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Season 1 – American Nightmare

Play trailer 2:02 Poster for Season 1 – American Nightmare 2024 Documentary Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
96% Tomatometer 23 Reviews 89% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
After a harrowing home invasion and kidnapping in 2015, a couple is accused of staging the ordeal when the woman reappears.
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American Nightmare — Season 1

American Nightmare — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Equal parts infuriating and suspenseful, American Nightmare is an instructive chronicle of institutional bias making a horrifying crime even worse.

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Critics Reviews

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Chris Vognar Rolling Stone A swift, concise piece of work that even mixes in a dash of investigative reporting verve. In short, it’s worth the hype. Jan 21, 2024 Full Review Ed Power Daily Telegraph (UK) American Nightmare makes for infuriating viewing. Rated: 4/5 Jan 20, 2024 Full Review Brian Lowry CNN.com What distinguishes American Nightmare, Netflix’s latest wrinkle on that formula, is watching the police fall prey to the same mentality, believing that life consciously imitated art. Jan 19, 2024 Full Review Steve Murray ArtsATL Nightmare is less a whodunnit than it is a WTF-were-they-thinking? Feb 14, 2024 Full Review Randy Meeks Espinof [American Nightmare] is a social denouncement against an attestation, the American police, the media that manages society, and the naturalization of psychopathic behavior... [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 4/5 Feb 12, 2024 Full Review Ty'Kira Smalls Common Sense Media This series grows into an intriguing web of lies and betrayal. Feb 2, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (72) audience reviews
Amir S It's a drama series based on an incredible and captivating true story. Personally, I was glued to the screen until the final episode, uncovering the truth. This is simply an outstanding documentary—I highly recommend watching it. It’s not just another regular documentary like the many others out there; this one has a brilliant twist at the end that will make you say, "Wow." Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/29/25 Full Review Kim T This was a good watch but the way Aaron and Denise spoke was to relaxed. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/30/24 Full Review M D Disturbing yet enlightening documentary that demonstrates that police departments must provide better training for their police officers. A young couple, one kidnapped, the other reporting the crime, endure horrific treatment by the very people who are supposed to support them and help them find the perpetrator. This docu-series kept me glued to the screen. It should be shown to all police departments as a prime example of confirmation bias, where one develops a theory, then "finds" reasons to confirm that it's the truth, regardless of evidence demonstrating the contrary. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/22/24 Full Review Ellis M Do not look this up online, you'll give away the ending. This beats any Dateline I've ever watched, and I've seen them all. Done extremely well, keeps you guessing. Excellent crime/mystery documentary. Watch with a group and see how many times you change your mind about what's really going on. I plan on watching again soon, I liked it that much. It's a WTF kind of show. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/26/24 Full Review Donnette T Unwatchable with all of the unnecessary shaky cam affectation. Made me seasick. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/09/24 Full Review Audience Member This mind bender provides a very important reminder to never trust anything mainstream media says. This should also be used in the training of new police officers, as it clearly shows what not to do, such as using movies as an investigative tool & ignoring mountains of evidence, although this is what’s gonna get you an officer of the year award in America. Also, pretty shocking to discover the amateurish nature of the FBI Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Read all reviews
American Nightmare — Season 1

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Jan 17, 2024 Part One: The Boyfriend In 2015, Aaron Quinn and Denise Huskins are attacked at home during the night; after Denise is kidnapped, Aaron becomes a suspect. Details Episode 2 Aired Jan 17, 2024 Part Two: Gone Girl Days later, Denise reappears seemingly unharmed and recalls the details of her terrifying abduction as doubts from authorities begin to swirl. Details Episode 3 Aired Jan 17, 2024 Part Three: The Others More attempted kidnappings lead detectives to a new and unexpected suspect; Aaron and Denise go head-to-head with the Vallejo Police Department. Details
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Season Info

Director
Bernadette Higgins, Felicity Morris
Executive Producer
Rebecca North, Fiona Stourton
Network
Netflix
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Documentary, Crime
Original Language
English
Release Date
Jan 17, 2024
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