Netflix’s Worst Neighbor Ever will have you glued to your couch in disbelief

📺🏘️ Had a fall-out with your neighbor recently? We’d wager it could have been much worse — these four stories are proof. There’s something about true crime documentaries that just scratches a certain itch, and Netflix knows it. In Worst Neighbor Ever, the binge boss puts its docu-series finesse to the test.

What to expect: Neighbors come and go — these overstayed their welcome and then some. Across four episodes, each running an hour, give or take, Worst Neighbor Ever spotlights four independent stories centering families that fell victim to their psychotic neighbors’ shenanigans. From freeloaders-turned-nudist harassers and neighbors that went out with a bang (and a boom), all the way to squatters, murderers, and petty criminals, the show showcases ludicrous true stories that will have you sending your own neighbors a gift basket after watching.

What we liked: Simply put, we couldn’t stop watching. While the mini-series does not offer anything revolutionarily new to the genre, it takes the formula and executes it well. The score, the effects, and the dramatic cuts all work in its favor. Through a series of re-enactments, archival footage, first-hand interviews with the victims, and animated shorts, Netflix brings each of these individual stories to life in a way that will keep you zeroed in on your screen until it turns black. Some of these stories were so shocking that we didn’t know what revelation the next minute would bring.

What we didn’t: Some of the first-hand interviews drag, and at certain times, the interviewees seemed to have nothing of substance to add. It would have been interesting to dig deeper into the perpetrators’ psyches and the external circumstances that may have led to their actions for some nuance, but the show is at times one-sided in a way that leaves room for want. Some stories were more interesting than others, but the independent episode structure offers an easy fix for that.

The verdict: If true-crime documentaries are your jam, you’ll have a sweet time watching this. Worst Neighbor Ever offers the kind of viewing experience that immediately captivates your attention without requiring much mental energy to keep up. If you had a long day and could use an easy distraction, this gets the job done.

WHERE TO WATCH- World’s Worst Neighbor is streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer on YouTube (watch, runtime: 2:03).