Netflix’s Maternal Instinct is not an easy watch. The documentary examines the horrifying 2020 murder of Reagan Simmons-Hancock by Taylor Parker, a woman who spent months faking a pregnancy before committing an unthinkable crime. Critics and viewers alike have praised the film for focusing on the tragedy’s human cost rather than sensationalizing the violence.
If the documentary left you stunned and looking for more true-crime stories that explore deception, manipulation, obsession, and shocking criminal investigations, these five documentaries and docuseries deserve a spot on your watchlist.
1. American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
Few true-crime documentaries hit as hard as American Murder: The Family Next Door. The film reconstructs the murders of Shanann Watts and her two daughters using real social media posts, text messages, police bodycam footage, and home videos.
What makes it so unsettling is how ordinary everything appears on the surface. Much like Maternal Instinct, the documentary explores how a carefully maintained public image can hide devastating secrets. As investigators peel back the layers, viewers are forced to confront the frightening gap between appearance and reality.
If the themes of lies, manipulation, and betrayal in Maternal Instinct fascinated you, this documentary is essential viewing.
2. Worst Roommate Ever (2022–Present)
Sometimes the most dangerous people are the ones living right next to us. Worst Roommate Ever chronicles several real-life cases involving roommates whose hidden criminal behavior transformed ordinary living arrangements into nightmares.
Each episode feels like a slow-motion unraveling of trust. Similar to Taylor Parker’s elaborate web of deception, many of the criminals featured here spend months or even years fooling the people closest to them.
The series is particularly effective because it focuses on the warning signs that victims often overlook until it’s too late.
3. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez (2020)
Be warned: this is one of the most emotionally devastating entries on the list.
The six-part series examines the abuse and murder of eight-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and the subsequent investigation into how multiple institutions failed to protect him. The documentary goes beyond the crime itself and explores systemic failures that allowed the tragedy to occur.
Like Maternal Instinct, the series asks difficult questions about accountability and whether the warning signs were visible long before the crime occurred. It’s heartbreaking, infuriating, and impossible to forget.
4. American Nightmare (2024)
At first glance, American Nightmare seems like a straightforward kidnapping case. Then the story takes a dramatic turn.
The documentary follows a real-life case that was initially dismissed by authorities as a hoax, drawing comparisons to the plot of Gone Girl. As new evidence emerges, viewers discover just how quickly public perception and investigative assumptions can derail the pursuit of justice.
Fans of Maternal Instinct will appreciate the series’ focus on misinformation, flawed assumptions, and the painstaking process of uncovering the truth.
5. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal (2023)
This gripping docuseries investigates one of the most shocking family scandals in modern American true crime.
The Murdaugh family enjoyed immense influence for generations, but a string of suspicious deaths and allegations eventually brought that power under scrutiny. Through interviews, evidence, and investigative reporting, the series reveals a web of corruption, privilege, and secrets that had remained hidden for years.
Much like Maternal Instinct, the story demonstrates how deception can grow unchecked when people are reluctant—or unable—to challenge the narrative being presented to them.
Why These Documentaries Work as Follow-Ups to Maternal Instinct
One reason Maternal Instinct has resonated so strongly with viewers is its focus on deception rather than spectacle. Many audience members have noted that the documentary’s most disturbing aspect isn’t the crime itself, but the years of manipulation and lies that preceded it.
The five recommendations above share that same DNA. Whether it’s hidden family secrets, fabricated identities, institutional failures, or elaborate cover-ups, each title explores the uncomfortable truth that some of the most shocking crimes occur long before anyone realizes a crime is taking place.
So if Maternal Instinct left you glued to your screen—and perhaps questioning how well we really know the people around us—these documentaries and docuseries should be your next binge.