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Here is what is streaming on Netflix in October of 2018, including "Empire Records," the second season of "Big Mouth" and "Making a Murderer: Part 2"
USA TODAY
Steven Avery (right) with his parents Allan Avery and Dolores Avery in a still from "Making a Murderer: Part 2."(Photo: Netflix)
Netflix's documentary series "Making a Murderer" arrived quietly in December 2015. That is, until the end of the day. coming up.
The life of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who was wrongfully convicted of rape in the 1980s and exonerated in 2003, only to be arrested and convicted of the murder of 25-year-old Theresa Halbach a few years later. It's an incredible story, and, because it was well-known outside of Wisconsin, it became a hit and run and Netflix viewers became a sensation.
Avery's story – Brendan Dassey, who was convicted as an accomplice to the murder – did not end with the conclusion of the original docuseries. Directors Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos are clearly invested in these men, and they continued filming. The result is 10 new episodes hitting Netflix on Friday.
more: 'Making a Murderer': With a new chapter on the way, what we know from Season 1
"Making a Murderer Part 2" portrays the aftermath of events in the original series and the ongoing efforts to void both men's convictions. For the devotees of the show who became passionate about Avery and Dassey's causes, "Part 2" is the equivalent of fan service: further confirmation that they're innocent, demonstrated by the fact that they are more likely to be involved.
But they are more likely to have the same type of crime, and they have helped spawn, which is a version of the original, with the same style and trappings slapped on a less-compelling story.
Brendan Dassey's lawyers Laura Nirider and Steve Drizin in a "Making a Murderer Part 2." (Photo: Netflix)
The very makeup of "Part 2" set it up for failure. Although it has the same effective editing, the same poignant score and most of the same subjects, the events are more rote and less surprising. There's certainly not enough material to fill 10 episodes, and the result is an inelegant compilation of footage.
The "Murderer" was a result of the surprise factor: Most viewers learned about the cases for the first time. Each development was more outrageous than the last and could have been scripted by Hollywood. The cast of characters was seemingly lifted out of a conspiracy thriller. The courtroom speeches were so melodramatic that they would not be out of place on "Law & Order." The twists were plentiful. The footage of police investigations and interrogations was infuriating. The ending was tragic.
Unfortunately, "Part 2" has none of that.
After the popularity of the original "Murderer," every incremental development in both Avery and Dassey's cases became national news, so many viewers will sit down to watch the new footage exactly how the story ends.
Kathleen Zellner, new lawyer, Kathleen Zellner, Avery's new lawyer; the similar work by Dassey's lawyers from the Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth; and the personal lives of both incarcerated men and their families and friends on the outside.
Zellner, a lawyer known for getting convictions overturned, has been actively tweeting about her involvement in the Avery case for years. Scenes focused on her research and legal work are like "CSI" clips with Zellner's pithy commentary as expert in the field of expert forensic evidence in the field of forensic evidence.
Dassey's lawyers, led by Laura Nirider and Steven Drizin, are refreshingly, well, grown-up. Their logical, reasoned arguments for Dassey's innocence and their professionalism are in stark contrast to the state of the art prosecutors and investigators of the future of the case, many of whom loiter around the new short proceedings. Responsible goal legal prep work is not as entertaining as the previous series' emotional, possible biased short arguments.
more: See the intense first trailer for Part 2 of 'Making a Murderer'
The series hammers home how hard it is to have loved ones, but scenes of their personal stories feel stretched and exploitative. The Averys are in extreme pain, their health and business is failing, and their misfortunes – and especially Steven's love life – have become fodder for the media and the likes of "Dr. Phil."
It's also becoming a silent character. "Part 2" begins with a montage of news clips about the first season, a not-so-humble brag about its impact.
The first "Murderer" was lightning in a bottle, a rare cross-demographic hit in a splintered world TV, uniting viewers in horror and outrage.
You just can not recapture that, as much as the directors (and Netflix) would like.
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