It’s Time to Revisit ‘The Keepers’—Netflix’s Most Underrated True Crime Series
I’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship to true crime lately. Though I’ve mostly stayed away from the podcasts I used to binge and the fast-turnaround documentaries that seem to appear on Netflix and Tubi within weeks of a major breaking news story, I still find myself returning to the genre every so often with the hope that I will find something that will prompt difficult conversations, challenge our faith in institutions, and ask us to consider the real people behind the headlines. Netflix’s 2017 docuseries The Keepers was one of those documentaries.
The Keepers investigates the 1969 murder of Sister Cathy Cesnik, a young nun from Baltimore whose death remains unsolved. Directed by Ryan White, the seven-part series follows a group of Cesnik’s former students, now in their sixties, as they piece together what happened leading up to her disappearance and murder, unearthing a web of sexual abuse and cover-ups by the police and the Catholic Church itself.
Watch the trailer below:
The Keepers is not an easy watch, but I think it’s worth your time because of how it keeps Sister Cathy Cesnik and the survivors at its center. You’re rooting for and feeling for these women the entire time. It’s a reminder of what the true crime genre can look like when made with care rather than keeping viewers hooked on shocking content without giving it a real examination (I’m thinking of Unknown Number, an admittedly disturbing documentary about catfishing and technology that did a great job showing us just how crazy the situation was, but didn’t take it any further than, “You won’t believe how this ends!”).
But there’s another reason you should give this docuseries a watch. In 2023, Maryland passed the Child Victims Act, which eliminated the civil statute of limitations for survivors of childhood sexual abuse. And just this past spring, a state report found “staggering” rates of church sexual abuse in Baltimore, which could provide additional information for the investigation into Cesnik’s murder.
Of course, there are other true crime documentaries and docuseries that are just as respectful and informative as The Keepers. I’m a fan of Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults, which is streaming on HBO Max and Three Identical Strangers, which is streaming on Tubi.
And if you’re a fan of true crime, let me know: @ashjenexi on Instagram and X.
Categorized: Streaming News
