Addicted to Murder

Forget ladies’ captivation with romantic soap operas. Now it’s women grabbing an hour for another guilty viewing pleasure entirely: murder. Mix in sex, intrigue, and crime-scene investigation — and you have the makings of a top-rated network.

Known for its dramatic, emotive, sometimes sexual reenactments of real-victims’ stories, Investigation Discovery, which launched in 1996, finished the fourth quarter of 2015 as the most-watched ad-supported cable network among women ages 25 to 54, according to Nielsen.

“Give me a good serial killer and I’m happy!”

The programming includes enticing titles such as “Who the (Bleep) Did I Marry?,” “Hell House,” “I’d Kill for You,” “Southern Fried Homicide,” “Let’s Kill Mom,” “Sex Sent Me to the Slammer,” and “Evil Lives Here.”

Women have have had their frivolous favorites for decades — Lifetime movies, for example — but ID takes TV to a darker level.

“To me, these programs show any woman’s worst nightmare — women are targets in these programs, usually,” Christine Roberts, 47, a small business owner and Massachusetts resident, told LifeZette. “Perhaps they shine a light on our worst fears.”

ID has become so popular that in April its president, Henry Schleiff, announced the first ever IDCon (think “the Comic-Con of crime”), held in June in New York City, flat out acknowledging “ID Addicts” as the “greatest and most passionate fans” who “have only multiplied over the years.” An “Addict of the Month” can win $1,000 in contest on the channel’s site.

But why? Why, for example, did one ID forum user post: “Give me a good serial killer and I’m happy!”

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Maybe it’s because true crime is … reassuring? Yes, in a way.

“I can’t explain it, but murder was comforting — many people watch ‘Law & Order’ re-runs before they go to sleep, and that deals with heinous crime, too. Discovery ID puts me to sleep like a baby,” says Roberts.

Why might this be?

First, the crimes didn’t happen to the viewer personally. Plus, virtually every crime depicted on ID has been solved. Viewers can enjoy the “ride” of trying to figure out the often-intricate details of each case, all while knowing that there will be real-life resolution — and usually justice — at the end of the show. Like clockwork.

In a tangled world lacking most cut-and-dried anything, there’s a strange encouragement in seeing resolution on TV.

Add to that the fact that viewers of violent programming often put themselves in victims’ and criminals’ shoes. They wonder how they, too, would escape a crime or dangerous situation. How would they feel? Would they have been able to kill — or avoid a killing? Could they have been driven to the edge of insanity or fear?

Maybe watching others in peril makes them appreciate their own lives, where the most dangerous things include sassy kids, in-laws, and spouses who refuse to pick up underwear. Viewers get the adrenaline rush of “adventure” while avoiding conflict and lawlessness themselves.

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Besides, pure evil is fascinating.

People are intrigued by extreme behavior — but especially, it seems, if it’s crime. Murder is special cause for examination and interest. Since most (hopefully all) viewers would never commit murder themselves, to watch another person cross that intense boundary is reason to wonder why and how. What were the killer’s motives? Was the killer or victim savvy or clueless? Was it a crime of passion or calculated logic? What would cause a murderer to absolutely lose it? Could they, as viewers, ever lose it themselves?

“Discovery ID shows are like solving a puzzle,” another Massachusetts wife and mom told LifeZette. “I love mysteries, and these are the modern versions of Agatha Christie’s. One important distinction — ID shows are true.”

The investigation is fascinating, too. How did the police solve the case? Did they get a sudden break or did they work for years? How did the “perp” get away with it for so long? Did the police arrest the right person?

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Still, the word “addict” is a little worrisome. It makes you wonder if this is normal and healthy. But rest assured, experts say a daily foray into a crime show or two is usually nothing to be concerned about.

As retired chief clinical psychologist for the San Diego Police Department, Dr. Michael Mantell, told NPR about people’s fascination with crime in the news, “Let’s face it. The media understand — if it bleeds it leads.”