Netflix acquires JonBenét Ramsey true-crime series

A scripted limited series about the murder of JonBenét Ramsey will premiere globally on Netflix this winter. The series, titled "The Murder of JonBenét Ramsey," was completed in early 2025 but was dropped by its original distributor, Paramount, before being acquired by Netflix.

The high-profile project stars Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen as JonBenét's parents, Patsy and John Bennett Ramsey. The cast also includes Emily Mitchell as JonBenét, Garrett Hedlund as Detective Steve Thomas, Alison Pill as Detective Linda Arndt, and Angus Caldwell as Burke Ramsey. The series is directed by Anne Sewitsky and showrun by Richard LaGravenese, with a script co-written by Harrison Query and Tommy Wallach.

The series recounts the infamous unsolved 1996 murder of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey in Boulder, Colorado, and the intense media scrutiny and personal fallout that followed. The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, including those of the Ramsey family, investigators, and media personalities.

The project was originally developed and greenlit under Paramount's previous leadership, with production beginning in September 2024 and wrapping in January 2025. Following the merger of...