Crime thrillersare some of the most beloved TV shows on the small screen, and as a fan of the genre, there are some essential series that should be on your watchlist if you haven’t already seen them. Traditional proceduralcrime TV showslikeThe BlacklistandCriminal Mindshave left lasting impressions on people, but the genre has also changed over the years.
With streaming platforms taking bigger risks, we’ve gotten some amazingcrime thrillersrecently, some of which might have flown under a lot of people’s radars. From classic detective stories to disturbing character studies, some shows are essential viewing for crime thriller fans.
The Killing
Cast
Set in Seattle, this crime drama follows homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder as they navigate complex murder investigations. The series delves into the procedural intricacies of detective work while unraveling the personal and professional challenges faced by its central characters.
One of the most underratedTV shows released in the 2010s,The Killingboasts an impressive cast, which includes Joel Kinnaman, Peter Sarsgaard, and Mireille Enos. Based on the Danish novel,Forbrydelsenby Søren Sveistrup,The Killingsees two homicide detectives investigate their city’s darkest crimes.
AlthoughThe Killing hasfour seasons, it was by no means an easy ride for the show.The crime drama was cancelled after airing for two seasons by AMC, but was revived by the network. After the third season debuted, AMC decided it wouldn’t be going forward with a fourth season. Fortunately, Netflix picked up the crime dramas for its fourth and final installment.
Given the fact thatThe Killingwas canceled twice but was able to continue, which is a rare occurrence for TV shows, it speaks to the quality of the crime drama. Like many crime thrillers,The Killinghas a dark and moody toneto it that adds an element of suspense and foreboding. The series’ main characters, Detectives Linden and Holden, are extremely flawed.
However, they are also well-developed characters who evolve over time. WhileThe Killingdeviates from its source material, it’s still an entertaining watch with engaging mysteries and plot twists that will keep any fans of crime thrillers on the edge of their seats.
The Night Of
The Night of is a TV mini-series revolving around Nasir ‘Naz’ Khan, a young college student who, after partying with a woman, finds her stabbed to death in his room the following morning. Riz Ahmed stars as Naz alongside John Turturro as his lawyer and Michael K. Williams as Freddy Knight, an influential inmate at Rikers Island.
HBO is synonymous with good television, andThe Night Ofis no different. Based on the British seriesCriminal Justice,The Night Oftells a gripping story of a young man who is arrested for a crime he has no recollection of committing. Told in eight short episodes,the HBO miniserieswill have you hooked from its first episode.
What the award-winning series does so well is that the mysteries in the show slowly unravel in a way that makes it unpredictable.The Night Ofisn’t by any means revolutionary in terms of its premise. However,Riz Ahmed perfected the art of playing a wounded character whose life is ruined by simply being at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
The rest ofThe Night Of’s ensemble give gripping performances that remain etched in the audience’s minds. From how John Turturro’s John Stone fights for his client, to the impact that Naz’s incarceration has on his family, there’s no scene in the series that doesn’t pack an emotional punch. The HBO miniseries is heartwrenching, but also offers relevant commentary on the justice system.
Snowfall
Snowfall is an FX original series that focuses on the beginning of the crack cocaine epidemic that swept Los Angeles in the 1980s. The show lasted for six seasons and starred Damson Idris, Carter Hudson, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Isaiah John, and Amin Joseph. Snowfall wrapped its final season in April 2023.
Snowfallis a character-driven crime drama with an incredibly touching and important premise. Set in Los Angeles between 1983 and 1986,Snowfallcenters around the crack cocaine epidemic that had befallen the City of Angels. The crime drama is an enthralling tale of drugs, corruption, and violence.
Damson Idris, who plays Franklin Saint in the series, gives a career-defining performancein the crime drama. Saint is a flawed character with a determination to rise to the top of the crime syndicate.Snowfallis as relevant today as it was when it debuted because it touches on a painful history that deserves to be talked about.
The Glass Dome
The Glass Dome, released on June 26, 2025, follows criminologist Lejla as she joins the search for her friend’s missing daughter while confronting the trauma of her own childhood abduction.
Netflix has a lot of great non-English language crime thrillers, including Swedish shows that have become fan-favorites, likeThe Glass Dome. Set in the small fictional town in Sweden called Granås,The Glass Domeis an exhilarating thriller that takes audiences on a wild ride full of twists and turns.
Like many well-crafted crime shows,The Glass Dome’s strength lies in how well it establishes its plot without giving too much information. Because of this,audiences and the characters in the show are in the same boat as they try to figure out who the bad guy is.The Glass Domehas an engaging mystery, but it also takes the time to shine a light on its characters while also focusing on relevant themes like PTSD.
Top of the Lake
Top of the Lake is a mystery drama series directed by Jane Campion and Garth Davis. It stars Elisabeth Moss as Detective Robin Griffin, who investigates the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl in the remote town of Laketop, New Zealand. The series delves into complex themes such as crime, motherhood, and societal dysfunction, set against a haunting and isolated backdrop.
Led byThe Handmaid Tales’ Elizabeth Moss,Top of the Lakeis an emotionally impactful show that will remain with you long after the credits roll. The premise centers around Detective Robin Griffin and her investigation into the tragedy that befalls two young girls.Top of the Lakeonly ran for two seasons, but it deserved to have more installments.
The series is intense from start to finish and includes nuanced characters who bring the story to life. Like many shows about such devastating crimes,Top of the Lakewill have you invested from its very first episodewith its twists and unpredictable plot that comes to a satisfying conclusion.
Black Bird
Inspired by the true story of convicted serial killer Larry Hall, Black Bird is an Apple TV+ drama series that follows a wealthy young named James Keene Jr., who finds himself imprisoned after being convicted on drugs and weapons charges. Fortunately for James, the FBI offers him an early out - if he can get Larry to sign a confession by befriending him in prison, his sentence will be commuted.
Apple TV+’sBlack Birdis an underrated crime drama with an incredible cast and a suspenseful premise.Based on James Keene and Hillel Levin’sIn with the Devil: a Fallen Hero, a Serial Killer, and a Dangerous Bargain for Redemption,Black Birdstars Tarom Egerton, who gives one of his performances as James “Jimmy” Keene in the series.
WhileBlack Birdhas a gripping premise,it’s Egerton’s performance that truly brings the show to life.Black Birdoffers many heartpounding moments as Jimmy works to elicit a confession from one of the prison’s most dangerous criminals. The crime thriller is so intense and suspenseful that it will keep any fans of the genre glued to the screen.
The Twelve
The Twelve is a courtroom drama centered around 12 Australians selected for jury duty in a high-stakes murder trial. The narrative unfolds as the jurors confront the complex case of a woman accused of killing her teenage niece, bringing to light the emotional and legal challenges involved.
TV shows about jurors and the process they use to either convict or release an accused person have a large fan base, and it’s easy to see why.Based on the Belgian miniseriesDe twaalf,which was created by Sanne Nuyens and Bert Van Dael,The Twelveis a nerve-wracking series that takes audiences on a thrilling ride as it delves into devastating crimes.
The third season ofThe Twelveis set to premiere on July 01, 2025.
WhileThe Twelvesuffers from pacing issues and sometimes loses its focus, it’s still an entertaining series that any fan of crime thrillers can lose themselves in.Each season of the show has a new crime, giving audiences a fresh look at intriguing and gripping stories about how the justice system works.
Mindhunter
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
22 years after John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker’s true crime book,Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit, Netflix adapted the novel into a TV show. The series follows two FBI agents who endeavor to understand why criminals commit crimes.Mindhunteris a “whydunnit” type of crime drama, meaning the focus is on why people commit these horrible crimes.
Mindhunterwas cancelled after two seasons.
The show’s allure instead lies in how FBI agents Ford and Tench dedicate their lives to understanding the psychology of criminals in order to help solve crimes that have proved difficult to crack.Mindhunteris a masterpiece and offers an interesting insight into one of the most important parts of law enforcementand how it came to be. The series is intense, but also educational, which in turn makes for an entertaining crime drama.
AlthoughAnimal Kingdomwas released in 2016 and found some success, it wasn’t on most people’s radar. However,now thatAnimal Kingdomis on Netflix, it’s getting the recognition it rightfully deserves. There are plenty of shows about dysfunctional families, butAnimal Kingdomsets itself apart with nuanced and flawed characters.
Animal Kingdomhas six seasons, with 75 episodes.
The combination of crime, family drama, and high-stakes situations makes for an entertaining watch. The characters are far from perfect, but that’s what makes the series so fun to watch.
The Sinner
The Sinner is a crime anthology series created by Derek Simonds that ran for four seasons on the USA Network. Bill Pullman is the star in each season, which all examine a different crime committed by the unlikeliest of culprits. The series was originally supposed to be an eight-part mini-series, but the success of season 1 caused USA to continue it as an anthology.
Once in a while, a great show likeThe Sinneris created, and it changes how audiences perceive what makes a good crime drama. With four seasons that aired from 2017 to 2021,The Sinneris one of the most gripping TV shows of the past 10 years. Its greatest strength lies in how it changes the formula of crime dramas.
Instead of beginning with a mystery and then trying to solve it,The Sinner’s plot unfolds the other way round.The Sinnerstarts with a crime being committed and then the detectives trying to figure out why, even when the evidence about who the perpetrator is is already clear. Because of this formula,The Sinnerwill take you on an intriguing journey filled with questions that get satisfying answers.
