The true-crime craze has swept the world. From shows in atmospheric locales such as Icelandic drama Trapped (2015 – present) to podcasts detailing real unsolved crimes, such as CounterClock (2019 – present), to attempts by those online to try to solve the crimes themselves, we’re desperate to decipher what is really going on. This trend has helped fuel the success of TV series Delhi Crime, whose second series is launching on Netflix in India. But why do we like true crime so much?
When is Delhi Crime Season 2 Out?
The first season of Delhi Crime received rave reviews. Released on Netflix in March 2019, Richie Mehta developed a 400-page script which was shot in 2018 over the course of 62 days. Shefali Shah stepped into the main role of Vartika Chaturvedi, the Deputy Commissioner of Police. The second season was announced on Netflix’s slate of originals in March 2021. It will be an anthology series, with future seasons focusing on new crimes and mysteries for audiences to follow along with and solve at home. Fans are excited that Shah is reprising her role for the next crime.
While we have no specific information on what the second season could be about, the first was based on a real crime, so the second could follow in its footsteps. Many fictional crime series take inspiration from real crimes and then amalgamate them into the plots of the show. Part of the excitement for audiences is that there is an element of the crime that they could solve themselves.
Fictional crimes can take dramatic turns and throw in nonsensical plot twists, but audiences believe that real crime is more linear. The fact that they could solve the crime and take control of the investigation is the main pull for these kinds of series.
Why Do We Love True Crime?
True crime doesn’t just come in the standard format of a podcast or series to delve into – other aspects of entertainment are also borrowing the theme to create engaging content. For instance, the Bust the Bank slot game featured on Betway takes the theme of police and criminals and gives it a lighter tone while still immersing players into the world of high-stakes crime. The crime is a standard bank robbery, and the criminals are appropriately dressed robbers in black and white striped tees and eye masks. The game is more whimsical than serious but shows the extent to how far our love for crime and the solving of it has spread – to be featured in the world of online casino entertainment.
Similarly, themed puzzle mobile games are increasingly popular. More than 55% of mobile gamers play puzzle games, making them the most played category. Just two puzzle games made up 99% of the revenue for games publisher Peak in 2019 according to a Udonis blog. These titles, like true crime, put us in the driver’s seat when solving something. Elsewhere, murder mystery parties have also seen a huge rise. Red Herring Games allow customers to purchase murder mystery packages and other crime puzzle games for a variety of events – including for weddings, which shows just how popular and addictive solving crimes has grown to be.
True crime podcasts may have been the catalyst that started the trend. A Venn diagram and study on true crime podcasts by CaseFleet identified that out of the four major true crime podcast series, 31.25% of the collective episodes across the four featured an unsolved case. The podcasts themselves don’t solve the crime, but they do provide a mystery for fans. Perhaps the pull of the genre is that there are no answers and audiences themselves are tasked with thinking about what might have happened. The crimes are also often old, with nearly 10% of the cases featured being from pre-1940.
The BBC’s crime output, drama Line of Duty, amassed more than 12 million viewers for its sixth season, which has been eagerly awaited since season five ended in 2019, and dominated conversation for the seven weeks it aired in 2021. Despite initially airing in 2012, the show rose to prominence as true crime began to grow popular from 2018 onwards. Crime imports are popular around the world, from Danish drama The Killing (2007 – 2012) to The Bridge (2011 – 2018) to Finnish Bordertown (2016 – 2019). These imports take the essence of true crime and throw in elements of narrative storytelling and cultural insight to deliver to audiences an engaging show.
As much as Indian audiences love watching things like reality show Bigg Boss for its interactive elements, they love getting involved with other aspects of entertainment that put the audience in a prime position. As the wide range of entertainment that taps into true crime and its core elements of audience participation, a puzzle to solve, and a collective theme to follow, the trend is incredibly popular and helps drive entertainment.