Netflix’s 3-Part British Crime Drama Based On A True Story Is The Perfect One-Night Binge

Netflix has a three-episode miniseries based on a true story, and it is the perfect thing to binge on a free night. Netflix might not have as many limited series as a streamer like HBO, but it still has a few strong shows, such as Maid, Midnight Mass, and Baby Reindeer, but don’t expect to find as many great original miniseries as multi-season ones.

What Netflix does have is a lot of great true-crime TV shows. The streamer was one of the first to corner the market on true crime shows, both documentaries and dramas based on real stories. Now you can find them just about anywhere, and maybe in too many places, but Netflix still continues to produce some great ones.

Netflix hit the summer of 2026 with a new true crime drama, The Witness, a three-episode British series based on the memoir Letting Go by Alex Hanscombe, which is in turn based on the real-life 1992 killing of Rachel Nickell, a British woman who was stabbed to death on Wimbledon Common in southwest London.

The series retells the aftermath of the killing, focusing on Nickell’s partner and son, as well as the botched investigation that led to the arrest and incarceration of Colin Stagg, a man who was later proven innocent. It’s a grim family drama and a powerful story about how a family picks itself up after devastation.

The Witness carefully avoids showing the murder and is instead concerned with what comes after. While this does end up putting Rachel and her death in the background, The Witness finds some interesting character development in the strengthening relationship between the survivors.

Witness Is Already A Worldwide Streaming Hit For Netflix

The Witness premiered on Netflix on June 4, 2026, and it is already a streaming hit. As of June 6, it was the second most popular TV show on the platform in the United States. The series currently has a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, though it only has five reviews at the time of writing.

The Witness joins other Netflix series like Adolescence and All the Light We Cannot See with the axiom that “less is more”. The Witness only had three episodes, each of which run anywhere from 47 to 57 minutes long. It makes for an easy watch, not much longer than a drama film.

Netflix Already Has A Worthy Follow-Up To Witness

Rekha Garton/Netflix

The one problem with The Witness being so short is that viewers will finish it in one night, three if they really stretch things out. If you’re one who finishes the series quickly and is in need of more, Netflix has another series that should be right up your alley: The Murder of Rachel Nickell.

This documentary film utilizes exclusive archival footage mixed with interviews about the case that led to the incorrect identification of Colin Stagg as the murderer. Stagg wasn’t cleared until 2008 when DNA techniques confirmed that convicted murderer Robert Napper was behind the killing (via Time).

The Murder of Rachel Nickell is fairly standard in its true crime documentary approach, but is remarkably somber, respectful, and empathetic to all the parties present. It’s a complex murder, and while The Witness brings the emotions of the case to the fore, the documentary gets closer to the reality.

Release Date

June 4, 2026

Network

Netflix

Episodes

3