The original post: /r/television by /u/Extension-While7536 on 2025-09-24 20:06:26+00:00.
When it comes to murder shows, procedurals and podcasts, I get the feeling there are two types of fans, those who love the investigation and mystery (whodunit) and those fascinated by the killer’s life, background and methods (just calling it whydunit). I am a whodunit fan and I would like to ask what is the attraction of the whydunit genre.
I enjoy mysteries with detectives, hunt for the killer, maybe some comedy and cozy mysteries or even darker stories like Silence of the Lambs, Seven or Zodiac, and podcasts about missing people or unsolved murders.
A whydunit fan I’d say is interested in the story of a killer’s past, their origins, their intentions and methods, how they got away with it. Think the Dahmer comic, miniseries, Devil in the White City or any of the recent Ryan Murphy serial killer productions.
I have no interest in criminal psychology if it’s not about the ultimate capture of the killer as with Silence of the Lambs. So I’m interested in the whydunit fans about the attraction of a Dahmer or John Wayne Gacy or Ed Gein miniseries. May I ask is it different than a love for mystery? Also is it a fair distinction to make between the two fandoms?