When you think of true crime shows, what comes to mind? Some might prefer documentaries about famous serial killers, such as John Wayne Gacy, Ed Gein, or Ted Bundy, whereas others might choose shows focusing on kids, a particular gender, or, more commonly, no specific demographic whatsoever, looking at women and men of all ages with various motivations.
Killer Grannies, a new show on Oxygen, focuses on exactly what the title suggests: older women that have, for one reason or another, gone on to commit murder. With shows like Snapped and Killer Couples gaining high popularity, and the amount of hype the channel gave the show, I was excited to watch this new show. Unfortunately, the show seems to be falling flat.
How are true crime documentaries usually told?
True crime docuseries across various channels rely on varying storytelling methods. A majority of the time, the shows feature interviews with professionals in the forensic or law field, law enforcement involved with the case, friends or family of the victim, and, if there is a ‘happy ending’, the survivor. Sometimes, a disembodied narrator with a monotone, often eerie voice, will be interspersed with these interviews, telling the story from a third-person perspective. Shows that want to add an extra scare factor will include interviews with the killer behind bars, where, usually, they are either denying what they have been convicted of or justifying it in their own sick, twisted way.
Other shows will rely on this while interspersing the interviews with evidence, including body cam footage and interrogations. Body Cam and Signs of a Psychopath on Investigation Discovery use solely raw information, avoiding the often poorly written reenactments in most docuseries made for television.
Finally, the shows can rely on a host to tell the main story, again interspersing it with interviews. Shows that have done this in the past include Killer Relationships with Faith Jenkins, Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda, and Deadly Women. Killer Grannies falls into this final category of true crime docuseries, being hosted by longtime actress June Squibb.
A self-proclaimed true crime junkie, I was excited for a new show to add to my watch list. Unfortunately, the first episode, having premiered on Sunday, Nov. 9, left me underwhelmed. With the eight-episode series scoring only 4.9 out of 10 stars on IMDb, it doesn’t seem like I’m the only one who feels that way.
The first episode of Killer Grannies
The Killer Grannies series premiere, titled Granny’s Fatal Fantasy, was an interesting case and, in theory, was a great episode for kicking off a series showing us that killers can come in all shapes, sizes, and, apparently, ages. The interviews with friends, relatives, and experts were as engaging as they are in every other true crime show and give us a look into the victim's and killer’s lives. The one problem I had with the show came down to its host.
With no disrespect to June Squibb, her as the host of a true crime show didn’t work for me. The producers most likely had their reasons for hiring Squibb for the role, including how big her name is and wanting to have an older woman as the narrator to stay with the whole ‘granny’ plot. While I see where the producers were going, I can't help but feel that Squibb's narration fell flat.
Candice DeLong vs June Squibb
From 2005 to 2021, former FBI criminal profiler and author Candice Delong was host of Investigation Discovery’s Deadly Women. Though each episode would summarize three cases in one, Candice was phenomenal at getting into the minds of the homicidal women, throwing in darkly humorous lines from time to time, and giving a solid delivery every episode. Whenever I watched her show, I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for what was going to happen next.
Meanwhile, June Squibb was almost too grandmotherly in her role as narrator. Rather than keeping viewers on the edge of their seats, it felt more like she was telling them a bedtime story. Throw that in with her career as an actress, rather than that of someone involved with law or law enforcement, and the show is sadly bound to be unremarkable. Personally, the narration is the reason I can’t watch any further episodes.
The whole point of a host is to have someone who understands the story in a different sense and can share it with viewers. While June Squibb is a phenomenal actress with a career that speaks for itself, choosing her as a host might not have been the best decision on Oxygen’s part. Then again, one person’s opinion isn’t the be-all end-all of television: if you want, give the show a go for yourself and see what you think.
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