Netflix’s Chilling 3-Part Crime Series Rockets to #1 in the U.S.—Binge It in One Night

Netflix just dropped a true-crime docuseries with a title that sounds like a dare, and, shocker, it is blowing up. 'Should I Marry a Murderer?' is currently the most-watched show in 21 countries and sits at #1 on Netflix's US Top 10. The name gets your attention, but the actual story is the thing that keeps you glued (and probably yelling at your screen).

The setup

At the center is Dr. Caroline Muirhead, a young forensic pathologist from Scotland who had only recently fought her way out of a traumatic, abusive relationship. Then she meets Alexander 'Sandy' McKellar, a charming guy living on a remote estate. They click fast. Within weeks, they are engaged. That is when he drops his secret.

• McKellar tells Muirhead that, years before they met, he was involved in a hit-and-run with a cyclist.
• He says he and his brother were there, they did not call the police, and they buried the man on their land.
• The fuller, far uglier truth later emerges: the victim, Tony Parsons — a cancer survivor on a charity bike ride — was still alive when they moved him to the remote property.
• After his initial confession to her, Muirhead goes to the police. With basically no hard evidence at that point, there is not much officers can do immediately.
• Over the next year, investigators quietly build a case against the brothers.
• While staying in what had become an increasingly toxic and abusive relationship with McKellar, Muirhead records evidence — and those recordings end up helping put both brothers behind bars.
• By the time the trial happens, Muirhead is in a bad place herself, dealing with serious trauma, mental health struggles, and addiction. She does not show up for the court date.

Why viewers are heated

The doc digs into a knotty, highly uncomfortable space: why she stayed, what she did to protect herself and cooperate with police, and where accountability lands when abuse and trauma are in the mix. Reactions are split. Some viewers are furious with Muirhead for staying with McKellar and for missing court, reading it as attention-seeking or self-serving. Others argue she comes across as a deeply vulnerable person who was already carrying significant trauma before she ever met him, and that the show is a stark example of how abuse can warp decision-making while still leaving room for responsibility.

The bottom line

If you live for true crime that refuses to offer easy answers, this one is a brutal, compulsive watch. The title is flashy, sure, but the case itself is the jaw-dropper: a whirlwind romance, a confession that keeps getting worse, and a police investigation that ultimately turns on recordings made by someone trying to survive a relationship that was breaking her down. Messy, maddening, and hard to look away from — which is exactly why it is topping charts right now.