Serial killers like Ted Bundy and Jeffrey Dahmer have been gone for decades, yet their stories continue to fill our screens and airwaves. From Netflix series and documentaries to true crime podcasts, their names and crimes keep reappearing in new forms. A new study by sociologist Brian Monahan explores why these stories never seem to fade. He argues that their endurance is not just the result of public fascination with violence, but of the media’s ongoing effort to reproduce, repackage, and resell them.

Monahan introduces the concept of “media looping” to explain this process. Drawing on 37 media examples, including documentaries, films, streaming series, and podcasts, he finds that stories about serial killers are continually reactivated and reshaped. From early sensationalist documentaries in the 1980s to recent prestige dramas like Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story (2022), the same figures and themes are reinterpreted for new audiences. The repetition makes old crimes feel current and turns historical events into ongoing cultural touchstones.

The study shows that this process is not accidental. Media looping is both a storytelling pattern and a business strategy. It allows media companies to reuse familiar stories and recognizable figures to keep audiences engaged and generate profit.

But this repetition also affects how people understand violence. Monahan finds that white male killers are often shown as complex or even sympathetic, while victims, many of whom are women or people of color, receive much less attention. This imbalance shifts the focus away from the victims and the social conditions that shape their stories. Viewers also become part of the cycle by listening to true crime podcasts, watching series, and joining online discussions that keep these stories circulating and alive.

Monahan’s research suggests that serial killer stories persist not only because they are newsworthy or extraordinary, but because repetition itself is what makes them extraordinary.serial killer stories persist not only because they are newsworthy or extraordinary, but because repetition itself is what makes them extraordinary. Media industries depend on retelling violence in ways that generate new interest and revenue, turning real tragedies into lasting cultural products. In the end, the timeless serial killer is less a mystery of human psychology and more a reflection of how our media systems recycle familiar stories to hold our attention.