Netflix's New Crime Series That Revives 30-Year-Old Cold Case Gets December Release Date
Jeff Dodge (he/him), a published author and graduate of Western Washington University, has been a TV news editor for many years and has had the chance to interview multiple reality show stars, including Randy Jackson, Nick Cannon, Heidi Klum, Mel B and John Cena. Fun Fact: he’s been to every single Idol Live! Tour.
Netflix is reviving JonBenét Ramsey's 30-year-old cold case, which has been sensationalized numerous times over the years.
The true-crime genre is just as popular as ever, with an endless stream of documentaries and scripted content. Netflix alone has several on its platform, including The Perfect Neighbor, The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare, Sean Combs: The Reckoning, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, The Staircase, and Death of the Pastor's Wife. The tragedy surrounding JonBenét will soon join that list.
Netflix announced that The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey will premiere on December 10, 2026. With less than three months until the scripted series is released, a first-look image reveals Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen as JonBenét's parents Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey. In the photo, they look somber as they sit next to each other, ready to be interviewed for the cameras. Check out the image below:
The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey will cover the famous cold case involving the child beauty pageant contestant's tragic murder inside her home on Christmas 30 years ago. There have been numerous theories about what really happened to JonBenét, ranging from the parents being seen as possible suspects to a stranger breaking into the house to commit the heinous act, but the case has never been solved, and no theory has been proven.
The true-crime story has been depicted on screen several times, including in the movies Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, and Who Killed JonBenét? Just two years ago, Netflix released a docuseries about the case called Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, which garnered more than 13.4 million views in the first week on the streamer and has a perfect critic score on Rotten Tomatoes.
McCarthy is best known for starring in comedies like Bridesmaids, Spy, The Heat, Ghostbusters and Mike & Molly, but she has ventured into more dramatic roles in recent years, like in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Kitchen and Nine Perfect Strangers.
Meanwhile, Owen is the Golden Globe-winning actor from Closer who has starred in Children of Men, The Bourne Identity, Sin City, The Knick, Impeachment: American Crime Story and A Murder at the End of the World.
Not only is McCarthy starring in The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey, but she's also serving as an executive producer with showrunner Richard LaGravenese, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Anne Sewitsky (director), Harrison Query (writer), and Tommy Wallach (writer).
McCarthy and Owen's co-stars are Emily Mitchell (as JonBenét), Garrett Hedlund (as Detective Steve Thomas), Alison Pill (as Detective Linda Arndt), Shea Whigham (as Alex Hunter), Owen Teague (as Shane Edwards), Clifton Collins Jr. (as Detective Tom Trujillo), Angus Caldwell 9as Burke Ramsey), Jaime Ray Newman (as Amelia Hunt), Rory Cochrane (as John Eller), and Chris Bauer (as Tom Koby).
The project was first announced in 2024 at Paramount, but amid the company's merger with Skydance, executives passed on the project, and Netflix eventually bought the rights. After releasing the Cold Case docuseries in 2024, the popular streamer will soon tell JonBenét Ramsey's story all over again, this time with a scripted series.
The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey will be released on Netflix on Thursday, December 10, 2026.
Netflix is a global streaming service offering on-demand access to movies, TV shows, documentaries, and original content. Founded in 1997 as a DVD rental service, it transitioned to streaming in 2007 and now operates in over 190 countries.
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.