Paramount+’s New True Crime Series About the Deadpool Killer Is the Perfect Replacement for Netflix’s Monster

January 20, 2026, 5:30pm

Netflix’s Monster anthology series has dominated the true crime genre ever since its release in 2022. The Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan-created series has drawn massive audiences and sparked cultural conversation and controversy with seasons about Jeffrey Dahmer, Lyle and Erik Menendez, and most recently Ed Gein. As Netflix subscribers await Season 4’s The Legend of Lizzie Borden, Paramount+ just added the perfect true crime show to hold them over.

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The three-part docuseries Handsome Devil: The Charming Killer is the perfect Monster replacement, and it dropped on Paramount+ on January 20th. The series centers on the case of Wade Wilson, a Florida man convicted of the 2019 murders of Kristine Melton and Diane Ruiz. Nicknamed “Deadpool Killer” due to his identical name to the Marvel character, Wilson garnered a devoted online following after his mugshot, showing his surprising tattoos and smile, went viral despite his horrific crimes.

Handsome Devil: The Charming Killer Is Part of a Huge Wave of True Crime Content

There’s been a massive true crime boom in recent years, and Hollywood has been capitalizing on public fascination with notorious killers by retelling their stories through true crime documentaries and dramatizations. Netflix has undoubtedly led the charge and scored streaming hit after streaming hit with documentaries like The Perfect Neighbor and its American Murder series and its numerous dramatizations, most prominently Murphy’s Monster series, and Handsome Devil: The Charming Killer is the perfect replacement for the latter.

Both series not only aim to dissect the minds of killers but at their core explore the dark intersection of true crime and internet culture. While one is a dramatization and the other takes a documentary approach, both Monster and Handsome Killer ultimately reflect society’s obsession with infamous killers with a focus on how sensationalized stories become pop culture phenomena, something that was blatantly obvious in Monster: The Ed Gein Story with meta-commentary on sensationalism filtered through Hollywood as the show depicted how Gein’s acts inspired iconic horror characters in movies like Psycho and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

The growing appetite for true crime and the entertainment world’s trend of supplying it hasn’t been without controversy, though. True crime series and dramatizations have sparked debate about sensationalism for enjoyment, victim portrayal, and potentially glorifying perpetrators. Netflix’s Monster series has been among the shows at the center of the controversy, sparking debate regarding its handling of real-life tragedies, the ethical implications of true-crime dramatization, and the potential re-traumatization of victims’ families.

What’s New on Paramount+?

If true crime isn’t your cup of tea, Paramount+ has plenty of other great streaming options this January. The largest number of arrivals came on January 1st, when everything from 50 First Dates to the original Scream trilogy arrived alongside other titles like Baby Driver, Event Horizon, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and The Da Vinci Code.

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