The 1996 death of JonBenét Ramsey has dominated headlines for nearly three decades. The rise of true crime in the 2010s led to renewed interest in the case, resulting in a number of television productions: in 2016, CBS and A&E respectively aired The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey and The Killing of JonBenét: The Truth Uncovered, while in 2017, Netflix released Casting JonBenét, a dramatization of the story directed by Kitty Green (Servant).
Now, filmmaker Joe Berlinger (Crime Scene) will revisit the case with a new three-part series, according to Deadline. The project, titled Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, will revisit the case through a fresh perspective, featuring interviews with key players from the crime, including JonBenét’s father, John Ramsey. The series will emphasize how law enforcement and the media mishandled the case – and how it can still be solved nonetheless, despite almost three decades of mystery.
Berlinger has previously worked with true crime material, releasing Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills in 1997. This documentary is credited as being responsible for helping release the three teenagers at its center, the West Memphis Three, from jail. He also helmed the docuseries Conversations with a Killer for Netflix, which features episodes that delve into the stories of infamous murderers such as Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy and Jeffrey Dahmer.
“Many people think they know the JonBenét Ramsey story,” Berlinger said, “and have played armchair detective for three decades, often callously pointing a finger at the very people who suffered such an unthinkable loss. Through unprecedented access and a comprehensive multi-year investigation, we reveal the deep flaws in how the case was originally handled, resulting in a sea of conspiracy theories that nearly destroyed the Ramsey family for a second time.”
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey will launch on Netflix on November 25, 2024. The series will be produced by RadicalMedia and directed by Berlinger, who exec produces alongside Craig D’Entrone (Shadowland), Jon Kamen (The Great War) and Jen Isaacson (Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss).
Paramount+ also recently ordered a limited scripted series based on the case with stars including Melissa McCarthy (God’s Favorite Idiot) and Clive Owen (American Crime Story).