True Crime europeo versus docudramas americanos: un estudio cualitativo de documentales, podcasts y libros de no ficción

Samia Benaissa Pedriza

doi:10.56418/txt.19.1.2025.4

Authors

Samia Benaissa Pedriza Universidad Complutense de Madrid (España) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1708-3338

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56418/txt.19.1.2025.4

Keywords:

True Crime, narrative journalism, non-fiction literature, True Crime documentaries, True Crime podcasts

Abstract

True Crime as a hybrid genre, halfway between journalism and non-fiction literature, is reaping unknown success among users of digital content platforms. The extensive consumption of contents occurs in documentary genres where the introduction of fictional elements such as recreations, sound effects or montage twists is giving rise to works of high narrative quality. In this exploratory study, the expressions of the genre are analysed through a strategic sample of European True Crime productions disseminated in different formats over 16 consecutive months. The results of the case study show that the expressions of True Crime in Europe follow a pattern similar to that followed by the international productions marketed by the US major platforms (Netflix, Amazon Prime Video), although significant narrative differences are detected. The True Crime products produced by the media in Europe include a predominant informative perspective compared to those who are broadcasted on streaming platforms, although the differences are blurred in the case of non-fiction books.

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