It’s likely we all have a bottle of Tylenol in our cabinet right now for everyday aches and pains. But before I knew the story about the Tylenol murders, I would have never guessed why these bottles are so well-sealed when you purchase them from the local pharmacy.
Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is a three-part docuseries that revisits a crime that shattered the nation’s trust in the safety of over the counter painkillers and what led to the safety measures we see today.
The series dives into at least seven deaths that took place in 1982 Chicago after the victims ingested cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules, sending the nation into a panic and prompting one of the largest criminal investigations in U.S. history. Throughout the three episodes, producers consider whether it could have been one mastermind at work or a potential conspiracy from within Johnson & Johnson’s own walls.
I binged this show in the evening and couldn’t look away from the screen. The storytelling is compelling, and the events absolutely chilling. There’s testimony from the victims’ loved ones who are still trying to find answers and an interview of one of the most eerie men I think I have ever seen on a true crime docuseries—and he’s never been found guilty. (three approximately one-hour episodes)
—Libbey Hanson
This article appears in Jun 5-15, 2025.