on public safety measures. In this article, we explore the documentary’s insights, the true story behind the case, and the broader implications for consumer product safety.

About the Documentary:

Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is a three-part docuseries directed by Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines. It features interviews with journalists, former law enforcement officials, and individuals connected to the victims. The series includes the final interview with James Lewis, the primary suspect who died in 2023, and examines alternative theories about the source of the cyanide contamination.

Also Read: The 13 Best True Crime Documentaries You Can Stream on Netflix Right Now The True Story of Netflix’s Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders...

In Chicago 1982, taking acetaminophen was a little like playing Russian Roulette. At least seven people died after ingesting cyanide-laced Extra Strength Tylenol capsules and to this day, the feds never nailed the culprit. In 2025, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders documentarians Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines got their man — or at least, the Netflix filmmakers got the FBI’s lone suspect, James Lewis, to speak in great length on camera. It was producer Molly Forster who landed Lewis.

“She was given the task to get him and she brought him,” Guendelman said. “She’s the best at this.” Joe Berlinger, an executive producer on the docuseries, is also no slouch in the space himself.

In 2022, as journalists camped out on Lewis’ lawn hoping for a soundbite that never came, it was Forster who got him to open the front door. She promised Lewis he’d get to tell his full story...

In 1982, a series of cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules led to the deaths of seven individuals in the Chicago area, causing nationwide panic and prompting significant changes in drug packaging and consumer safety. James Lewis became the prime suspect after sending an extortion letter, demanding $1 million to stop the killings.

Despite detailed accounts of how the poisonings could have been carried out, Lewis consistently denied responsibility. On May 26, 2025, Netflix released a docuseries named Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, and recently, the director Yotam Guendelman, in a media interview, revealed how certain things about Lewis still haunt him. Here’s a deeper dive into the whole story.

Inside James Lewis’s chilling turn in The Tylenol Murders James Lewis in Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders | Credits: Netflix

James Lewis’s final on-camera revelations weren’t just creepy, it was straight up chilling. In Netflix’s new true crime docuseries Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders,...

The upcoming Netflix documentary, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, is sure to prey on those with medicine anxiety. The new trailer uncovers the story of the over-the-counter pain meds that were laced with cyanide and claimed the lives of random consumers. The new crime doc is set to stream on Netflix on May 26. The trailer has just been released.

The official synopsis reads,

“From directors Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines and executive producer Joe Berlinger, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is a gripping three-part docuseries that revisits a chilling crime that shattered the nation’s trust in the safety of everyday brands. Chicago, 1982: at least seven people die after ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, sparking nationwide panic and one of the largest criminal investigations in U.S. history. Is there one mastermind behind these horrific deaths, or is that simply a convenient scapegoat in a darker conspiracy and potential cover-up?...

Exclusive: Netflix is expanding another one of its non-fiction strands.

The streamer has ordered a three-part documentary series about the Tylenol murders, which saw at least seven people die in the early 1980s in Chicago as a result of ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules.

The Tylenol Murders is part of the Cold Case franchise, which Netflix launched last year with Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, which reexamined the killing of the six year old from Colorado.

That series came from director and producer Joe Berlinger, who will produce Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders. It will be directed by Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, who directed Israeli true-crime series Shadow of Truth, which subsequently aired on Netflix.

The Cold Case strand is similar to its Turning Point franchise, which includes three series – Turning Point: The Bomb and the Cold War, Turning Point: 9/11 and the War on Terror and Turning Point: The Vietnam War,...

“I Remember: Daddy Did It.”

That’s a newspaper headline used in Buried, a Showtime docuseries that spotlights the reverberations of the first criminal case based on a recovered memory and analyzes how fallible and malleable the mind can be. Watch the teaser trailer above.

The premium cabler has set an October 10 premiere date for all four episodes of Buried. It centers on Eileen Franklin, who, while playing with her young daughter in 1989, suddenly had a memory of witnessing the rape and murder of her childhood best friend 20 years earlier. It led to the reopening of the long-cold case of 8-year-old Susan Nason — and in a shocking twist, Eileen told the police that she remembered the murderer was her own father, George Franklin.

Buried reveals the consequences of that fateful assertion of the subconscious and the infinite questions it sparked about the accuracy and reliability of unearthing traumatic events in the court of law.

Exclusive: Yotam Guendelman, Mika Timor and Ari Pines, the Israeli filmmakers behind Netflix true-crime doc Shadow of Truth, have struck a first-look deal with Ample Entertainment.

It comes as the 9 Months with Courteney Cox producer is ramping up its slate of premium docs. The company, which is making natural history project Kangaroos: The Story of Mala for Netflix, has series in the works with HBO, Adam McKay and Samuel L. Jackson.

It is now working up a slate of original docs with Guendelman, Timor and Pines. The group will collaborate to develop and produce a slew of stranger-than-fiction films and series in the unscripted space.

Guendelman, Timor and Pines, who recently wrapped production on a documentary for Showtime, found success with Shadow of Truth. The miniseries, which told the story of the 2006 murder of Tair Rada, a 13-year old Israeli girl, became one of Netflix’s most-watched true-crime docs in...

Exclusive: Israeli producer Egg Films, the company behind Netflix true crime doc Shadow of Truth, has unveiled the first-look at its next investigation – a serial killer doc series exploring a slew of murders in Israel in the 1970s and 1980s.

The company, which was set up by Ben Giladi, who has worked on American Animals and I, Tonya, and Yotam Guendelmen, has debuted footage from The Coastal Road Killer, which you can see above.

The multi-part series examines whether a serial killer, who was never brought to justice, was behind a string of murders that occured in Israel between the late 70s and early 80s and whether they might still be on the loose.

The series was created by Guendelman, Mika Timor and Ari Pines, the trio who worked on Shadow of Truth, the story of the 2006 murder of Tair Rada, a 13-year old Israeli girl, which became one of...

Real life intrigue and mystery can make for captivating entertainment, and if you’ve been needing something to quench your thirst for “Making A Murderer” or “Serial” style storytelling, then it’s time to fire up Netflix. “Shadow of Truth” will more than satisfy that craving.

Read More: New Trailer for Ava DuVernay-Backed Netflix Immigrant Drama ‘Namour’

Put together by filmmakers Yotam Guendelman, Ari Pines and Mika Timor, this massive Israeli hit dives into the mysterious death of 13 year-old Tair Rada, and investigation which turns up more questions than answers.

Continue reading Exclusive: A Horrible Discovery Is Made In Clip From Netflix Docu-Series ‘Shadow Of Truth’ at The Playlist.

What happens if you suspect your judicial system of being unjust?

That’s the question many Israelis faced in Netflix‘s “Shadow of Truth,” a four-part documentary series about the murder of a 13-year-old girl, Tair Rada, in Golan Heights during the daytime at her high school in 2006. Although a suspect was questioned, confessed and was eventually found guilty, his conviction has been the subject of wide controversy in the country.

Read More: The TV Show You Need to Watch on Every Network, Right Now — a Running List

Rada’s murder case was a matter of intense scrutiny by the public who didn’t want their own children to fall victim to such a senseless crime. Unfortunately, the conviction didn’t mollify the public because there were far too many pieces that didn’t add up. From the inaccurate confession and crime reenactment to a lack of DNA or fingerprint matches,...