For me, I love documentaries. I find them thoroughly fascinating and I have spent more time watching (and re-watching) them than I’d like to admit. But it is hard to deny that there are a couple of categories that completely takeover nearly every single one: true crime and true stories.
The world at the moment seems to have an obsession with programmes where the central story is one that is focused on all the negative aspects of the world. Where that be recalling events such as the 2007 London bombings, the numerous ones surrounding the 9/11 world trade centre attacks or the absolutely countless ones at the world wars over the past decades, the way in which they are produced and the style in which participants are interviewed draws you in and you just can’t seem to stop watching.
In how they have lost the plot, this is where the true crime genre really shines. Take Netflix for example. There are hundreds and hundreds that are about true crime cases – series and films about kidnappings, heists, murders and serial killers all from the past 100 years are designed to keep people entertained. This is what I find a touch exploitative and a bit troubling.
Many of them fashion themselves with a journalistic edge to them, inviting viewers to question what really happened and it is then when it becomes about the sensational nature of the perpetrator of the crime rather than the it’s victim. At the end of some, a message might pop up saying something along the lines of ‘if you have any information, please contact the person/number below’.
Instead of being a tribute to the victim and remembering their life, it shows a large part of why this documentary or such is being made, is to try and solve the crime that the police just can’t do on their own. This is a smart tactic, and is helpful, but it can’t be denied that it is exploitative as not everyone involved can consent to their story being shared to the world.
However, aside from these types of documentaries, there are ones that are purely for joy and entertainment. For example, ‘One born every minute’ shows the joys (and pains) of life being brought into the world and the incredible work that the nurses and midwives do (as does 24 hours in A&E, showing just how important the country's healthcare workers are).
Historical shows as well are purely for those who just want to learn about new things and I think that TV documentaries are the perfect way to do this. While it can be said some have lost the plot a bit, it doesn’t really make them any less fascinating to see.