Die-hard Law & Order fans need to check out Dick Wolf's true crime docuseries on Netflix

Successful author and producer Dick Wolf is already known for his “ripped from the headlines” episodes in series like law and order And Law & Order: SVU, But his new documentaries on Netflix focus on the often shocking but true stories that exist Strictly speaking the headlines. Murder: New York And Murder: Los Angeles premiered their five-part series in March and July respectively and Each episode gives viewers an in-depth look at some of the most horrific crimes It spans decades and dates back to the 1980s.

While Wolf and his team have dabbled in true crime before, killing feels like a true companion law and order franchise. As can be expected in most true crime documentaries, the cases are memorable, heartbreaking and riveting. But killing also highlights something else Wolf is known for – interesting characters. The series interviews detectives and other law enforcement officers, as well as prosecutors, who took on these cases that defined their careers and, in many ways, changed their lives forever.

“Homicide” features a winning “Law & Order” formula and compelling real-life characters

Although it may seem strange that it looks like that Law & Order: SVU Known as “comfort watches,” one is sure to feel a satisfying feeling after watching an episode. The audience definitely knows what they’re getting – the Dick Wolf formula of watching a crime occur, followed by the subsequent investigation before moving on to prosecuting the case. In many ways killing follows a very similar formula. Even though Olivia Benson doesn’t appear in Homicide (Mariska Hargitay), Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) or Vincent Riley (Reid Scott) solving these heinous crimes, fans of the law and order The franchise continues to be drawn not only by the fascinating case, but also by the people involved in it.

These people are not just speakers who give facts and timelines about the cases. Hearing the true story straight from the mouths of NYPD officers with their thick New York accents who occasionally drop F-bombs (which you obviously can’t get on NBC) gives their stories a whole different kind of honesty and realism . It’s hard not to get emotional when you hear these gruff police officers choke up as they recount what they saw at the crime scene or how difficult it was to tell the victims’ families that they had lost a loved one. There’s a humanity that even the best scripted shows can’t fully replicate. It also helps that each of these interviewees is an incredible storyteller in their own way, sharing memories that range from heartbreaking to hilarious.

Fans will be completely engrossed in the role of the NYPD lieutenant Roger Parrino tells the story of being called to a horrific crime scene in an apartment above the Carnegie Deli while at his son’s baseball game, or of his role as a death investigator Barbara Metzger explains the methodical yet sensitive way she examines evidence. There is also NYPD Detective Rob Mooneya lifelong fan of the Gratefully deadwho credits the band with the type of detective he has become and a New York born detective Irma Riverawho believes that there is good in everyone, even in the criminals who commit such heinous crimes.

“Homicide: Los Angeles” shifts its true crime focus west

Image via Netflix

That is beyond question Murder: New York has a very special feel that sets it apartbut don’t sleep on the second episode, Murder: Los Angeles. Sure, the cases are certainly more high-profile, involving studio executives and music moguls, but the investigators investigating the cases are just as committed to seeking justice for their victims. Murder: Los Angeles focuses on murders that took place over the course of four decades, including the high-profile murder of Lana Clarkson from the former record producer Phil Spector.

It’s fascinating to hear from retired LASD homicide detectives like Mark Lillienfeld, who is interviewed in this documentary for two different cases as he talks about being a rookie police officer in an investigation unit into the 1988 murder of a race car driver Mickey Thompson and his wife Trudy Thompson. Years later, in 2003, he was assigned to the Spector case as a more experienced detective. Other notable characters include Rich Tomlin, an LASD homicide detective who discusses the difficulties of being a father to young children when he became a trainee detective in 1999, and an LASD homicide detective Karen Shonka, who talks about how she had to work twice as hard as her male colleagues when she was hired in 1986.

Despite some high-profile cases involving prominent people, killing does a great job of humanizing the victims by interviewing their families and friends and showing how justice was brought to the perpetrators. Some of the investigators admit that the job has taken a toll on them, while others express regret that they may have done things differently. The series also does an excellent job of highlighting the vastness of Los Angeles as well as the socioeconomic disparities that fall under the jurisdiction of the Sheriff’s Department. Like its counterpart Murder: Los Angeles delivers something law and order Fans love these shows, even though they traded the city that never sleeps for Tinseltown.

What “Homicide” offers audiences that “Law & Order” can’t

Something that the law and order Frankly, the franchise doesn’t have enough time to focus on the victim’s family and who they were before they were murdered. Of course, there are some scenes where investigators talk to the victim’s friends and relatives and, in some cases, the survivors of the crime, but the nature of dramatic television tends to focus more on the show’s series regulars. The guest stars are there only for one episode to watch. Fortunately, killing takes the time necessary to interview the families and friends who lost a loved one to these horrific crimesand although this is a common part of true crime, killing does an excellent job of portraying the victims and their identities before the tragedy that took their lives.

Something else that stands out is the ending of each series. In the final moments of the fifth episode, the detectives, most of whom are retired, sit together in a bar and reminisce about their time together solving these cases. They discuss the emotional strain that working as a homicide detective placed on them and how they coped with it. Detective Karen Shonka even talks about coming out of retirement because she missed it so much. Of course, scripted series can’t waste their precious screen time on characters who aren’t actively working on the cases killing finds a way to add another layer of humanity to these real-life characters in an authentic and captivating way.

It can be argued that Dick Wolf and the series he created have been instrumental in the rise of interest in true crime over the years, so it’s no surprise killing delivers what makes his shows great. According to producer Jane Lipsitz, there is “so much potential” for more seasons killingwhat should stop the die-hards law and order Fans keep tuning in.