The Snake

The stories of ordinary folks who confront the evil that was always right in front of them. Through the lens of home archive, we journey with our insiders into shocking crimes to reveal what was missed before tragedy changed everything.

A slick New York publicist who picks up a ringing receiver in a phone booth is told that if he hangs up, he'll be killed... and the little red light from a laser rifle sight is proof that the caller isn't kidding.

Lincoln Rhyme was the department's top homicide detective and leading expert in criminal forensics until an injury left him paralyzed, depressed, and incapable of working. But when a gruesome murder in Manhattan leaves detectives baffled, they call on Rhyme to help solve the mystery. Amelia Donaghy, a rookie cop whose quick thinking preserved a gruesome murder scene, is enlisted by Rhyme to be his on-the-scene forensics expert. With Amelia reluctantly acting as Rhyme's able-bodied go-between, the pair piece together cryptic clues the killer leaves behind at the scene of the crime, hoping to catch the grisly serial killer.

Most relationships have secrets, but what if the lies are huge – will the relationship be destroyed forever? Each episode of this hourlong series tells two stories, based on actual events, in which lies lead to consequences for the people involved. Family secrets and personal betrayal are often at the center of the situations that lead to explosive confrontations and, eventually, attempts at making amends. Dramatic re-creations bring the stories to life.

This short documentary celebrates the late conceptual artist Chris Burden’s landmark work “Shoot,” in which a friend shot him in the arm. [Overview Courtesy of The New York Times]