CBS Follows True Crime Fad with JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case Series

After the success of recent true crime shows like the Netflix documentary series Making a Murderer and FX's fictionalized drama American Crime Story, CBS has decided to jump on the same bandwagon for a new series on the same subject -- and the first case they'll be dealing with will be the investigation surrounding JonBenet Ramsey's 1966 murder.

Deadline reports that CBS is currently in final negotiations to produce what has been described as "an unscripted, limited-run series on the JonBenet Ramsey murder case." The network is looking to collaborate with Critical Content and Emmy-winning producer Tom Forman, who's brought to life shows like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and TV documentary 9/11.

So far there's neither a title nor an episode count for the project, but sources claim it will be something around 10 episodes, similar to Making a Murderer. For the series, producers are set to contact the authorities that worked on the Ramsey case two decades back, presenting new information; other new investigators will give light on the case from a different perspective.

It seems the show would be airing this very fall, ahead of the 20th anniversary of the infamous Colorado murder on Christmas Eve.

Ramsey's dead body was found in the basement of her family's home in Boulder hours after she was reported missing; the 6-year-old's skull had been broken and she had also been strangled. Almost 20 years later, the case remains unresolved, but has continued to spark interest in audiences; only a few weeks back, a YouTube conspiracy theory regarding Benet having survived to become Katy Perry went viral.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, with this series, CBS is looking to turn this into an anthology show like Ryan Murphy's American Crime Story, which recently finished its first season focused on the O.J. Simpson trial -- if renewed, the second season will focus on Hurricane Katrina.

With the still-untitled true crime series, CBS is trying to join a growing trend on television: other similar shows include HBO's The Jinx and an upcoming NBC series called Law & Order: True Crime.