Netflix's The Ripper is one of the most gripping true-crime docuseries for its emphasis on the why of the investigation, instead of the how

Vox

"That’s because the 'why' of the Yorkshire Ripper case is 'misogyny,' and directors Jesse Vile and Ellena Wood never let you forget it," says Aja Romano of the docuseries on serial killer Peter Sutcliffe. "The Ripper has been criticized in the British media for glamorizing and glorifying Sutcliffe. The victims’ families called out Netflix in particular for renaming the series from its less salacious working title of Once Upon a Time in Yorkshire. Salon argued that it reduces Sutcliffe’s victims to their alleged sex work. But having watched it, I strongly disagree with that assessment. Throughout the four episodes, the focus returns again and again to Sutcliffe’s victims and to the women of Britain who were impacted both by the culture of fear his crimes established, and by the blatant sexism of the criminal investigation and the public’s reaction to it."