this post was submitted on 23 Feb 2026
443 points (98.9% liked)
Funny
14648 readers
46 users here now
General rules:
- Be kind.
- All posts must make an attempt to be funny.
- Obey the general sh.itjust.works instance rules.
- No politics or political figures. There are plenty of other politics communities to choose from.
- Don't post anything grotesque or potentially illegal. Examples include pornography, gore, animal cruelty, inappropriate jokes involving kids, etc.
Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the mods.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
Isn't a serial killer defined as a murderer with at least 3 victims? Or have I fallen for TV culture
It is, but it's different from a spree killer in that the killings are spaced out, and follow a specific methodology and victim type (although there are some exceptions).
Serial was used because when the term was coined serial movies were a thing, which is kinda like the equivalent of the limited series on streaming platforms now. Basically the killings were episodic.