TV crime/thriller series (fiction)

New to Tattle Life? Click "Order Thread by Most Liked Posts" button below to get an idea of what the site is about:
I’m really into my crime/thriller type series, yet I have a huge list of series on Netflix to work through and not sure where to start. Thinking along the lines of Doctor Foster, Marcella, The Stranger, The Fall. Also enjoyed some international offerings like The Killing, Borgen and Spiral.

I’ve spotted a few on Netflix e.g The Dark, The Rain, Borderliners, Marseille....
Has anyone got any recommendations or things to not bother with? Some of these series have several seasons and I’m always wary to invest time in something if it’s just going to get weak on the second season.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Recommend:

True Detective (season 1) it’s bloody brilliant. Liar (was on ITV)

ETA: Sorry just realised you were specifically asking for Netflix recommendations!!!! My bad!!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Recommend:

True Detective (season 1) it’s bloody brilliant. Liar (was on ITV)

ETA: Sorry just realised you were specifically asking for Netflix recommendations!!!! My bad!!!!
Is Liar the one with Ioan Gruffudd? I enjoyed the first season but the second was unwatchable and couldn’t feel any empathy for the main character 🤦🏻‍♀️ Will take a look at True Detective though!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3
Is Liar the one with Ioan Gruffudd? I enjoyed the first season but the second was unwatchable and couldn’t feel any empathy for the main character 🤦🏻‍♀️ Will take a look at True Detective though!
Yep, that's the one. The second season was awful!

I don't have recommendations off the top of my head but I did enjoy The Rain but a bit of a disappointing ending.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Not Netflix recommendations but just in case you run out of other shows on there I'd recommend from Amazon (you do have to pay but you could get 1 of each if you fancy them and see what you think).

Wallander (not the Kenneth Branagh version - the original Swedish version) It's fabulous. Krister Henriksson is amazing as Wallander and the earlier series with Johanna Sällström as his daughter are so brilliant (such a sad story with Johanna) though I liked them all. It was the first foreign series I fell in love with (And I loved Spiral and the original The Killing too after) Each episode is feature length.

I really enjoyed Traces as well which is much more recent and was a book adaption (which includes Martin Compston of Line of Duty fame though he's not the principal character at all).

I just checked and Whitechapel is on Netflix - a detective programme from years ago so you may have seen it. I quite enjoyed it. Rupert Penry-Jones and Phil Davis. Oh and just seeing on Netflix about State of Play (film version) reminded me of the amazing tv series originally with John Simm. It is 'available' online. About a newspaper investigating the death of a political researcher. (you may have seen it too but ah it was brill). Anyway, sorry for the waffle. 🤦‍♀️

eta: I just noticed there's a programme called Young Wallander on netflix and it's from sweden so I'm so excited to watch and thought would mention it.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 3
I’ll make another vote for Whitechapel! Presuming you’ve seen Luther and Line of Duty?
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1
The Sinner (season 1) is amazing. Really hooks you in.
Line of Duty
Doctor Foster
I got about 4 episodes in to the fall and gave up.. Can't get on with it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3
Mindhunter on Netflix. All about criminal profiling and based on true cases. I really enjoyed it.
Also just finished The Bridge on iplayer, scandinoir, again really enjoyed it.
On Netflix film wise I watched a few thrillers,
1- Prisoners, psychological thriller with Jake Gyllenhaal and High Jackman. 2 - The life of David Gale, about death penalty, stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. And thirdly The Frozen Ground, serial killer and based on true story, starring John Cusack and Nichols Cage (he’s actually V good in this)

edit forgot to add On Netflix La Mante Is v good too, French crime drama based on copycat murders
 
  • Like
Reactions: 3
Mindhunter on Netflix. All about criminal profiling and based on true cases. I really enjoyed it.
Also just finished The Bridge on iplayer, scandinoir, again really enjoyed it.
On Netflix film wise I watched a few thrillers,
1- Prisoners, psychological thriller with Jake Gyllenhaal and High Jackman. 2 - The life of David Gale, about death penalty, stars Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. And thirdly The Frozen Ground, serial killer and based on true story, starring John Cusack and Nichols Cage (he’s actually V good in this)

edit forgot to add On Netflix La Mante Is v good too, French crime drama based on copycat murders
Love Mindhunter, especially after spotting Jonathan Groff as King George in Hamilton :)
I've seen La Mante, it was very good!

Frozen Ground is on my list so may give that a watch. Have seen Line of Duty but not Luther. Have read some Wallander books so TV show sounds decent.
 
Love Mindhunter, especially after spotting Jonathan Groff as King George in Hamilton :)
I've seen La Mante, it was very good!

Frozen Ground is on my list so may give that a watch. Have seen Line of Duty but not Luther. Have read some Wallander books so TV show sounds decent.
I’m just starting Wallander, don’t know how I’ve missed it
 
Just started watching Unbelievable on Netflix, first episode but seems like it will be pretty good!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: 2
Just started watching Unbelievable on Netflix, first episode but seems like it will be pretty good!!
Unbelievable is fantastic. I thought the first episode was slow and nearly gave up but Merritt Wever changed the game for me. Never seen her in anything before but she was mesmerising in this. Excellent. Should have won way more awards than it did.

Would also recommend....

The Tunnel (Sky) - first series is the British/French version of The Bridge (which I've never seen) - after that, the other two series are original stories. Stephen Dillane & Clémence Poésy are excellent together as the leads and I cared so much about Karl & Elise's friendship that it made me cry (a lot)

Cardinal - all four seasons should still be on iPlayer. Canadian take on Nordic crime thrillers. Again, I was so invested in the relationship between the two leads, played by Billy Campbell & Karina Vanasse. Actually still feel a bit bereft it's over. First season is pretty grim if you don't like watching torture (I don't)

Black Spot (Zone Blanche) - French crime/mystery series. Three series on Netflix. In fact, any French crime drama generally gets my vote.

Manhunt - one of ITV's takes on "true crime" - this one is about Levi Bellfield and was surprisingly really gripping even though I know the story. Little Boy Blue was also very good. I haven't watched A Confession or White House Farm.

When They See Us - Netflix. Not watched it myself (it's on my list) but it won a ton of awards (stole them off Chernobyl and Unbelievable) It's a drama about the real life wrongful conviction of five black youths for the assault and rape of a white female jogger in New York.

Luther - I've watched every single episode right from when it started and I've enjoyed it but it's not realistic at all. He's just another on the verge of a mental breakdown cop playing by his own rules (as they all are)

As someone else has said, the first season of True Detective is excellent. Haven't watched any of the others so can't comment but the second one was absolutely panned.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: 1
Its older but the tunnel it was on sky 1 if still available somewhere to watch as good

I sit and gonthrough BBC iplayer but think I've seen them all now waiting on new ones
 
The Killing (USA Version), Safe, The Stranger were all good. Another vote for Happy Valley too.
Less dark and more ‘entertaining’, But based on non-fiction true crime, The assignation of Gianni Versace is one of the best things I’ve seen on TV in years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 4
True Detective: 1st series great, 2nd one don't bother, 3rd series is very good. Each season is a standalone story so it won't matter if you ditch season 2.

A little known one that I caught by accident last year and was excellent is I Am The Night, which is based on a true story.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1