Five Netflix shows based on terrifying true stories
Of all that Netflix brings to the table in terms of content, original productions boasting the tag of “true story” undoubtedly stand out due to their versatility, weight, and value.
Despite seemingly coming across as an ordinary genre, Netflix titles based on true stories usually refuse to fit in a box. They often have more than one source of origin or inspiration, such as historical events, real-life icons, true crimes, unexpected tragedies, and, at times, even personal turning points.
Similarly, whenever addressing the genre and curating a watchlist from the same, it’s better to be specific to avoid any potential confusion.
As for what’s on today’s watchlist? Well, get ready for a trip down the streaming lanes with five Netflix shows inspired by terrifying true stories.
Five Netflix shows inspired by terrifying true stories
Toxic Town (Minkle Spiro, 2025)
Based on the real-life 2009 Corby poisonings in England, Toxic Town is a four-part limited series that follows a group of working-class mothers who give birth to babies with similar, debilitating deformities in the former steel town of Corby, Northamptonshire, due to the borough council’s mismanagement and transportation of toxic waste. Led by resident Susan McIntyre, the mothers form a campaign group after their discovery.
Toxic Town revolves around their landmark court trial spanning from the mid-1990s to 2009, chronicling their investigation into the council’s illegal dumping of hazardous waste. The Netflix miniseries centres on the mothers who navigate high-stakes bureaucratic obstacles to eventually file a civil lawsuit against the local council to secure reparations and accountability, exploring one of the UK’s biggest, devastating environmental scandals.
MH370: The Plane That Disappeared (Louise Malkinson, 2023)
Inspired by the real-life 2014 disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, MH370: The Plane That Disappeared, the three-part documentary explores and investigates three different, highly debated theories regarding what could have happened to the aircraft and the 239 passengers and crew members it was carrying. In March 2014, MH370 mysteriously vanished during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with everyone onboard.
The aircraft’s transponder was turned off briefly after take-off, and what followed soon after was MH370’s disappearance from civilian radar. Despite the largest and most expensive search in aviation history, the main wreckage was never found, resulting in large-scale panic, criticism, and controversies. MH370: The Plane That Disappeared details the numerous theories that were born to explain the disappearance due to the scarcity of physical evidence.
The Hijacking of Flight 601 (CS Prince and Pablo Gonzalez, 2024)
Next on today’s watchlist is The Hijacking of Flight 601, based on one of the longest aerial hijackings in Latin American history, which took place in May 1973. The Netflix miniseries dramatises the hijacking of SAM Colombia Flight HK- 1274, showcasing how a normal flight soon turned into a hellish nightmare when two armed men held everyone on board hostage for ransom and political demands.
Tensions heightened when the government refused to negotiate, putting the crew members in a difficult spot. The Hijacking of Flight 601 centres on the crew’s determination and resilience in navigating the days-long hostage crisis while being trapped in a psychological battle of wits at cruising altitude as they scramble to figure out a resolution, simultaneously keeping the passengers calm and the hijackers in check.
Jamtara – Sabka Number Ayega (Soumendra Padhi, 2020-Present)
Also inspired by chilling true events, Jamtara – Sabka Number Ayega is an Indian crime drama that follows a group of young, ambitious cousins who run a wildly lucrative local phishing scam from their remote village in Jharkhand, Jamtara. They trick unsuspecting people into giving away bank details over the phone, ultimately looting innocent people of their prized possessions, sometimes even the last bit of it.
But such high-profile scams can rarely stay a secret, no matter how skilled a fraudster they are. Not long after, the scam ring simultaneously attracts the attention of an honest police officer and a corrupt politician, boosting the growth of the localised operation into a large-scale crime ring, making everyone want a piece of the cake.
When They See Us (Ava DuVernay, 2019)
Finally, to wrap up the marathon, we recommend When They See Us, based on the 1989 Central Park jogger case. The Netflix limited series is divided into four distinct parts, covering the arrest of five Black and Latino teenagers following the assault of a female jogger in Central Park, the authorities’ negligence of conflicting DNA evidence and the division of two separate trials, their struggle in a juvenile facility, and their eventual exoneration.
When They See Us explores the lives of the five teenagers of colour who were wrongfully convicted of a heinous crime they didn’t commit, offering a stark commentary and criticism of the systemic failures they faced. The Netflix limited series exposes and highlights the deep-seated racism, police coercion, and shortcomings that persist within the American justice system due to unjustified short-sightedness and a marked lack of a humanitarian code of conduct.