A new true-crime docuseries that viewers have described as "heartbreaking" has become the number one most-watched show on Netflix in the UK, overtaking Adolescence which previously held the top spot for three weeks since it's released on 13 March.
The new show, Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer, takes a look at the hunt for the culprit after several young woman were targeted by a serial killer in New York City and Long Island, with remains of several woman discovered in the same area in 2010.
The case is still developing in real-time with the upcoming trial of the prime suspect, Rex Heuermann, who was arrested back in 2023. He has since been charged with seven murders.
The show has left viewers shocked by the investigation's shortcomings, with many sharing their reactions to the new show on social media.
One person posted: "Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer on Netflix is just heartbreaking. Sex workers are treated so horribly already but it’s sad how it reflects even in death and danger. These women were murdered and their families had to wait years for it to be truly treated as such. Awful!"
Another person added: "Watched this Netflix doc, and honestly, by the end I was more furious at the police than the actual SK. They captured everything ,the misogyny, the corruption, and the agonizing delays in justice." A third person posted: "Just watched #GoneGirls on Netflix. It makes me wonder how many missing women’s cases would be solved if a woman was in charge of the investigation."
What is Gone Girls about?
The official synopsis for the new show reads: "Young women who worked in the sex industry were disappearing from New York City and Long Island and their families were desperate for answers. Then in 2010, female remains were found in the Gilgo Beach area of Long Island, leading to a string of additional discoveries at a virtual dumping ground steps away from New York’s busiest beaches.
"Despite all of this, the case of the 'Long Island serial killer' remained unsolved for 13 years — until July 2023, when a major break came after corruption was rooted out within the police responsible for the case."
Adolescence's impact
Despite now being in the number two spot on Netflix, Adolescence - which looks at the murder of a female classmate as the hands of her peer, who was radicalised by the online 'incel' movement - has had a huge impact of viewers, with Keir Starmer evenbacking plans to stream the drama series for free to secondary schools to help educate on the rising issue of misogyny.
© NetflixSpeaking about the show, the Prime Minister said: "It seems like the whole nation is talking about ‘Adolescence’ and not just this nation. As a dad, I have not found it easy to watch this with children, because it connects with the fears and worries that you have as parents and adults.
© Netflix"There isn’t one single policy lever to pull. It’s actually a much bigger problem than that. And that’s the devastating effect that the problem of misogyny has on our society."
