I am an avid watcher of the Investigation Discovery Channel, so when I heard about this series I thought it would be interesting. I saw the series premiere last night and it was much better that I expected; a show I'll be watching every week. Instead of using a professional narrator or journalist, the victim narrates their own story. Some narrators on these shows overdramatize the story or have annoying voices, which is a dealbreaker for me. With a different person narrating each time, that issue is eliminated, and it will make the show less predictable week after week. I hope they don't change this format. Secondly, this program is about stalking rather than the more frequent murder shows on ID, and it's great seeing the victims triumph over their stalkers and receive justice without tragedy befalling them.
21 Reviews
2021 season
Lyssers19674 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
The pregnant woman who knew she was being stalked on one episode..literally was given a dog by her husband. Left the dog outside for a day and acted shocked that her stalker stole the dog?!! Left the dog outside all alone...for that long and didn't consider the hundreds of calls a day where the stalker described what she was doing.. like he wouldn't take the dog. Of course he did. He abused it and then when she found it outside later on in the show she couldn't handle how the dog acted BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN ABUSED. And gave it away. After that I couldn't feel as sorry for her tbh.
Season 2 on Netflix
rawalshikha-2809319 January 2021
Saw season 2 of this show on Netflix- All stories have the same dramatic flow. A guy who is persistent and stalky and the girl who tries to get a restraining order and eventually the guy attempts murder. Don't understand the need for so many episodes with exactly or largely the same story line. Once you get the concept, it's just a difference of character and places. That's it. Literally.
Eye-opening stories!
msjessicamilan23 May 2019
Each episode really kept my attention, and I am grateful for the victims deciding to share their stories.
Not so "spoiler" spoilers: According to each episode, the cops are no help at all, and, when your stalker is plotting against you, they will be sweating profusely.
These episodes are definitely worth watching and will possibly contribute in your loss of faith in humanity, but may help you see the red flags the next time someone comes up behind you and sniffs the back of your neck.
Not so "spoiler" spoilers: According to each episode, the cops are no help at all, and, when your stalker is plotting against you, they will be sweating profusely.
These episodes are definitely worth watching and will possibly contribute in your loss of faith in humanity, but may help you see the red flags the next time someone comes up behind you and sniffs the back of your neck.
Something to put on in the background while you do the ironing
rachellhogan4 May 2021
The format is a common one, we have the victim retelling events that happened to them while actors act out the story.. The stories are very, very repetitive and as a woman , very disturbing but interesting, in particular how those around the victims are powerless to stop what's going on in most cases.
The one thing that is beyond annoying are the dodgy American accents from the British cast, why this was done like this is beyond me but it was so distracting, especially the southern accents which verged on the comical.
The one thing that is beyond annoying are the dodgy American accents from the British cast, why this was done like this is beyond me but it was so distracting, especially the southern accents which verged on the comical.
Very personal perspectives and stories of woe and triumph
lizzifer-5426320 February 2021
I don't understand how other reviews could say that these are boring or repetitive.
Each story has a unique and very personal narrative, dealing with stalkers or sick individuals with different mental illnesses or issues, with crimes ranging from physical attacks to years of drawn out mental abuse.
Several stories have made me cry... If you're going to watch the show and judge solely on the reenactments then maybe you should come back when (you've grown up a bit emotionally) you're willing to watch for the actual events and not beg to be entertained over another humans harrowing experience.
The stories are most certainly NOT all about helpless women, though I would agree that each case shows that the laws do not protect people enough until it is far too late, that is no surprise though as laws tend to be based around punishment, not preventative measures.
My favourite story so far is about the gentleman lawyer who is still being stalked 30 odd years later, it has a pleasant ending.
INTERESTING SUBJECT MATTER, SLUGGISH STORYTELLING
dogeatdog711 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
I've learned several things while watching this show.
1. Stalkers are delusional people who truly believe that violence, intimidation, threats, harassment, etc. will get them what they want.
2. Stalkers are masters at initially being charming wolves in sheep's clothing.
3. Stalkers are persistent psychopaths. The more the target says no, the more determined they become.
4. Stalkers are not deterred by restraining orders. In fact, restraining orders only make them angry and more determined to ignore them.
5. Victims wait too long before contacting the police.
6. The police are powerless to protect stalking victims.
As someone who was sexually harassed in the workplace by a supervisor (which I believe is a form of stalking), I'm still baffled by what makes a stalker stalk. I recognize that all-too familiar won't-take-no-for-an-answer mindset and how they see it as a challenge to ramp it up rather than a clear message to let go and move on. If you watch enough episodes, you'll notice that all the stalkers profiled seem to have that similar modus operandi. The "why" may never be known. I guess some people are just wired differently. Personally, I think they're all narcissistic control freaks.
There are three types of stalkers profiled: stalkers who had a previous romantic relationship with their victims (an ex-husband or ex-boyfriend), stalkers who had a platonic relationship with their victims (a neighbor or co-worker), and stalkers unknown to their victims (a secret admirer). The show mostly profiles extreme cases of stalking. Many end with the stalker trying to kill their target. All but two of the stalkers profiled are men.
From a production standpoint, the show's pacing is slow. There's no narration. The story is told through a first-person account by the victim, on-screen title cards, and actor re-enactments. Unlike most true-crime shows that use re-enactment actors, primarily in non-speaking roles seen under narration, this show's actors perform lengthy scripted scenes, which are sluggish and poorly written with hackneyed dialogue. It also doesn't help that the majority of the actors aren't skilled enough to pull off the kind of dramatic weight necessary for the scenes to be believable. There's also an inordinate amount of recapping, primarily coming out of commercials, which is obviously filler to stretch the story to fit the hour-long running time. Perhaps the show would work better in a half-hour format.
Despite the production's shortcomings, however, the stories are compelling.
1. Stalkers are delusional people who truly believe that violence, intimidation, threats, harassment, etc. will get them what they want.
2. Stalkers are masters at initially being charming wolves in sheep's clothing.
3. Stalkers are persistent psychopaths. The more the target says no, the more determined they become.
4. Stalkers are not deterred by restraining orders. In fact, restraining orders only make them angry and more determined to ignore them.
5. Victims wait too long before contacting the police.
6. The police are powerless to protect stalking victims.
As someone who was sexually harassed in the workplace by a supervisor (which I believe is a form of stalking), I'm still baffled by what makes a stalker stalk. I recognize that all-too familiar won't-take-no-for-an-answer mindset and how they see it as a challenge to ramp it up rather than a clear message to let go and move on. If you watch enough episodes, you'll notice that all the stalkers profiled seem to have that similar modus operandi. The "why" may never be known. I guess some people are just wired differently. Personally, I think they're all narcissistic control freaks.
There are three types of stalkers profiled: stalkers who had a previous romantic relationship with their victims (an ex-husband or ex-boyfriend), stalkers who had a platonic relationship with their victims (a neighbor or co-worker), and stalkers unknown to their victims (a secret admirer). The show mostly profiles extreme cases of stalking. Many end with the stalker trying to kill their target. All but two of the stalkers profiled are men.
From a production standpoint, the show's pacing is slow. There's no narration. The story is told through a first-person account by the victim, on-screen title cards, and actor re-enactments. Unlike most true-crime shows that use re-enactment actors, primarily in non-speaking roles seen under narration, this show's actors perform lengthy scripted scenes, which are sluggish and poorly written with hackneyed dialogue. It also doesn't help that the majority of the actors aren't skilled enough to pull off the kind of dramatic weight necessary for the scenes to be believable. There's also an inordinate amount of recapping, primarily coming out of commercials, which is obviously filler to stretch the story to fit the hour-long running time. Perhaps the show would work better in a half-hour format.
Despite the production's shortcomings, however, the stories are compelling.
Scary AND Real- just a partial spoiler not the ending- some details
warbi_200022 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I watch ID quite a bit. A lot of times I will have the TV running in the background while I am online or playing a game. ID has produced many good shows. This one blows the pants off Stalked. The episode I saw at first was just a t the periphery, but as I heard more, I had to pause it and come to a stopping point in the game. Something about that particular episode caught my attention. In this episode it starts out with a woman receiving stalking-type phone calls. It reaches the point where he is describing what she is doing so she knows that she is being watched. Then he starts talking about raping her. As the calls continue, he gets more and more graphic, vile, and violent. The culmination (not the last call, but the one that grabbed my attention)is one where he calls , but doesn't really talk. Instead he leaves the phone hanging so she can hear these inhuman sounds that she finally realizes is a woman whimpering in terror. Then she starts hearing hair-raising screaming. The guy is torturing and raping a woman as she listens horrified. Well, that is just a taste. I have to say it was one of the creepiest things I have seen including actual horror movies and it's REAL!!! I don't know how they will top that episode, but if they do...
Harrowing ordeals narrated without fear
dilippoddar-IN19 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Real people from different walks of life narrate their harrowing and regretful experiences with certain individuals in Obsession: Dark Desires. The narratives by original characters in an interview-like setting are immediately followed by filmed scenes that keep the viewers hooked and interested to see what's coming up next and give an impression as if someone was telling you their story in person.
The stories have been filmed with regular people or new actors, though, who sometimes fail to do justice to the level of performance required to portray characters in such true story-based bone-chilling ordeals. It seems as if the characters were to perform in a very limited and set manner.
The takeaway is that while watching the show, one can pretty much relate to the people opening up about such unfortunate times as what they narrate is what many more people go through every single day, like a new relationship turning deadly. It is just hard to predict when things turn ugly.
Interesting subject, badly executed
u-emoli6 August 2019
This could have been an interesting series, however the reconstruction of events are so badly done, all the episodes are on the verge of being ridiculous. The terrible actors, mostly improvising, the ridiculously badly written very basic dialogues, make this series unwatchable if not to see how bad it gets.
March 18' 2014 show- Kathleen
vaughan-m-941-33624119 March 2014
Wow... This was to me the best one yet. I could feel Kathleens pain. I was stalked briefly by my ex- husband but nothing to the degree that she went through. I am sorry to say but I wanted her stalker to take his life or be taken by the police. At least it would be over forever. I feel so badly for her that she gave up so much in her life because of him. How he found her after her unsuccessful attempt to hide her whereabouts, her job, her person amazes me to what length these wackos go to. What an enormous amount of time that was lost because of him. He took so much from her! Great show. I too like the fact that the stalkee is the narrator and not some over emphasizing person retelling the story. Thats how I feel about Nightmare Next Door. I cannot abide to the narrator's voice and refuse to watch the show. I am glad Kathleen is an advocate for stalking laws. I commend her. I wish her well for her future.
Season 1
andjack-668632 June 2021
Interesting concept initially but very drawn out. A story that should take twenty minutes to tell is over that twice that due to lots of repetition. Additionally, each of the episodes pretty much tracks the same as the others. It gets old pretty quickly.
Good, but...
KDizzler24 July 2021
Look, I think the show is great, and it's amazing to hear these survivors tell their own stories. That takes guts. Seriously, though - where are they interviewing these poor people? In a run-down, moldy, broken down building that looks worse than a third world prison? Please, host these survivors in a nicer location!
30 Minute Show, Expanded to One Hour
embmw31 December 2019
Endless recaps and drawn out interviews are combined to turn what should be 21-22 minutes into 42-43 minutes of show. On top of that, the dramatizations are laughably bad. I'm a fan of the true crime genre, but this show is far from one of its best examples.
Terrible formatting
irishjenna6 February 2022
I've been binging true crime lately and just started watching this. I see there are 5 seasons. I'm 7 episodes into season 1 so I'm unsure if the formatting changes as the seasons go on, but I will agree with some of the other reviewers that it can be a chore to get through just one episode. There is a bunch of unnecessary filler to stretch it into an hour show.
But what makes this show a little different is that they have the victims narrate the entire episode. Now, it can be hit or miss depending upon the person. Some of the victims are good at telling their stories, others can be annoyingly grating.
What I think would be beneficial is if they broke up the monotony of the victim retelling their story and the reenacting segments with professional staff that could add to the reason for stalking behavior and mental illness. Delve into the mind of the perpetrator. Either that or have 2 stories in an hour episode.
But what makes this show a little different is that they have the victims narrate the entire episode. Now, it can be hit or miss depending upon the person. Some of the victims are good at telling their stories, others can be annoyingly grating.
What I think would be beneficial is if they broke up the monotony of the victim retelling their story and the reenacting segments with professional staff that could add to the reason for stalking behavior and mental illness. Delve into the mind of the perpetrator. Either that or have 2 stories in an hour episode.
Great stories but bad attempt at U.S. accents
politicsandstuff11 January 2020
I really enjoyed the storytelling of this show. But, it was VERY distracting how they were pretending to be American but very clearly seemed to have Irish or UK accents in the re-enactments. The scenery was very clearly not American (electrical prongs had wrong # of holes, wrong style for Americans, very clearly UK style). The whole time I was distracted by their bad American accents that were very clearly actors pretending to be American. I wish the producers would make this in the U.S. Other than that, the real victim testimony was great and storytelling was great. Just need believable accents to not be constantly distracted by how this must be some bizarre UK actor guild producing this. Their accents are not good and took me out of the experience.
LONG & DRAWN OUT UGHHHH!!!!
firballblaze-6968913 January 2020
Do yourself a favor and either skip this one entirely or watch the first part of it then skip about 3/4 of the way to the end. You will not miss anything because they repeat it over and over and over and over and over and over again.
Almost unwatchable at times...
willmatic-280941 June 2021
Let's be honest - there's plenty of English actors out there doing brilliant jobs playing American roles these days, (these damn British, coming to the States and taking American jobs!) but here's an example of when it goes wrong.
The stories themselves are just about interesting enough to keep you watching, but the reconstructions are hilariously bad at times. I only stumbled across this on Netflix because I tend to watch a lot of crime-based shows and it popped up as a recommendation (gotta love those algorithms), but there's only one single season available, which is slightly confusing.
I've ended up Googling some of the cases to get more info, so there's definitely some interesting stories, but having also Googled some of the (fairly famous) British actors just to see this in their filmography, I've found that barely any of them have it listed in their body of work - slightly baffling. It makes me wonder if they're ashamed to be associated with the show. Two examples, if anyone cares to take a look for themselves, are Richard Brake (who's previously been in Peaky Blinders) was the main protagonist in an episode but there's *nothing* anywhere on the internet associating him with this show - same goes for former EastEnders star, Lucy Speed, who had a fairly sizeable role in an episode as well.
Overall, I have to give it *some* credit, because the stories are very decent and at times unbelievable (in a good way, rather than unbelievably BAD).
The stories themselves are just about interesting enough to keep you watching, but the reconstructions are hilariously bad at times. I only stumbled across this on Netflix because I tend to watch a lot of crime-based shows and it popped up as a recommendation (gotta love those algorithms), but there's only one single season available, which is slightly confusing.
I've ended up Googling some of the cases to get more info, so there's definitely some interesting stories, but having also Googled some of the (fairly famous) British actors just to see this in their filmography, I've found that barely any of them have it listed in their body of work - slightly baffling. It makes me wonder if they're ashamed to be associated with the show. Two examples, if anyone cares to take a look for themselves, are Richard Brake (who's previously been in Peaky Blinders) was the main protagonist in an episode but there's *nothing* anywhere on the internet associating him with this show - same goes for former EastEnders star, Lucy Speed, who had a fairly sizeable role in an episode as well.
Overall, I have to give it *some* credit, because the stories are very decent and at times unbelievable (in a good way, rather than unbelievably BAD).
Eww just fkn eww.
kaya-1812713 March 2022
Great Concept, Poorly Executed
finalgirlconfessions5 August 2023
Generally speaking, the reenacters should be the ones who are, y'know, acting, but here, some of the actual victims relaying their stories also feel scripted, like they're being coached on what to say the entire time for dramatic effect. During a few episodes, the dramatic timing reached a point where I found myself researching, to triple-check that the cases were real.
That's not a slight on the victims, of course, and there were a couple of stories from the first season that ripped my guts out. But, most of the time, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was putting words in their mouths, which outright contradicts the show's mission statement.
Add to that the (albeut predictably) unrealistic reenactments and a palpable lack of even anecdotal forensics... It's simply hard to feel the truth in Discovery's latest awkward attempt at true crime.
That's not a slight on the victims, of course, and there were a couple of stories from the first season that ripped my guts out. But, most of the time, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was putting words in their mouths, which outright contradicts the show's mission statement.
Add to that the (albeut predictably) unrealistic reenactments and a palpable lack of even anecdotal forensics... It's simply hard to feel the truth in Discovery's latest awkward attempt at true crime.
Why do they all have unnaturally blue eyes!?
drnursekellyann22 March 2022
Some of these reenactments are comical. But the actors clearly LOVE these roles and play the heck out of the over-the-top characters. You might find yourself saying, "why doesn't she just... (tell someone, go stay somewhere else, call the cops, etc). I've experienced stalking more than once and it is scary and serious. I was fortunate that my experiences never ended in anyone trying to hurt me, but it could easily have been different. Especially when I was younger. The similarity in all the cases is that they are almost all vulnerable and isolated women- single moms, widows, older women, young women. Not because this population is prone to trusting the wrong man, but because sick people target vulnerable women. But the take-away is that women must teach other women and girls to trust their gut instincts, have a network of other reliable women to turn to, and to always be the driver, be sober, be awake, and be aware of their surroundings. Women must build their own cases and save themselves because the police will not do anything to save you. You must save yourself... and then I noticed that all of the actors and most of the "real victims" have bizarrely bright blue eyes. What's up with that? Oh yeah, the dodgy accents, too.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
