Since 2015, Day has been the
showrunner for numerous
true crime television documentaries and series including
The Shocking Truth, and
Sex, Lies & Murder for
Pyramid Productions. In 2018, Day co-wrote, co-produced and directed,
Casey Anthony: Her Friends Speak, in which people involved in the
Casey Anthony trial reunited. That same year Day directed
Slender Man Stabbing: The Untold Story, which featured the first interviews with many involved in the
Slender Man Stabbing in
Waukesha, Wisconsin. In 2019, he was the executive producer of
Oxygen's The Disappearance of Susan Cox Powell with Texas Crew Productions. In 2021, Day produced and directed the series
Fall River with
Blumhouse on Epix. Critic Brian Tellerico wrote "Epix's Fall River reminded me of how well these kind of long-form investigative journalism pieces can be done".
Charles Manson James Buddy Day wrote to
Charles Manson in 2016 and proposed creating a documentary to explore Manson's longstanding claim of innocence. Manson accepted, and when Manson died on November 19, 2017, Day became the last journalist to interview him through a year long series of phone calls, which were the basis for the film
Charles Manson: The Final Words. Narrated by musician and director
Rob Zombie, the documentary focuses on the
Manson family murders with interviews with so-called "Manson Family" members,
Barbara Hoyt,
Catherine Gillies, and
Bobby Beausoleil. The documentary presents an "alternate theory" behind the so-called "
Manson Family" crimes, proposing the murders were the result of a series of interconnected events surrounding Charles Manson, in contrast to the Los Angeles District Attorney's theory that the murders were the result of Manson's desire to start a race war he called "
Helter Skelter." The film premiered on
REELZ Channel and was awarded the 2017 Audience Award at the
Red Rock Film Festival, Best Dramatic Documentary at the
Atlanta Docufest 2017, as well as and Official Selection of CUFF.Docs 2017 and the
Calgary Underground Film Festival. The film was listed as recommended viewing by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. In 2018, Day directed the documentary
Charles Manson: The Funeral for MyEntertainment which documented the legal battle over Manson's remains and subsequent funeral held by Manson's grandson Jason Freeman. In 2019, Day directed a third Manson related film called
Manson: The Women for the
Oxygen Channel. The documentary featured
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme,
Sandra "Blue" Good,
Diane "Snake" Lake, and
Catherine "Gypsy" Share. Day wrote a book about his experiences speaking with Charles Manson, and the Manson Family,
Hippie Cult Leader: The Last Words of Charles Manson. == Filmography ==