5. The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story

True Crime, Fictionalized

For those that witnessed the unprecedented trial of former football star, O.J. Simpson (Cuba Gooding Jr.), some images can never quite be forgotten: the white Bronco, the glove, the swarms of people outside of the courthouse. In the extremely successful first season of "American Crime Story," those that may not have witnessed the "Trial of the Century" firsthand can certainly feel as if they have.

Starting with the discovery of the brutal murders of both Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, this season takes the audience on the wild ride of O.J. Simpson's unprecedented trial. The "Dream Team" that constituted O.J.'s defense was assembled and the media utilized as a weapon, all while tensions grew outside the courthouse and across the country.

This season of "American Crime Story" highlights the constant injustices and racism that African Americans were forced to endure during the 1990s, specifically from the police force (though, sadly, injustice in today's America is still far from eradicated). Specifically, a microscope was placed over Los Angeles as the season highlighted the specific wrongdoings and failures of the Los Angeles Police Department throughout the trial. With a seemingly endless list of awards and honors, the actors and writers behind this miniseries were overwhelmingly successful in weaving a plot based on true crime that flowed as an addictive drama series.

For more, check out this LA Times article on the miniseries.

4. Elite

Drama

A mysterious murder at a private high school? Check. Every episode ending with a twist? Check.

Las Encinas is one the finest, most exclusive private schools in all of Spain. When their own school collapses, three lower-class students are awarded scholarships to attend Las Encinas by the construction company responsible. With this money, students Samuel (Itzan Escamilla), Nadia (Mina El Hammani), and Christian (Miguel Herrán) are suddenly flung headfirst into the world of the elite. Between classes, physical and psychological wars between the different classes erupt, as the wealthy students refuse to accept their three new classmates.

The series kicks off with a string of interrogations, which eventually frame the entire three seasons of this series. An unnamed student had been found murdered during a celebration at Las Encinas. As the authorities interview those present at the school during the murder, one person stands out in particular: the protagonist, Samuel, is coated in blood. Why? Which student had been murdered? Who did it? In order to answer these questions, "Elite" takes its viewers all the way to the beginning. As the season unravels, the victim and killer are both brought to light. Through the tangled web of alliances and deception, the true question is: will the killer be brought to the authorities?

In this drama, filled to the brim with deception and lies, the plot can take a turn at any moment. Though originally in Spanish, audio accommodations have been made to allow English speakers to enjoy every twist and spin that this Netflix original has to offer.

For the trailer and more about the "Elite" cast and crew, check out the show's IMDb page.

3. How to Get Away with Murder

Drama

The opening scenes of this Shondaland drama are enough to hook anyone. With many parallels to Netflix's "Elite," fans of one of these two shows will easily be pulled into the other.

The series opens relatively harmlessly: students at a Pennsylvania college are celebrating the upcoming annual football game against their rival university. There's drinking and laughing, as well as a massive bonfire that towers in the center of the festivities. In the woods just on edge of campus, four law school students have a much more pressing issue on their minds than winning the game: what should they do with the body? Whose body? Who are these students? Instead of answering these questions, the story rewinds several months.

Best-of-the-best defense attorney Annalise Keating (Viola Davis) walks into a crowded lecture hall on the first day of Autumn classes. While defending clients in court, she also teaches a cutthroat class, affectionately dubbed "How to Get Away with Murder." The top four students in her class are given the chance to work for her, helping to defend people in the cases currently plaguing their Philadelphia community. Rather than four, the Keating Five is assembled: Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King), Wes Gibbons (Alfred Enoch), Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee), Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry), and Laurel Castillo (Karla Souza). Together, the top of the class compete against the prosecution, as well as each other: a trophy is gifted to the best student and taken away at will by Annalise, granting the winning student the chance to get out of an exam.

When a student in a Middleton sorority's body is found in a water tank, the connections between her murder and that committed by four-fifths of the Keating Five begin to unravel. The missing link between the two deaths could put the Keating Five-- as well as Annalise Keating-- in over their heads.

2. Dead to Me

"Traumedy"

Can't decide if you'd rather watch a comedy or a drama? Head on over to Netflix to stream "Dead to Me," and you can have both.

After the hit-and-run death of her husband, Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) attends a beachside support group in order to gain closure. Instead, she gains Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini), a retirement home arts and crafts teacher also mourning a loss in her own life. The two-- despite completely opposing personalities-- become close friends. Judy moves in with Jen and her two sons, staying in the studio of Jen's former husband. As their connection strengthens through nights of wine and tears, Jen remains on one mission: find the person that hit her husband. Car after car with vaguely human-sized dents fall victim to her hotheadedness; but, little to Jen's knowledge, Judy knows much more about this man's death than she leads on.

With season two recently hitting Netflix, "Dead to Me" has claimed a spot in Netflix's current top ten rundown. Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini deliver powerful performances as Jen and Judy battle with guilt and grief simultaneously. At this point in the series, the main question remains: will Jen and Judy ever crawl out of their own mess?

1. The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story

True Crime, Fictionalized

While most people have certainly heard of the legendary Versace fashion house, many do not know the tragic history of its founder. On July 15, 1997, Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramírez) was murdered by a lone gunman on the front steps of his Miami Beach mansion. His death was not only a great loss to the world of fashion-- which had lost one of its geniuses-- but to everyone that had gotten to know him through his works. Most of all, his death was completely preventable.

The second season of "American Crime Story" takes a different approach than the first: it opens with the tragic death of Versace and works backwards to thread together the worst failure in FBI manhunt history. Versace was the fifth victim in a series of 1997 cross-country murders at the hands of a man named Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss), who acts as the protagonist. As Cunanan's life is traced all the way to childhood, Versace's is juxtaposed against that of Cunanan and his friends.

Darren Criss puts on an Emmy-winning performance as Cunanan, only adding to the pile of awards this miniseries has racked up. The heartbreak of grief, as well as the detrimental effects of 1990s homophobia, are highlighted through the individual struggles of each character. Star-studded performances by Penélope Cruz, Ricky Martin, "American Horror Story" staples Finn Wittrock and Cody Fern, as well as many others help to bring this story of tragedy and terror to life.

This 1997 Washington Post article details the lives of Cunanan's lesser-known victims, defining them by what they did during their lifetimes rather than the media-swarmed end.