Today, one of the most-watched TV genres is true crime. To some of us, they are stuffy and boring. To others, they are exciting and energizing. If you are someone who wants to enjoy a good criminal TV show, you might want to spend a bit of time working out why you enjoy this kind of stuff. What are the main reasons why people find watching criminal acts so enjoyable?
See behind the badge
One reason is that many people want to try and humanize the police in their minds. We often see the police as a weapon of the state, and thus something to be feared or disliked. True crime TV shows, though, can play a role in showing people that the police are often just people behind the badge. These shows do a good job of humanizing the people in law enforcement, giving people perspective on their real personalities away from work.
The battle between good and evil
The main reason probably comes down to watching good people take on bad guys. While some of us watch these crime shows to see how the bad guys did it/got caught, others do so because they want to see villains put to justice. Whether it comes from a lack of power to do something about crime in the real world or simply for thrills, this is a key reason for crime TV shows being so popular.
Unleashing the inner detective
Another reason comes down to the fact that many of us believe we could do the job of a detective. Watching these shows, we can get to see our powers of deduction. Did you spot the perpetrator masquerading as one of the good guys? Have you spotted a flaw in a witness's line of questioning? Some of us love watching these shows as it lets us show clued-up we are.
Avoid becoming the victim
The other main reason is that many of us watch these shows to try and learn how to avoid becoming a victim ourselves. From spotting signs that someone might not be all that they appear to be to look out for signs of danger, these shows give us some ideas and insights into where we might wish to look to avoid getting caught up in an incident ourselves – or at least spotting the signs before they arrive.