The story in Hulu’s latest docuseries, Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini, is captivating and similar cases are the focus of other true crime series. Before Sherri’s story became a Hulu docuseries, her supposed kidnapping caught the attention of many in the true crime community for its bizarre nature and shocking twists. Audiences who are drawn to the mystery and layers of lies in Sherri’s case are fortunate that the themes of kidnapping and betrayal can be found in many miniseries that are just as engaging and easy to binge.
In 2016, Sherri Papini went missing and left her husband, Keith, and local police to begin a frantic search. However, when Sherri returned home in a battered state, she had an elaborate story about what she had endured for the past few weeks. The painful physical conditions Sherri was in left many fearful about the accused kidnappers being among the community, but as detectives further explored Sherri’s claims, it became obvious that she was more involved than anyone had ever anticipated. Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini expertly details the events of the case and the emotional impact Sherri’s actions had on those closest to her.
Wild Crime: Blood Mountain (2023)
Both disappearances in Perfect Wife and Wild Crime: Blood Mountain share a similar start for the victims. Though the result of the true crime cases ends differently for each individual, both Sherri Papini and Meredith Emerson went missing after going out for a solo jog and hike, respectively. Wild Crime: Blood Mountain then continues as detectives find similarities between Meredith’s disappearance in Georgia’s state park and other individuals who had been found dead in national parks.
Wild Crime: Blood Mountain becomes an increasingly complex watch as pieces from the different cases are connected. Unfortunately, seeing the fate of the perpetrator’s previous victims, viewers’ hopes of Meredith’s safe return get slimmer with every piece of information presented. This makes the grim ending of Meredith’s case less of a surprise, but seeing how The National Forest Serial Killer gets caught is fascinating nonetheless.
Atlanta’s Missing And Murdered: The Lost Children (2020)
The themes of racism in Perfect Wife barely scratch the surface of what’s explored in HBO’s Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children. The 2020 docuseries shines light on the series of kidnappings and murders that took place in the titular city from the summer of 1979 to May 1981. The total of missing and killed Black youth equaled at least 30 and though one individual was found responsible and sentenced, many in the community still have questions and doubts about how the case was dealt with.
Though no others in Perfect Wife were physically harmed other than Sherri, her fabricated story impacted more than those in her immediate family and left another minority community fearing for their safety. Part of her supposed kidnapping included the adamant detail that her kidnappers were two Hispanic women. Sherri’s falsified criminal profiling left local Hispanic communities worried they would be wrongly accused as the captors and some women went so far as to avoid walking around in pairs in fear detectives would assume it was them who harmed Sherri (via TIME).
The Staircase (2004-2018).
Just as the details about Sherri’s kidnapping drew an extensive amount of media attention, so did the specifics of Kathleen Peterson’s mysterious death. Each case has fascinated true crime audiences with the bizarre details surrounding the two women, such as Sherri’s branding she reportedly received from her kidnappers and the theory that an owl attacked Kathleen before falling to her death. The Staircase is a docuseries with new parts added over a few years as more details came about the involvement Kathleen’s husband, Michael Peterson, had in her death.
As is the case with almost every true crime scenario involving a couple, the unharmed partner is usually the first suspect for detectives and this was true for both Michael and Sherri’s husband, Keith. However, the suspicion of Michael’s involvement grew into something bigger than Keith’s ever did, and, when combined with odd theories and differing explanations for Kathleen’s death, media attention increased. The Staircase is a gripping watch as audiences follow along the years-long process of Michael’s legal journey.
Last Call: When A Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)
The storytelling of true crime, both written and visual, is important when putting together a considerate and engaging docuseries. Michael Beach Nichols acts as a writer and director of Perfect Wife and, in 2023, Nichols did the cinematography for HBO’s Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York. Each docuseries takes into account the emotional impact of these true crime cases, avoiding a glamorization that too often occurs in the true crime genre.
Last Call is a powerful story about the targeted deaths of four gay men in New York City in the early ’90s. Rather than take viewers along through the murders in a strictly sequential order, the creatives behind the docuseries explore the larger issues of homophobia and hateful attitudes from law enforcement that allowed such a crime to occur. Loved ones of the victims are featured extensively throughout the docuseries, giving emotional accounts of the indescribable feelings of loss and sense of injustice felt during the time.
The Disappearance Of Maura Murray (2017)
Disappearances are an interesting subgenre of true crime and tend to be, at times, more frustrating than a kidnapping case like Sherri’s. The reason is that there isn’t always enough information present to explain one’s disappearance, leading to an increase in mystery. 2004 brought about a puzzling disappearance with questions that remain to this day. The Disappearance of Maura Murray covers the sudden disappearance of the titular young adult who vanished from the world after a car crash.
The docuseries begins by going over details of the case before diving into the abundance of theories introduced in the years since Maura’s disappearance. The Disappearance of Maura Murray labels the case as one of the first disappearances in the age of social media as new forms of public platforms allowed for a larger number of internet sleuths and theories. Due to the seemingly endless amount of explanations for what happened to Maura, the docuseries does its best to separate fact from speculation.
American Nightmare (2024)
One of the most peculiar details about Sherri’s apparent kidnapping was the fact that she was let go after weeks of torture. Detectives found it odd that she was abandoned by her kidnappers as it’s not common in cases seen before. Detectives in charge of Denise Huskins’ case were too suspicious about her kidnapping after she was dropped off near a family home days after she was initially taken. American Nightmare follows Denise and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn as they recount their traumatizing experience after their home was broken into and Denise was taken for ransom.
The police were convinced Denise’s kidnapping story was a hoax and she was labeled as a real-life version of Rosamund Pike’s character Amy from David Fincher’s Gone Girl. Sherri is proof that such an elaborate scheme is not impossible, but it’s still not what happened to Denise. American Nightmare leaves out a few details but is otherwise an engaging and unfortunate tale of a mishandled true crime case.
The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days Of Terror (2024)
After surviving nine days as a kidnapped victim of Christopher Wilder, Tina Risico was released. The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days of Terror follows Tina’s return home where she remained relatively silent about her experience for a long time. Tina’s silence led some to wonder with empathy what horrific conditions she was under during that time, while others were unsure about her innocence, claiming she was an accomplice to Christopher’s crimes. Unlike Sherri, who was also released by her kidnappers shortly after being taken, Tina makes it clear her harm was not self-inflicted and she was a victim.
In addition to Tina’s specific experience, The Beauty Queen Killer brings attention to the families of Christopher’s other victims. The heartbreaking stories shared by loved ones add an element of raw emotion to the docuseries, along with accounts by women who interacted with Christopher before. The Beauty Queen Killer excels in emphasizing the difficulties that often come with bringing these truths to the public due to the fear of others’ judgmental responses.
Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story (2022)
A murderer’s life is often combed through to better understand what might’ve shaped their killing motives. In Perfect Wife, Sherri’s upbringing is described as difficult and, though there’s not a direct reason why she faked her kidnapping, it’s used as an explanation for her tendency to lie and take advantage of others. Captive Audience: A Real American Horror Story has a shared familial theme as it follows two brothers, Steven and Cary Stayner.
When he was young, Steven was kidnapped and his eventual return home turned into a media spectacle with ample news coverage and an Emmy-nominated miniseries, I Know My First Name is Steven. The influx of attention given to Steven led his other siblings to feel as though they were living in his shadow, especially Cary, who’d eventually go on to become a murderer. Captive Audience is an engrossing watch as the docuseries shows the connection between the brother’s equally large presence in the media for two very different reasons.
Missing (2022)
Led by Kristin Thorne, an investigative reporter for ABC7 New York, Missing reopens missing person cases from the Tri-State area in hopes of providing wider coverage. Though Sherri’s kidnapping turned out to be staged, the days before she returned home were full of worry for those close to her. This is the case for many families of missing individuals and, unfortunately, they don’t all receive answers straight away, resulting in a continued state of wondering what happened to their loved one.
With this in mind, Kristin makes it her goal to find any new leads she can to help bring a sense of closure to the families and friends of missing people. The featured cases range from the late ’70s to the late 2010s, leaving room for varying levels of media coverage and societal views of true crime. Missing currently has nine episodes that are equally distressing and inspiring as Kristin’s passion and care are made clear in her investigative journalism.
Meet Marry Murder (2022)
The true crime case in Perfect Wife shows that Keith was unaware of his wife’s lies. His realization of her planned kidnapping slowly grew as others around the couple were unconvinced of Sherri’s story. Coming to terms with Sherri’s actions was not an easy thing for Keith, or those close to the Papinis, to do. A similar heartbreak is seen in Meet Marry Murder as the friends and family of murdered individuals speak about the shock and unexpected betrayal that comes when a marriage ends with murder.
Narrated by actress Helen Hunt, Meet Marry Murder focuses on different murders committed by spouses. Each of the cases sees the responsible partner attempt to cover up their actions to gain the benefits they felt would only be earned once their spouse was dead. The various reasons for the committed murders are explored in each episode, delivering chilling stories of deceit and betrayal.