Netflix’s 6-Part True Crime Miniseries Is Already One of the Biggest Hits on Streaming

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Published Aug 9, 2026, 7:27 PM EDT

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Netflix has its proverbial golden goose with the true crime genre, with almost half of U.S. Netflix accounts tuning into true-crime titles as recently as 2024. The genre has become a keystone for the streamer ever since Making a Murderer premiered back in December 2015, and Netflix has found success yet again, with the newest entry in its formidable stable of content: The Bombing of Pan Am 103. The series is a look at the investigation behind the infamous Lockerbie bombing of 1988, which took the lives of all 259 passengers and 11 residents of the small Scottish town, in a way that is rarely seen.

What Is 'The Bombing of Pan Am 103' About?

The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is unique in the sense in that it doesn't sensationalize the tragic incident. The opening minutes show the passengers getting ready to board the plane, serving as a stark reminder that they were real, everyday people, not just a faceless crowd who make up the casualty total. It then bypasses the explosion altogether, picking up with Detective Sergeant Ed McCusker (Connor Swindells) walking through the wreckage. It sets the tone for the series' commitment to maintaining a deep respect for the victims.

Instead, The Bombing of Pan Am 103 focuses, accurately, on the years-long investigation, detailing the work that went into finding who was responsible: the forensics, the leads that went nowhere, the poring over of the most minute of clues, and the politics surrounding the nuances of multiple groups — Scottish police, the FBI and the CIA — in their efforts to work together, despite their different approaches. In this way, the series is a kindred spirit to the 2007 David Fincher film Zodiac, where the murders committed by the titular Zodiac killer are pushed aside to focus on the real-life work of investigators in trying to find him.

However, Zodiac has an inherent bias that leans toward one suspect among many. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth, too, has a bias in favor of the claims that Jim Swire (Colin Firth), who lost a daughter in the crash, made in the book the series is based on. The Bombing of Pan Am 103 has no interest in conspiracy theories, or leading the viewer to one suspect over another. It deals with the facts as accurately as it can, allowing the viewer to make up their own mind with regard to the investigation.

'The Bombing of Pan Am 103' Is a Fascinating True Crime Miniseries

If its focus makes the series sound like it's a boring slog of paperwork and sleuthing, fret not: The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is an utterly fascinating work that celebrates the moments that led to finding the perpetrators. Singed pieces of a Toshiba radio circuit board that they're able to link back to a German bomb maker. The work put into convincing German police to release the luggage list, allowing investigators to pinpoint Malta. The extraordinary luck in finding a garment tag from a Maltese store, whose owner recalls selling clothes to a Libyan, prompting investigators to turn towards Libya as the genesis of the terrorist act. All of it is almost surprisingly true, except for suggestions that the FBI and the CIA withheld information from the Scottish police, which has never been proven.

There are also some beautiful moments of humanity, too: DCS John Orr (Peter Mullan) taking part in a candlelight vigil for the victims; the "Laundry Ladies," a group of women in Lockerbie who recovered over 11,000 pieces of clothing and effects belonging to victims, cleaned them thoroughly, and packaged them up, with a sprig of heather, to send back to their families; and the people of Lockerbie who opened their homes to bereaving families from afar. Yet The Bombing of Pan Am 103 doesn't shy away from the darker moments either, turning its attention to the heft of emotional weight upon the investigators — a burden consisting of the demands, graphic details, and the slow process of finding the truth — and the psychological toll it exacts on them. It all works exceptionally well thanks to its brilliant cast, who honor the real-life people they're portraying by elevating their performances to capture them honestly, inside and out.

The Bombing of Pan Am 103 is a loving homage to the people of Lockerbie, the investigators, the victims and their families, but it also tells a story that isn't over quite yet. Abu Agila Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi (also known as Masud), arrested in December 2022 for making and priming the explosive device used in the incident, is set for trial in August 2026. The trial promises to bring an end to the case dramatized in The Bombing of Pan Am 103, and, more importantly, finally close the door on a tragedy left open for 38 years.

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