‘No one ever wants the knock on the door to be from the FBI’ — Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese expert weighs in on why true crime makes us so anxious

I've often struggled with the concept of true crime as entertainment over education. When we binge-watch new documentaries, the line between the two is often indistinguishable, but with new Hulu series Friends Like These: The Murder of Skylar Neese, the background speaks for itself.

In a nutshell, 16-year-old Skylar Neese vanishes from her West Virginia home, leaving her family and community in turmoil. As the search for answers intensifies, attention turns toward Skylar’s closest friends, uncovering "a tangled web of secrets, betrayal, and identity" as Hulu and Disney+ (for international fans) put it.

It's clear that the community worked together to achieve the end product and tell Skylar's story — something director Clair Titley confirms when I talk to her. But I can't help but be left with another concern.