Making a Murderer

If you are poor or otherwise disenfranchised and are accused of a crime, do you stand a chance of finding justice in America’s legal system? That’s one of the central questions of Making a Murderer, the 10-part docu-series that, much like the popular Serial podcast, follows one true story over the course of several episodes. Released on Dec. 18 (and currently available for streaming) on Netflix, the series follows the story of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who, after serving 18 years in prison for crimes he didn’t commit, becomes the primary suspect in a new, more serious crime. DNA evidence exonerated Avery in the original rape/attempted murder case, which bolstered claims that he’d been railroaded by several levels of law enforcement in Manitowoc County, Wisc. Two years after his release, as he’s in the midst of filing a lawsuit that could possibly bankrupt the county, he’s arrested once again, and the filmmakers stick with him over the course of the next 10 frustrating years as his case makes its way through what appears to be a deeply flawed—and in the case of his home state, possibly corrupt—legal system.