User reviews

An interesting documentary detailing a few different serial killer cases and the process of how they were solved. The doc comes entirely from the detectives point of view, which is refreshing. The interviews are relevant and the stories easy to follow.

I enjoy crime shows, I really enjoy serial killer documentaries, and books and the like. However, when it comes to documenting the real life story it obviously gets more complicated.

The majority of serial killers, especially the most interesting ones, want notoriety, and this show does a phenomenal job in bypassing that caveat by focusing on the heroes of the story; the investigators. This isn't a series about the killers, giving them more attention, and inviting more people to pique their dormant narcissism. This is a series that celebrates those who brought them to justice by bringing in, seemingly, the whole team who captured them.

It's a fun watch, for sure.

We see these stories being told from the perspective of the investigators and we get some insight in how they deal with the horrible stuff they have to deal with while doing their investigations.

There's not a whole lot of filler, which can be considered a good thing.

Sometimes it felt a bit overly dramatic, while still staying on the surface of the emotions that are shown.. To me that felt a bit cheap by the creators.. I wanted to know more about these investigators and how they experienced it besides seeing that single tear, but it never quite went there. A missed opportunity.

Perhaps this documentary didn't entirely know what it ultimately wanted to be or achieve.

What we end up with is reasonably interesting for what it is, but at the end of the day, rather forgettable.

6,5/10, rounding up to a 7.

Crime documentary that doesn't waste it's time on people's backstory or long boring scenic shots. Just the case and nothing else. Waiting for more! This is how a crime documentary should be done.

Very interesting retelling of how police capture serial killers for three separate cases. My favourite story was the final episode on the happy-faced killer. Seemed like some police bumbling to me.

An interesting concept focusing on the detectives rather than the murderers and I do appreciate that the episodes are shorter than usual at around 30mins (means that none of it feels like filler to pad out an episode) that being said it wouldn't have hurt to have a little more information about the killer.

Ultimately I feel the first two episodes are largely as you'd expect and perhaps lack enough intrigue to interest me as a viewer but I would highly recommend watching the final two episodes a two parter about the happy face killer.

Cable TV and internet streaming apps like Netflix abound with true crime shows. Many of these feel lurid and overlong. Not Catching Killers. Each episode of season one clocks in at just around 40 minutes. The time flew watching episode one. At no point did I feel guilty watching any gratuitous material; the filmmakers seem as respectful and concerned with the victims as do the investigators. The filmmaking technique is not unnecessarily flashy and overdone. This is entertaining storytelling with integrity, and since we're looking far enough back in time, we're not giving away any forensic secrets to the bad guys. 9/10 stars.

These were 4 great episodes of true crime! As told by the officers and people involved. They almost felt like a 'backstage all access pass'. Thoroughly enjoyable even if you're not a big true crime buff. Wonderful put together and timelined great.

I've gotta agree with the reviewers pointing out that these featured cops seem way too driven by emotion and the attention paid to them by the show's producers. It really takes away from the telling of the events of each of these investigations. Almost to a man/woman, they are unconvincing in their self-proclaimed prowess as investigators as they prattle on regarding their feelings in the midst of major developments in the cases. Its maybe doesn't cross the line of unprofessional but it definitely walks up and toes it. Its a shame really because the series features stories that you may not have heard before and attempts to shed new light on ones you may be familiar with.

Does not beat around the bush with fluff, filler, or bad re-enactments. The people who worked the actual cases get to tell their actual stories. I found this a very easy and relaxing watch, and I'm looking forward to more.

Several things strike me with these episodes.

1- the emotional involvement many of these detectives have in these cases sometimes feels very unhealthy. I totally understand wanting to speak for the victims and their families but it seems like it's at the expense of their own. The result is I often feel like I'm watching a quasi-therapy session for those detectives and I'm not sure how I feel about that in the context of how this series is framed.

2- a lot of these killers seem to have been caught by luck and not by dogged investigation.

3- although I know this is from a law enforcement point of view but a bit more about the killers would be appreciated especially because they are "built up" for the whole episode.

Enough with the detectives personal lives and stories. I wanna hear about the case not the detectives, that's not relevant.

Drags the series on more than it needs to. And the horrendous editing, I don't wanna see the people setting up the set. Why is this a trend in documentary films like this.

This series tends to play heavily on the investigating officers emotions. Nearly every one interviewed broke down. Now I'm not saying that this isn't warranted for an officer in a job like this to get affected but it's the fact that jobs like these are not for the feint hearted. It comes across as though they're not cut out to do the job. It's a job that requires a strong stomach and mind. I personally wouldn't say that even the average guy on the street would be this affected in similar circumstances. Just annoying to a degree but that's just me. Others will probably disagree. The actual investigations were inciteful and educating. I see a lot of this kind of stuff so perhaps I'm hardened to it.

I liked it. The pacing was a little slow, but It's more focused on the police work involved in catching the killers & the victims rather than the killers themselves which i think is a nice change from the majority of these types of shows which more often than not seem to glorify the monsters instead. As for the episodes themselves, i think they showcase good police work in the first 2 episodes where you can see just how hard the detectives involved worked & are still traumatically effected by everything they had to go through to get the person responsible vs. Bad police work in the last 2 where you keep asking yourself how they all still had/have jobs after they botched the case so bad & still take no responsibility for any of the many obvious mistakes they made.

4 episode show about 3 separate stories.

Ep 1 (Green River Killer) and Ep 2 (Manhunter: Aileen Wuornos) are standalone, about 50 mins each. Well shot, well narrated but it feels like the whole thing was rushed and that they could have easily told more.

But then, then come up with Ep 3 and 4, about the "Happy Face Killer" this seemed like the perfect duration for a story like this. Well shot, well narrated, well paced.

There's nothing mindblowing about this show, but surely worth your time incase you're into true crime but have limited amount of time to spend.

I've felt that Netflix has recently stretched out and dragged on one story over 4-8 episodes just to make a series out of it. Looks like they've tried a different format with this show, 4 eps with 3 stories, they're closer to a format of my personal liking.

I may be a bit biased being a true crime buff, but this series is really well done they got most of the detectives and ppl who were involved to answer questions and give there part of the story. I Binge watched both series not sure how many ep each series has but i hope there are more! Sadly there are too many killers to pick from, they did a pretty good job with the killers for the 1st and 2nd series i just wish that the victims were the ones who were known rather then the killers.

Good series. Just the facts no extra sensational stuff.

Only...why is there a drone shot of a Dutch Suburb in the first part of The Village Killer? It's allmost at the end. Weird!

I think all the crime documentaries should be this short and precise. I love how fast everything develops. Only people who were directly involved are narrating. No useless interviews, no mess. They did a great job.

Whenever we thing of a documentary by Netflix, and especially one where the entire view is from a new and exciting angle (law enforcement's perspective), we expect a lot. But I have to say, this show is very disappointing. After watching documentaries like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer, this one is extremely slow, lacks intensity, and focuses a lot on the hard-working, yet lacklustre life and routine of the law enforcement officers. These serial killer related documentaries, are supposed to be packed with spine-chilling events. Total lack of a strong pictography, and leaves a feeling a dragged out, boring ending.

Bottom line is, unfortunately, not a great watch.

I spend a substantial amount of time watching true crime shows, documentary and YouTube content. Of all that I have watched, Catching Killers is my new favorite series for a variety of reasons. All true crime shows do things well and are interesting, but Catching Killers hits every mark. I love that they focus on the detectives and what it cost them to keep us safe, it really gives the viewer their perspective. Catching Killers allows the story to unfold organically, going step by step throughout the investigation, allowing the viewer to really understand the point of view of the investigative team. The episodes are fairly short, so every moment you are watching is important and interesting and valuable. The storytelling done by the detectives themselves is done so very well. The series does a great job capturing the humanity and sacrifice of the detectives, and for them and the thousands more across the country I am very grateful.

The series isn't bad if all you're looking for is the Reader's Digest condensed versions of the cases being profiled. The actual detectives on these cases lend a good deal of credibility and eliminate the need for a schmaltzy narration. But the sound effects editing needs to be dialed way back. It really isn't necessary to punctuate every sentence uttered with a rumbling whoosh or a highly-reverberated tribal drum, or a shrieking string crescendo. These sonic burps only serve to cheapen any documentary value and drag the series into the horror B-picture territory.

The cased are interesting but every investigator tells their story in an extremely dramatic fashion and it all feels very overdone and almost insulting to the watcher. And it wouldn't be necessary at all.

This is an enjoyable, well produced series about several well-known killers and the law-enforcement hunt for each one of them. It's not overly detailed and the pace keeps moving. I think anyone who's into true crime shows will enjoy it. The one quibble, and I think it's a big one, I have is with the Eric Rudolph episode specifically. The series glosses over his extreme right wing views, which I find sad because we're dealing with that even more so today. Fascists like Rudolph have been able to infiltrate our government, our military, and our law-enforcement, and I really feel like more violence is to come. This was an opportunity to really show how evil these people are by emphasizing their extreme political beliefs, but this episode comes up way short. I'm sure the producers wanted to not offend anyone, but you need to offend people like Eric Rudolph. Otherwise, I enjoyed it. I would recommend it to any other true crime show fans.

It doesn't tell the entire story. As much as a "true crime" buff that I am, I'm familiar with a lot of these cases. The show does a great job of dramatizing the highlights of these cases, but doesn't go into great detail of what actually happened. It's great that they have the actual investigators involved telling their stories, yet, there are a LOT of additional stories from people involved that add context. I know, It's a "show".. and they want their ratings and what not. I guess true crime nerds like me pay more attention to the details. So, in the end, when you know certain details, and they're not in the product, I would say "wait!!.. there's THIS, and THAT!... WTH!". That's all.