Naming the Dead – Review | Hulu / Disney+

NAMING THE DEAD is a new National Geographic true crime documentary series streaming on Hulu. It’s about discovering the identities of Jane Doe and John Doe victims from decade-old crimes. Read our full Naming the Dead docuseries review here!

NAMING THE DEAD is streaming on Hulu now, while airing its six episodes on National Geographic weekly. This is a true crime documentary series, and I admit I expected a higher quality from a National Geographic production. I’m afraid I felt it was too much like reality.

It’s about the tireless work of people fighting to find the identities of Jane and John Doe victims from old murder cases. So while the subject is important and interesting, the true crime element often takes the backseat as the production feels like reality that was a bit too heavily scripted.

Continue reading our Naming the Dead docuseries review below. Find it on Hulu now or watch the episodes on National Geographic as they’re released.

Focusing on the victims… mostly

The core concept of Naming the Dead is exactly what I want to see. After all, this is very much focused on the victims of murder cases more than the murderer, which is always what I’m asking for.

Of course, for this particular true crime documentary production, it’s also about the people working to solve the cases. Or, more specifically, solve the mystery of the victim’s identity. The killer may be known or unknown, which is definitely secondary in these stories.

There are more than 50,000 bodies in the United States of America that remain unidentified. These are people who go unnamed and unmourned, but may very well have family and friends who are still missing them.

In Naming the Dead, we meet people working with the DNA Doe Project. They team up with law enforcement, actively working cold cases, or in some cases, coroners. People who have dedicated their time to finally get a name attached to their Jane Doe or John Doe victims.

From book club to solving true crime

The DNA Doe Project is a nonprofit organization that uses genetic genealogy and good ol’ fashioned detective work to discover clues that can (and will) lead to finally naming the dead. What may begin as a distant DNA match will be the beginning of a treasure hunt.

Using fragile paper trails and contacting anyone who may have information is the way forward. I applaud these people working tirelessly on the DNA Doe Project cases, but I wasn’t entirely comfortable with the whole thing.

The vibe was very much “we’ve moved on from book clubs to solving true crime”. I admit it’s not entirely fair, but the mood was a bit too celebratory when I felt it required a more sombre approach. After all, we’re talking about murder victims who have gone unnamed for decades.

From anger to heartbreak

Also, that first episode really rubbed me the wrong way. A young man has repeatedly run away from home to escape a very strict religious household. They go months without reporting him missing, then get annoyed when the authorities are left helpless after they do report him missing.

There was an overall attitude from a parent of “He’ll come back when he’s ready”. They are so thrilled to “have him back” so they can lay him to rest. They do so under the circumstances and in the very religion he struggled to escape.

Also, there’s a chance he was gay (or at the very least not comfortable at home), so it felt like they could finally relax: He’s not out there being a sinner, but dead and “innocent”. I certainly got the distinct feeling that they would not have welcomed him back alive unless he was as they wanted.

Yeah, it felt like the murder victim became a victim all over. I got so angry watching episode 1 of Naming the Dead.

Admittedly, the second episode was better in that sense. However, it was also a lot more heartbreaking as this Jane Doe did have family who were missing her for nearly 40 years. Such a sad story, which absolutely broke my heart… and made me angry for different reasons.

Watch Naming the Dead on Hulu and National Geographic

The concept of Naming the Dead is important and makes it worth watching. Unfortunately, the very soapy reality approach made it feel more like I was watching a new Searching movie. It’s so clearly scripted, rather than us watching the DNA Doe Project investigation in real-time.

Should you watch it? Well, yes, I think you should. However, if you’re like me, you’ll have to live with each episode going through the formulaic approach, which I don’t think suits any true crime production.

Naming the Dead premieres with episode 1 titled “The Hitchhiker” on August 2, 2025, on the National Geographic channel. This is where new episodes will be released weekly. The day after the premiere, all episodes will be available to stream on Disney+ and Hulu in the U.S.

Naming the Dead is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu (U.S.) from August 3, 2025.