Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes

Tracing Charles Manson's rise as a cult leader, the 1969 murders, and his trial, using unreleased prison recordings, interviews, and archival footage.

Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes (2026) is a British-American true crime docuseries created by Joe Berlinger for Netflix. Across three episodes totaling roughly 172 minutes, it follows the rise of cult leader Charles Manson, who appears through unreleased prison recordings and archival footage. Retired Los Angeles police officers Jerry De Rosa and Robert Burbridge recount the investigation, while journalists Linda Deutsch and Ivor Davis and television reporter Al Wiman describe how the case unfolded in the press. Archive material also brings in the victims, including Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring and Abigail Folger, and Roman Polanski, whose lives were cut short or upended by the killings. The engine of the series is the slow assembly of how a charismatic drifter gathered followers in late 1960s California and how those followers came to commit the 1969 murders. Each episode builds its case through interview testimony, press clippings and the trial itself, so the story unfolds as one continuous investigation rather than separate cases. The tone is sober, grim and unsparing, with a steady focus on the human cost. Fans of The Staircase, Making a Murderer and Helter Skelter will find resonance in its archival rigor and its unsettling portrait of a manipulative cult leader.

• The Staircaseshared true crime docuseries format, archival footage and interview-driven investigation of a notorious killer
• Making a Murderershared docuseries approach to infamous American criminal cases using archival material and firsthand accounts
• Helter Skeltershared focus on cult leadership and the 1969 Manson murders told through documentary testimony

Created by

Joe Berlinger

Release Date

2026-08-12

Episode runtime

172 min

Rating

6.7 / 10 (13)

What is Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes about?

A three-part Netflix docuseries tracing Charles Manson's rise as a cult leader, the 1969 murders and his trial through unreleased prison recordings and archival footage.

What is Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.

Is Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes violent?

Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes as moderate.

Which shows are like Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes?

Shows with a similar feel include The Staircase, Making a Murderer, and Helter Skelter.

How long is Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes?

Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes: 1 season, 3 episodes.

Is Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes still running?

No, Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes has ended.

Where can I watch Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes?

In United States, Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.