Best Shows Like True Detective

True Detective has been completely reinvigorated by its fourth season after an extended hiatus. Led by an engaging cast, True Detective sets a new standard, but there are plenty of shows like it if you’re still looking for a crime fix. Here are the best shows like True Detective.

Mindhunter

Filmmaker David Fincher, who previously helmed Seven and Zodiac, played a major role in developing the acclaimed Netflix original series Mindhunter, created by Joe Penhall. The show chronicles the early days of forensic psychology and criminal profiling, set in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. The series follows FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they solve ongoing crimes being committed nationwide and interrogate serial killers to learn more about how the minds of murderers work.

Series leads Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv keep the audience’s attention riveted as they encounter real-life serial killers, including Charles Manson and the Son of Sam. Fincher directed most of the series’ episodes in addition to serving as showrunner and executive producer, with Mindhunter boasting his meticulous, moody style. A crime procedural that is as haunting as it is impossible to look away, Mindhunter is among the best shows Netflix has ever produced.

Tokyo Vice

True Detective isn’t the only crime drama currently on Max enjoying critical acclaim, with Tokyo Vice returning for its second season in February 2024. Loosely based on the 2009 memoir of the same name, Tokyo Vice follows crime reporter Jake Adelstein after he is the first foreigner hired by one of the largest newspapers in Japan. Though Jake encounters murder scenes and becomes embroiled in the activities of local yakuza clans, he finds the way the Japanese handle crime reporting and law enforcement far different from what he originally anticipated.

Tokyo Vice works better as an atmospheric neo-noir than it does as a straightforward crime story, from its twisting system of alliances and betrayals to heated rivalries and feuds. The show’s Japanese cast are among the biggest actors in the country, including Ken Watanabe, Rinko Kikuchi, and Shun Sugata. Showcasing a side of Japanese culture and life in Tokyo rarely seen in the Western world, Tokyo Vice is a thrilling watch from start to finish.

The Killing

From Twin Peaks to Alan Wake, there is just something foreboding about the Pacific Northwest, and the 2011 crime series The Killing similarly uses this setting to great effect. Loosely adapting the 2007 Danish series of the same name, The Killing follows two police detectives investigating the murder of a local teen in Seattle. The latter two seasons follow different murder mysteries, each with their own lurid figures and twisted surprises.

The Killing is the series that brought Swedish actor Joel Kinnaman to the Hollywood mainstream, setting him on a path to eventually land roles in the DC Extended Universe and beyond. His rapport with series lead Mireille Enos carries the series right from their first meeting, stronger than some of True Detective’s protagonist pairings. But what really elevates The Killing is its tight pacing, with virtually every episode ending in a way that will keep viewers coming back for more as they remain at the edge of their seats.

Perry Mason

Police detectives aren’t the only ones who investigate murder mysteries, with the acclaimed HBO series Perry Mason following the eponymous hard-boiled defense attorney. Set in 1930s Los Angeles, Perry Mason has its protagonist take on the rich and powerful manipulating the less fortunate around the city at the height of the Great Depression. This is juxtaposed with Perry’s shambolic personal life as he struggles through a divorce and traumatic experiences serving in World War I.

Fresh off his award-winning turn in The Americans, Matthew Rhys is in incredible form as Perry, nailing the tricky balance of playing a character who’s constantly down on his luck yet still competent and intelligent. Perry Mason is a period piece that treats its setting as an effective source of creative material rather than a noir-tinged novelty. Tragically only running for two seasons before being canceled, the show is among HBO’s stronger recent original series.

Luther

Crime dramas and thrillers are huge in the United Kingdom, maintaining a tradition popularized by authors like Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie. One of the most consistently entertaining thrillers to come out of the country is Luther, starring Idris Elba as no-nonsense police chief inspector John Luther. Obsessive and driven, Luther finds himself facing some of the most terrifying serial killers throughout London, relying on his quick wits to root them out and survive the harrowing encounters.

Elba is absolutely magnetic in his performance as Luther, thoroughly committed to the role and maintaining such a powerful presence, even in the character’s quieter moments. Of all the shows on this list, Luther is also the scariest, boasting some of the tensest scenes in the genre and most unrepentant villains, including a memorable antagonistic turn from Andy Serkis. Running for five seasons, Luther received a continuation film in 2023 on Netflix with Luther: The Fallen Sun, with the same high quality that made the show so internationally successful in the first place. 

And those are the best shows like True Detective.