Most Evil is an American forensics documentary series that first aired on the Discovery Channel in 2006. Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Michael H. Stone of Columbia University hosted the program for its first three seasons. Each episode dissected the methods and motives of real-life murderers and violent criminals. The show drew from Stone’s analysis of over 600 documented murders to build its case studies.
At the center of the series is Stone’s “Gradations of Evil” scale, which rates criminals from Category 1 to Category 22. The scale ranges from those who killed in self-defense at the low end to serial killers at the high end. Episodes featured archival footage, expert commentary, and detailed case breakdowns. Topics included deceptive killers, cult leaders, and women who commit murder.
After its original three-season run, the show was not new and went on a six-year hiatus. Investigation Discovery revived the series for a fourth season, which aired from 2014 to 2015. Forensic psychologist Dr. Kris Mohandie took over as host for this final season. This revival kept the format largely intact, continuing to apply Stone’s scale to new case studies.
Dr. Stone detailed his evil scale in his 2009 book, The Anatomy of Evil. He later co-authored a follow-up book on modern violence in 2019. The series remains a notable entry in Investigation Discovery’s library of forensic crime programming. Reruns continue to air on various streaming platforms and within ID’s broader true crime catalog.
