The 3 best true crime shows to watch this year — according to a former prosecutor

In case you haven’t heard, Court TV is back in session with Vinnie Politan, the original face of Court TV, as lead anchor.

Politan is an Emmy Award-winning legal journalist who was a popular face on the original Court TV, leading the network’s coverage of the nation’s most compelling trials. A lawyer and former prosecutor, Politan has been covering the world of crime and justice for over 20 years, also hosting legal and news programs on HLN, Sirius XM and most recently, NBC in Atlanta.

In his return to Court TV, Politan brings with him experience covering trials involving Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson, Casey Anthony, Jodi Arias and the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman case. Politan was the first to do a national interview with the parents of Trayvon Martin.

In anticipation of Court TV’s return, Politan shared his picks for the three best true crime shows of the year.

1. ‘The Case Against Adnan Syed’

First on our list of true crime shows is “The Case Against Adnan Syed.”

“This is the guy who was convicted of murdering his girlfriend back in high school, [and] has served a whole bunch of time in prison,” shares Vinnie. “And the question is – did he really do it? Didn’t he have an alibi?”

The four-hour docuseries is on HBO.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bi10diPB9s9/

See the trailer from the HBO YouTube channel:

2. ‘When They See Us’

Now to number two on our roundup of highly-anticipated true crime shows. Netflix’s “When They See Us” gives a new look at the infamous case of the Central Park Five.

“The Central Park Five is such a tragic story because you have confessions that were false confessions,” Politan says. “So for me, as a former prosecutor, […] this story is so interesting because the last thing you wanna do as a prosecutor is convict someone who’s innocent – and that’s what happened here.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/ByihdbhF6yP/

There was an award-winning documentary from Ken Burns about this crime. But Netflix’s four-episode series directed by Ava DuVernay is different, as it takes on the events with help from actors like Vera Farmiga, Blair Underwood and John Leguizamo. Oprah Winfrey serves as an executive producer.

See the official trailer from YouTube:

3. ‘Unsolved Mysteries’

The last series Politan has his eyes on doesn’t even have an air date yet: Netflix’s twelve-part reboot of “Unsolved Mysteries.”

“I am really looking forward to this reboot of Unsolved Mysteries,” he says. “This was the series back in the 80s that captivated all of us — mostly because Robert Stack in his trench coat with his voice would just draw us into this mystery we tried to figure out.”

Sounds like one of those true crime shows you definitely won’t want to miss! In anticipation, you can rewatch old episodes of “Unsolved Mysteries” through streaming services such as Amazon Prime.

If you’re looking for the best true crime shows to watch on Netflix and HBO, now you’ve got three options to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Keep up with Court TV on Facebook and Twitter!

Written by Dave Taylor, Victor Padilla and Segun Oduolowu for The List.