Note: this is a mostly spoiler-free review of Making a Murderer Season 2, which is now available to stream on Netflix.
It’s not often a true crime documentary becomes nationwide watercooler fodder, but that’s the power of Making a Murderer. This Netflix original series arrived in 2015 and exposed millions of viewers to the tragic story of Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey, both of whom are currently serving out life sentences for the rape and murder of Teresa Halbach. As with HBO’s The Jinx and the podcast Serial, it arrived at just the right time to tap into the public’s current fascination with true crime and controversial murder trials.
However, much of what fueled the popularity of Making a Murderer is that it shed light on a story many viewers were wholly unfamiliar with. Three years later, each new development in Avery and Dassey’s respective appeals process makes news headlines. The question is whether there’s enough uncovered ground remaining to justify a second full season of the documentary. Unfortunately, Season 2 suggests that Making a Murderer would have been better served following Serial’s example and focusing on a new case entirely.