American Vandal: Netflix’s Timely Look at the True Crime Genre

On September 15, Netflix made its new true crime documentary American Vandal available on its streaming service. The series, just eight episodes running about a half-hour each, centers on Dylan Maxwell, a high school senior who has been expelled for supposedly vandalizing twenty-seven cars in the school faculty parking lot. Like another famous Netflix show, 2015’s Making a Murderer, this new series is an engrossing, sometimes emotionally manipulative look at a case with a keen focus on how hard things have become for the accused party. Unlike Making a Murderer, this documentary is actually a mockumentary – a fictional satire on the genre.

The series is a must-watch for any fans of the true crime genre. It’s smart, immersive, and hilarious in an unconventional way. The series looks like a comedy on paper – the vandalism in question is twenty-seven spray-painted penises, documentarian Peter Maldonado points to their lack of “ball hairs” as evidence for Maxwell’s innocence, and the whole show is a blatant parody of shows like Making a Murderer. But watching it, we get so caught up in the mystery and the need to know the truth that we feel as attached as we might with a serious documentary. And that’s what’s so funny.

The premise is simple. Student documentarians Peter Maldonado and Sam Ecklund seek to test the school board’s decision to expel Maxwell by scrutinizing their case against him and working with the school’s AV equipment to uncover the truth of what actually happened. What we see is a documentary that itself claims to be based in fact, but is beholden to conflicts of personality, personal biases, and controversial handling of information that leads to real-world consequences. Netflix is making what some may consider a brave move by taking a critical look at one of its biggest success stories, Making a Murderer, and the countless less notable true crime documentaries that Netflix is known for.

The acting feels candid, the interviews feel unscripted, and the production value is high. On the surface, the series is an hours-long dick joke – but the question of “who drew the dicks” is handled so convincingly and comes with so many unexpected twists and turns and surprising revelations that you have to remind yourself from time to time that the premise is a joke. On a thematic level, the series touches upon what it means to be labeled a certain way, how people can twist the facts to further personal goals, and the impact of the media on average viewers. American Vandal takes a look at true crime coverage without praising or damning it, only scrutinizing it. In an age with constant media exposure and rising suspicions of those in power, the true crime genre has blossomed with programs like Nancy Grace and documentaries like Making a Murderer. But what are the risks of sensationalism? And are true crime filmmakers as unbiased as they lead on?

Creators Tony Yacenda and Dan Perrault are Funny or Die and CollegeHumor alums and bring a believable youthfulness to the story and characters. The cast of small-name actors is headed up by Tyler Alvarez (Every Witch Way, Orange Is the New Black), Griffin Gluck (Private Practice, Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life), and popular YouTube celebrity Jimmy Tatro, known for his channel Life According to Jimmy. They each do a stellar job, as does the rest of the cast.

Watch American Vandal because it investigates a genre that many conflate with genuine news coverage. Watch it because the satire is spot on and unforgiving. Watch it because it’s likely to make you laugh. But most of all, watch it because it really is just a damn good documentary. From the first episode, whether you think you’ve solved the mystery or not, you’re hooked.