Parents' Guide to I'll Be Gone in the Dark

Like any contemporary true-crime docuseries worth its salt, this one lures viewers into its macabre mystery with compelling interviews, archival footage, old newspaper headlines, uncovered police reports and crime scene photos, and dramatized reenactments. But that's where the similarities between countless other serial killer documentaries and this one -- based on Michelle McNamara's posthumously published book -- end. I'll Be Gone in the Dark elevates the genre by building on the expected tropes with a number of fresh, welcome elements. For starters, the series doesn't sensationalize the suspect. While due diligence is done in exploring his monstrous crimes and potential motives, equal time is spent showing how his predatory spree impacted his victims and society as a whole. The series' most engaging moments come when the Golden State Killer's survivors and victims' family members share their stories. Told in disturbing detail, these interviews can be difficult to watch, but they also highlight the courage, closure, and even hope some of them found at the end of their dark journeys.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark also does a fantastic job presenting McNamara's pursuit of the killer from her perspective. Excerpts from her book (narrated by Amy Ryan), as well as audio recordings and video interviews of the late author, effectively present her role in bringing renewed interest and attention to what had been a cold case prior to her involvement. The six-episode series also doesn't pull any punches in showing her troubled transformation from true-crime buff to obsessive "citizen detective." This story is as much McNamara's -- and the victims' -- as it is her subject's, making it a far more emotional and absorbing watch than your typical serial-killer-of-the-week documentary.