Fans of true-crime shows have undoubtedly come to learn that Netflix features a treasure trove of programming that will satisfy the urge to learn more about some of the most infamous murder cases in history. Their newest hit, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, was released yesterday and is already skyrocketing up the charts, taking the #2 slot right behind their dark comedy series Sirens. It’s no surprise, really, as the three-part docuseries traces one of the biggest unsolved cases in U.S. history.
Directed by Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines, Cole Case: The Tylenol Murders takes an in-depth look at one of America’s largest criminal investigations that changed the way pharmaceuticals were distributed. Taking place in the early 80s in Chicago, the case began when several people died from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules. This led to widespread panic about public health as authorities raced to find a culprit, with the biggest suspect being James William Lewis, who was never charged and died in 2023 at the age of 76.

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While no one was ever caught, the case changed the way that Tylenol and other drugs were forever packaged and distributed. No longer was it as simple as opening up the bottle and shaking a couple of capsules into your hand. Johnson & Johnson introduced tamper-resistant packaging to include induction seals and child-proof caps, and stricter quality control methods were also put in place in factories across the country.
‘The Tylenol Murders’ Joins Another True-Crime Series on Netflix’s Top 10 List

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Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders joins another recently-released true-crime documentary in the Top 10 list of TV shows on Netflix, as Fred and Rose West: A British Horror Story still sits in the #8 slot after being released on May 14, 2025. Like The Tylenol Murders, it also stretches across three episodes, and tells the tale of two of the UK’s most prolific murderers.
The popularity of these two shows highlights the fact that the true-crime genre as a whole shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. It seems that as soon as a docuseries is released, it immediately climbs the charts as fans flock to get their fix. HBO Max is another great streaming service that offers a lot of content by way of Investigation Discovery, including their newest series, Sherri Papini: Caught In the Lie.
True-crime fans will recall the Papini case being everywhere in 2016 after the young wife and mother disappeared in broad daylight. Appearing three weeks later, she infamously lied to the FBI about being kidnapped, and was later sentenced to 18 months in prison. The case was previously examined last year in the three-part Hulu docuseries Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini.
Needless to say, there’s no shortage of true-crime mysteries out there to consume, with Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders being just the latest in a string of shows this year that have been all the talk around the social media water cooler. You can check out the three-part docuseries streaming now on Netflix, but be warned: if you have a headache, it might make you think twice about taking a couple of Tylenol.
Source: Flix Patrol

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