Making a Murderer is an American true crime documentary television series written and directed by Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos.

The show tells the story of Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who served 18 years in prison (1985–2003) after his wrongful conviction for the sexual assault and attempted murder of Penny Beerntsen.

[6][7][8] Making a Murderer was widely viewed and has generated considerable controversy, both in Manitowoc County, the setting of events,[9] and nationwide.

After serving 18 years in prison, Avery was exonerated with the aid of the Innocence Project, when the DNA in the case was matched to another man known to police.

In August 2016, Dassey had his conviction overturned by a federal judge on the grounds he was unconstitutionally coerced by the police into confessing to the murder, and this was the only substantial evidence in the case.

[16] On November 14, 2016, Federal District Court Judge William Duffin ordered Dassey's release from within 90 days if Wisconsin prosecutors did not move forward with a retrial.

Before meeting with Netflix, Demos and Ricciardi met with executives at PBS and HBO, but neither network was interested in the project.

The site's critical consensus describes Making a Murderer as "a spellbinding slow burn that effectively utilizes the documentary format to tell a twisty mystery.

The uniformly stoic family members shift allegiances over the years, while Mr. Avery's parents, as movingly bewildered and terrified as any fictional creations, steadfastly believe in their son's innocence, even as their long battle takes down their business and any sense they may have had of belonging to a community.

The site's critical consensus is, "Making a Murderer's return may not yield closure for this maddening saga of crime and punishment, but the series' exploration of the U.S. justice system remains riveting.

Some celebrities, including Alec Baldwin, Ricky Gervais, and Mandy Moore, praised the series on social media.

As of January 9, 2016, Avery was being represented by Kathleen Zellner and Tricia Bushnell, legal director of the Midwest Innocence Project.

[48] Local reporter Angenette Levy was interviewed after the series and said: "I did notice there were some parts of the state's theory, and some other things that weren't discussed in the documentary," but she also noted that it was a six-week trial with much evidence reviewed in court.

[49][50] TV reporter Diana Alvear wrote on her blog that she believed Halbach's life and character deserved more coverage in the series.

[50] In an interview with the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter, Sheriff Robert Hermann criticized the series, calling it "skewed" and not objective, but he admitted he had not watched it.

[52] According to Fox local news, Ken Kratz, the former Calumet County district attorney who prosecuted Avery, said that he had not been able to give his side of the story.

[54] In an interview with People magazine, Kratz has said that the Netflix documentary left out key pieces of evidence against Steven Avery.

In an email sent to The Wrap, Kratz alleged that while in prison for the rape conviction, Avery told another inmate of his intent to build a "torture chamber" to use for young women when he was released.

[57] The filmmakers have said that they gave prosecutors an opportunity to answer questions,[6] but that Kratz refused invitations to be interviewed for the series.

[58] Dean Strang, one of Avery's attorneys for the Halbach trial, stated the filmmakers did "a good editorial job" with the documentary.

[62] The Halbach family stated they were "saddened to learn that individuals and corporations continue to create entertainment and to seek profit from their loss.

"[53] In a People article, Kay Giordana, Halbach's aunt, was quoted as saying that the documentary was "terrible" and "unfortunate", and not even close to what really happened.

"[63]Halbach's cousin-in-law, Jeremy Fournier, described the documentary as "very one-sided" and feels that viewers are "only getting one side of the story.

However, as to the murder of Halbach, Beerntsen expressed that she was "not convinced" of his innocence, and that she had refused to speak to the documentary's producers for being "too close with Avery’s family and attorneys".

[64] In 2023, The Daily Wire released Convicting a Murderer, produced and hosted by Candace Owens criticizing how the Netflix documentary handled the case.