We all have those hidden shows that we would not necessarily admit binging a Friday night. The most common guilty pleasures are trashy reality-TV series and messy dramas. The Real Housewives, Love Is Blind, Jersey Shore, The Bachelor, Riverdale… The list is endless because of over 75% of these fanbases classifying it as guilty pleasures, according to Sage Singleton’s article on CableTV (CableTV, 2026).
True crime used to sit on the edge of being a guilty pleasure, but many have now pushed in from that label and onto the mainstream media. In fact, it has become quite trendy to sit down with a serious documentary, especially the adults.
Not everybody enjoys darker themes though, like murder and heavy violence, which is completely understandable. So here is a list of recommendations for the ones looking for more scandalous true crime documentaries, primarily on Netflix.
The Search For Instagram’s Worst Con Artist
Annabelle “Belle” Gibson is a world famous Australian influencer and cookbook author, as well as a convicted swindler. “The Search For Instagram’s Worst Con Artist” is a two-episode 2023 documentary series that tells us the truth about who Belle Gibson was and how she rode to fame and recognition by pretending to live a life with cancer.
As someone who did not use much social media at the time, I had only vaguely heard about Belle Gibson prior to watching the documentary series. And, as someone who does lives with a fatal illness, I must admit that I could not sympathize at all with this fake wellness guru. Just like many of her fans were moved by her “life story” and then heartbroken at the truth, I probably would have fallen for it too.
A great watch that shows how easily social media influencers can deceive when their eyes are too locked on three things: the amount of followers, comments, and likes.
The Tinder Swindler
The Tinder Swindler case is one of the biggest dating app schemes today, and you will understand why in this roughly two-hour long 2022 documentary film, where we follow the crimes of a conman who posed as a wealthy diamond heir named Simon Leviev and tricked multiple women around the world of millions of dollars.
This swindler case would make anyone paranoid about online dating, as it is disturbingly incredible how calculated the conman’s methods were when taking on the identity as Simon Leviev. Every single detail, every single person, every single excuse, it was all perfectly planned.
And the worst part? To this day, the Tinder Swindler’s victims has not gotten the justice they deserve, and he has openly embraced the fact that he got caught but also got away… again. This is undoubtedly a must-watch to raise awareness around dating apps, as this catfish story will give you plenty of warnings signals to keep in mind in today’s modern world.
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal
Keeping the romance schemes flowing, the controversial dating website Ashley Madison showed people a saucier way of dating… as their slogan went, “Life is short, have an affair.”
Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal is a three-episode long documentary from 2023 that exposes the scandals behind the website of Ashley Madison, their peak and downfall alike. It was an older dating method to find people in your area to cheat on your partner with, and without getting caught. The idea was to keep every member’s information confidential, which worked and made the founders a fortune, until a massive leak made every cheater’s spotlight visible.
Their concept of “harmless” one night stands in order to liven up a dull relationship quickly came to destroy not only marriages, but lives. I am sure it is universal to state that this is a morally wrong way to maintain a connection that is supposed to be until death parts you with your person, which is how Ashley Madison gained such controversy, as well as making some fall into temptation.
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
Cults are unfortunately still active across the globe, and during recent years, it has gotten through to one of the many ways to connect online: TikTok.
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult is a three-episode long 2024 documentary about how a TikTok dance trend quickly and surely turned into a cult by one charismatic and cold man who recruited aspiring dancers from TikTok to sign contracts to his company in order to achieve their dancer dreams. However, the contract was the beginning to start controlling each member, from choreography and financial manipulation to losing one’s identity and cutting ties with family and friends not affiliated with the 7M cult.
This is also a case that is revisited and talked about, which is not surprising, considering how big the TikTok platform became over such a short span of time. I am not a TikTok user due to how easily addicted you can get, as well as how easily deceived you can get. When the 7M cult became active, and sadly enough still is today, it was a great warning and reminder to control one’s consumption of social media.
Bad Influence: The Dark Side of Kidfluencing
This was a recent true crime-watch of mine, and it reminded me immensely of the 7M TikTok cult, but a YouTube version of the story.
YouTube has had the title of one of the most popular platforms of all time, with lots of history from situations and individuals stored into the data base that YouTube has. In this three-episode 2025 documentary, we follow a single mother who decided to disciplin her minor daughter into becoming an influencer, or “kidfluencer”, which was a very popular concept during YouTube’s earlier years. Mother Tiffany Smith manages her daughter’s account, forms a group of children called the Squad, and builds a solid media empire for children to climb to fame on. It may look good for the viewers, but child abuse and long-lasting manipulation goes on behind the scenes.
This case goes more serious than other YouTube channels run by families. It is already easy enough to influence children and their decision-making skills throughout their childhood, but Tiffany Smith takes it to a level where “consent” is a non-existent area for children. Based on how she treats her daughter from day one, one could assume that the mother has some skeletons in her own closet that made her this way, but projecting one’s pain onto others will never be justified… especially the innocent life of your own child.
Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife
This medical scandal initially started in Sweden, and the Swedish hospital in question did everything to keep it under control, but Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife eventually became a world-known true crime case involving a charming surgeon turning very grey, very fast.
Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife is a three-episode long documentary that covers the truth about the Dr. Macchiarini case that started at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden’s capital city, Stockholm, in 2011. Paulo Macchiarini was an ambitious surgeon, trusted by all: His colleagues, his partner, and most of all, his patients across the globe. He became known for his claim about being able to use a patient’s stem cells on formed plastic tubes to grow new windpipes for sick people with breathing and lung issues. As time went by, his methods were exposed as grave lies, turning the world of medicine into confused chaos.
As a Swedish citizen, I remember this case, unfortunately. Witnessing the details down to its core through this documentary made me truly understand how true crime does not need a murder in order to feel that chill go down your spine. To this day, Paulo Macchiarini stands strong in his ways, neither admitting nor apologizing for his actions. Quite frankly, his calm demeanor terrifies me. How could you be so nonchalant when you’ve satisfied your curiosity through human experiments? We will probably never get an answer through him, only awareness thanks to this documentary series.
Dating scandals, social media frauds, kid cults, and a medical mess. There has been some gruesome stories to be told throughout human history, but there is no pause button to press in real life, so all we can do is spread awareness and shine light upon the growing darkness.
In order to understand and help each other better, maybe we do need more true crime documentaries for that specific purpose. Gaining a broader perspective can be someone’s saving grace. What do you believe true crime can do for viewers: Help, harm, or something in between?
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