People everywhere have started to become obsessed with true crime TV shows and movies. Platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO Max have started to stream and produce mass amounts of true crime shows. Shows and movies such as “American Murder: The Family next door”, “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “Making a Murderer” have become very popular.

“I love them,” sophomore Ava Daigle said. “It’s very interesting to learn about what they did and what went through their mind.”

While people seem to love these shows, they can negatively impact viewers. It’s understandable why people love them so much. They show us our worst fears in an entertaining way, or behind bars.

These shows, while enjoyable, leave people in a depressive state. I understand the rave, in my free time I would often turn on a documentary or podcast about unsolved murders or serial killers. I can say that these shows are not something to be investing ALL of your time in or surrounding yourself with. The pain of the victim’s and their families’ trauma is real.

“I’m not telling anyone what to watch, I know true crime media is huge [right now], but if you’re actually curious about the victims, my family (the Isbell’s) are pissed about this show,” Eric Perry, the cousin of one of Jeffery Dahmer’s victims Errol Lindsey, said. “It’s retraumatizing over and over again, and for what? How many movies/shows/documentaries do we need?”

Some much better shows for mental health are different crime shows like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Law & Order” and “Criminal Minds.” Shows like these don’t have any real-life victims; therefore, it’s better for viewers and won’t cause anyone to be re-traumatized.