Feature docs on Netflix: moving beyond true crime

Kate Townsend and Jonny Taylor aren’t too proud to admit to a little fear as their Netflix UK feature doc slate prepares to push beyond true crime.

The nerves are a result of broadening their output following the success of blockbusters including The Tindler Swindler and American Murder: The Family Next Door. “We want big stories of scale, but they must be done in ways that feel interesting,” says Taylor, whose director credits include BBC3’s Life And Death Row. “Things should feel scary at the outset, because you might not know whether they will work.”

“Sparking a global conversation is something that we feel our films can do”
Kate Townsend, vice-president, documentary film

Former Storyville editor Townsend identifies Off The Fence’s Oscar- and Bafta-winning 2020 film My Octopus Teacher as a risky project that changed perceptions of what Netflix can offer.

“We were definitely scared about whether it was going to be too strange for audiences because it felt so different,” she says. “But sometimes it takes just one film to tip the balance in terms of looking at a genre from a fresh perspective.”

Exploring genres

History, science and natural history are among the genres considered fertile breeding grounds to better round out the service, with the likes of The Mystery Of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (Empress) and climbing doc 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible (Noah) referenced as successful additions.

“There are lots of genres that we want to iterate,” says Taylor. “It would be amazing to have a history doc that the whole world is talking about, for example.”

Another experiment lined up for the autumn involves commissioning docs to sit alongside factual dramas. Townsend says the “dovetailing” involves launching the ‘real’ story in the weeks after the ‘fictional’ version. ITV has used the tactic to great effect with docs following dramas about spy Alexander Litvinenko, serial killer Dennis Nilsen and canoe man John Darwin.

Innovation can take many forms, according to the duo, who cite the impact of using only archive footage for American Murder and Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story. One question they pose is how to tackle pre-video archive stories in a compelling way.

While a “cookie-cutter” approach is frowned upon, lessons can be applied more broadly from the true-crime genre’s success. “It has shown us that shows can be rich, varied and shine a light on something beyond the crime itself,” says Townsend.

While there is no plan to reduce the volume of true crime, the desire to broaden the slate is about differentiating Netflix’s offering in an increasingly crowded marketplace. The aspiration is to go toe-to-toe with some of the biggest shows on the service, regardless of genre, such as Stranger Things.

“The Tinder Swindler is defined in that category – irrespective that it was non-fiction, it was as impactful as many of our dramas,” says Taylor.

Townsend wants to embrace the populist theme, to create a stickier service, albeit balanced with high-end auteur-style projects. “Our objective is to entertain with purpose. Jonny and I came to docs to shine a light on different subjects, but we’re shameless about wanting to bring in a big audience.”

Judging the success of a Netflix show is always hard from the outside, but the pair say a key factor is the “talkability” of a project. “The bar must be whether audiences will be excited to tell their friends about it,” says Townsend. “Sparking a global conversation is something that we feel our films can do.”