

Netflix has made some of the most jaw-dropping true crime documentaries of recent times - and now it has just dropped another must-watch series.
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is laced with the perfect ingredients for a true-crime show. There's conspiracy, murder and apparent links to some of the biggest scandals of recent years.
It also showcases what happens when a journalist gets too deep into a story that they are trying to uncover.
We don't want to give too much away but the official plot is that the doc: "Follows journalist Danny Casolaro's mysterious death while probing an alleged conspiracy called The Octopus linking spy software theft, unsolved murders and major 20th-century scandals."
The show has been created by Duplass Brothers Productions - they were also involved in Wild Wild Country, another Netflix doc masterpiece.
The show was only released 28 February, but it has leapt into the top 10 global charts at number 8, with critics loving the doc. Currently it has an 88% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
RogerEbert.com reckons: “American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders sometimes feels like its spinning its own wheels, but that becomes an effective way to replicate what undeniably happened to Danny Casolaro."
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The Daily Beast notes: "Enticing viewers with the promise of world-shattering secrets and then miring them in a thicket of debatable facts, dubious conjecture, and manic fantasy, it’s an expert case of true-crime form echoing its content."
While Rolling Stone explains: "It’s a significant cut above most true crime fare, aesthetically and especially thematically."
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders is streaming now: https://t.co/htgOFbSb26pic.twitter.com/FrQp5TfYvx
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) February 28, 2024February 28, 2024
- Here are some more picks of the best Netflix true-crime documentaries streaming now.

As Content Director of Shortlist, Marc likes nothing more than to compile endless lists of an evening by candlelight. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.
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