15 Best TV Shows Like Mindhunter

One of the best crime shows around is "Mindhunter," originally set up at HBO before debuting on Netflix in 2017. The series follows FBI criminal profilers Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they interview notorious incarcerated serial killers to better understand their psyche. This informs how they conduct subsequent investigations throughout the series to identify and apprehend murderers on the loose. Critically acclaimed, the Netflix original series featured filmmaker David Fincher as its showrunner and occasional episode director, bringing his moody cinematic style to the proceedings.

While fans wait for "Mindhunter" to hopefully return, albeit reportedly not in the form they'd expect, there is no shortage of television crime thrillers. Similarly centered around murder mysteries, often involving serial killers, these shows deliver grisly suspense coupled with psychological procedural crime-solving. 

For those looking to keep the intense crime thrills coming, here are the 15 best shows like "Mindhunter."

If there was ever a British television detective perfect to handle the horrors depicted in "Mindhunter," it's John Luther. Played expertly by Idris Elba, Luther is tasked with solving violent crimes around London, often involving devious serial killers. Obsessively proactive, Luther puts himself in harm's way to stop these murderers from claiming additional victims, leading to taut showdowns. Luther's work often spills over to his personal wife with disastrous consequences, furthering the haunted quality around him.

Tautly staged, "Luther" makes London feel like a violent criminal's playground, with each shadow potentially containing a killer. That tension helps inform Elba's intense performance as the eponymous detective, matching the menace of the crooks he pursues. After five seasons, Idris Elba returned to John Luther once more in the Netflix movie "Luther: The Fallen Sun," seamlessly reprising his fan-favorite role. An absolute masterclass in producing police psychological thrillers, "Luther" consistently brings the edge-of-your-seat suspense across its entire run.

The 2007 Danish series "The Killing" was loosely adapted into an American series of the same name by AMC in 2011. Set in Seattle, the show centers on police detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) as they investigate the murder of local teen Rosie Larsen (Katie Findlay). The pair find a complex mystery that stretches all the way to an ongoing mayoral campaign as they try to identify the culprit. The show's final two seasons cover separate murder mysteries that Linden has a complicated and dangerously close connection to.

"The Killing" makes great use of its Pacific Northwest setting, with the constantly rainy weather and dark environments elevating its neo-noir qualities. Though the show did face criticism at the time for letting its central mystery run for two seasons, the eventual resolution is delivered in a satisfying way. Facing cancellation after its third season, Netflix picked up the show for its fourth and final season to end the story on its own terms. One of the best crime TV shows streaming on Netflix, "The Killing" brings plenty of ominous atmosphere to its murder mysteries.

It's Kevin Bacon versus an entire cult of killers in the 2013 psychological thriller series "The Following." Bacon plays former FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who emerges from retirement when the notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy), who he previously arrested, escapes. Anticipating this, Carroll has his followers kidnap his son Joey Matthews (Kyle Catlett) as part of a larger plan to reunite with his ex-wife and embarrass Hardy. Subsequent seasons have Hardy and his colleagues take on other murderous cults and serial killers picking up from Carroll's legacy.

"The Following" is another one of those shows that pushed depictions of on-screen violence to their limit on network television. Bacon plays the role of a haunted federal agent well, with the show's appeal rooted in his obsessive quest to take down his murderous nemesis again. That dynamic helps sell the bloody kills punctuating the story, driving the narrative forward while underscoring the stakes. Fox canceled Kevin Bacon's "The Following" after three seasons, but those existing episodes pack plenty of gruesome thrills.

English television is primarily known for cozy British detective series, but it can bring the heart-rending stakes and high intensity with its programming too. One of the best British crime dramas around is 2013's "Broadchurch," set in its titular fictional English seaside town. The small community is shocked by the murder of a local boy, with police detectives Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) assigned to the case. The show not only focuses on the murder investigation but the killing's impact on the entire town, especially the victim's family.

"Broadchurch" thematically covers a lot of the same ground as "The Killing" but from a uniquely British perspective. That distinction is a big part of why the American remake starring David Tennant didn't have the same lasting quality as the original series. Seeing Hardy and Miller not only work together but reconcile with their traumatic pasts helps the audience get invested in the story. A murder mystery with a heartbreakingly human core, "Broadchurch" is a searing drama that leaves no major character untouched from its impact.

"The Fall" is one of those crime thrillers where the villain is identified from the outset, with the story more focused on the pursuit of the killer. The show involves serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) targeting young women in the Northern Irish capital of Belfast. Realizing that a multiple murderer is involved, police superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) mounts an exhaustive investigation for the killer. Intrigued by his pursuer, Spector starts a psychological game of cat-and-mouse with Gibson as the manhunt intensifies.

Anderson delivers one of the best performances of her career in "The Fall," really capturing the tireless qualities of her character, despite the setbacks Gibson endures. This is matched by Dornan, wonderfully playing against type, as the cunning Spector, who relies on charm and manipulation to carry out his killings and evade the law. The show is also tightly paced, with each of its three seasons running for six episodes or less, keeping the story propulsive. A dark thrill to watch unfold, "The Fall" ranks among the all time best British detective series.

Author Thomas Harris' best-selling crime thriller novels following sophisticated cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter forms the basis for 2013's "Hannibal." Mads Mikkelsen plays the forensic psychiatrist with a murderous secret as he assists the FBI in pursuing various serial killers. This leads Lecter to form a deep bond with FBI profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), with Lecter fascinated by Graham's empathic approach towards murderers. As Lecter tries to conceal his true nature, Graham begins to suspect Lecter is more connected to the crimes they're investigating than he appears.

Given the prominent presence of its eponymous killer and its narrative premise, "Hannibal" puts a terrifying twist on procedural TV. The show pushes the limits of graphic violence on network television while providing a sharply written cat-and-mouse game between its lead actors. So much of the series' appeal is seeing the macabre and psychological dance between Lecter and Graham, complicated by other characters becoming involved. Ending after three seasons, the "Hannibal" cancellation still has fans in a chokehold years later, as they hope for closure to Lecter and Graham's story.

Over a decade since its debut, "True Detective" remains one of the best crime shows produced by HBO. An anthology series, each season features a standalone story and cast of characters investigating a gruesome murder. Often taking place in a small-town location, the stories sometimes span multiple time periods as the police detectives involved solve the case over a matter of decades. Among the memorable stories are the first season covering a serial killer case on the bayou and the fourth season investigating the massacre of scientists at an Alaskan research station.

With shows like "The Sopranos" and "The Wire," HBO really made a name for its original programming with crime series. With that in mind, "True Detective" is one of the best HBO crime dramas ever made, with even its weaker seasons offering intriguing narratives and strong performances. In the case of the latter, each season brings all-star talent, with virtually every actor at the top of their game. Evoking a strong style and with cases that'll keep viewers guessing until the end, "True Detective" always feels like event television whenever it returns.

The 2008 British crime show "Criminal Justice" by Peter Moffat was adapted into an American context for the 2016 HBO limited series "The Night Of." The series stars Riz Ahmed as Naz Khan, a college student accused of murdering a young woman in Manhattan. Though the evidence is stacked against Naz, grizzled defense attorney John Stone (John Turturro) agrees to take his case. In the meantime, Naz is held at Rikers Island penitentiary where he is constantly subjected to abuse by his fellow inmates.

"The Night Of" positions its story as a modern American tragedy, juxtaposed with the crime and legal drama elements. Naz is a victim of circumstance and continued prejudice against Muslim Americans, abused by a flawed justice system. Ahmed leans into those themes well while Turturro delivers one of the finest performances of his career as Stone. One of the best HBO miniseries ever, "The Night Of" is a harrowing drama that'll leave audiences emotionally shattered.

At /Film, we love K-dramas, the common term for South Korean scripted television, and judging by the streaming numbers, so do many of you too. One genre particularly prolific in Korean television are crime and revenge thrillers, which includes the 2017 series "Stranger." The show focuses on the partnership between empathy-less attorney Hwang Si-mok (Cho Seung-woo) and police detective Han Yeo-jin (Bae Doona). During their investigations, the pair uncover conspiracies between various elements of the criminal justice system and the rich and powerful.

With its dark overtones, "Stranger" is the crime K-drama that's perfect for fans of Netflix's "Mindhunter." While the narratives between the two shows are radically different, the procedural methodology that both crime-solving duos employ has visible parallels. What sets "Stranger" apart is its more salient commentary against systemic corruption and distrust of conventional authority figures. Smartly written and tautly presented, "Stranger" is a K-drama that appeals to even those unfamiliar with Korean television.

Veteran actor Bill Pullman heads the procedural thriller series "The Sinner," with its first season based on the 1999 novel by Petra Hammesfahr. Pullman plays police detective Harry Ambrose, with each of the show's four seasons featuring a different case and largely different supporting cast. Ambrose takes on murder mysteries involving graphic killings carried out by unlikely culprits, with the venerable detective trying to learn the motive behind each homicide. The fourth season has a retired Ambrose drawn into a case involving the disturbing disappearance of a local woman in a coastal Maine town.

Pullman brings a visible empathetic element to Ambrose, which simultaneously drives him and fuels the trauma he endures from every major case. That quality grows as the series progresses, leaving Ambrose a broken and haunted man by the show's final season. Pullman is matched by his rotating co-stars, with Jessica Biel and Carrie Coon among the standouts from the ensemble. One of the best detective TV shows currently available to stream on Netflix, "The Sinner" definitely deserves a lot more attention.

While primarily known for horror, Stephen King is also a quite prolific crime writer, with a trilogy of novels starring detective Bill Hodges among his work in the genre. These novels were adapted into the television series "Mr. Mercedes," named for the first book of the trilogy, with Brendan Gleeson playing Hodges. A retired police detective haunted by an unsolved incident where a killer drove through a crowd of people, Hodges is targeted by young psychopath Brady Hartsfield (Harry Treadaway). As Hartfield expands his obsessively terrifying campaign to those close to Hodges, the detective works with Holly Gibney (Justine Lupe) to stop the killer from claiming more victims.

"Mr. Mercedes" excels at building its own suspenseful psychological battle of wits between its grizzled hero and merciless villains. Gleeson plays Hodges like the world-weary lawman that King introduced, while the show keeps its enemies just as unrepentantly dastardly and disturbing as the text. King didn't mince words about the show's fate, knowing exactly what went wrong with the "Mr. Mercedes" TV series, blaming its obscurity for initially being on the now-defunct Audience Network. One of the most underrated Stephen King TV shows, "Mr. Mercedes" provides three seasons of tightly crafted mystery thrillers.

Another Stephen King crime thriller adaptation, "The Outsider" brings in more overtly terrifying horror elements. The HBO original limited series starts with the discovered grisly murder of a young boy, shocking his small Georgia hometown. Though police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) initially believes he has caught the murderer, it quickly becomes clear something more disturbing is at work. Arriving to assist Anderson is Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), a detective with heightened cognitive intuition, who helps expose the full scope of the crime.

As it currently stands, "The Outsider" is the best Stephen King TV series according to Rotten Tomatoes, a distinction that's well-earned. The show's slow burn leads to some genuinely frightening moments, often against the suitably creepy backdrop that's been building since the first episode. The entire ensemble cast does great, with Mendelsohn and Erivo as the major standouts in depicting their contrasting partnership. Though HBO didn't renew it, Stephen King believes "The Outsider" deserves a second season, and so do we.

Kate Winslet delivers one of her greatest performances in the HBO limited series "Mare of Easttown," which aired in 2021. Winslet plays Mare Sheehan, a troubled police detective in a small Pennsylvanian town who the community blames for recently failing to solve the disappearance of a local girl. Mare becomes involved with investigating the murder of a teen mother, linked to dark secrets around town. As she solves the case, Mare overcomes many of her own personal issues, including the death of her son Kevin (Cody Kostro).

Befitting its setting, "Mare of Easttown" is a grounded, intimate crime drama with a richly developed sense of community through its ensemble cast. This an unapologetically messy look at working-class suburbia, with many of the characters' flaws on full display. Leading it all is Kate Winslet's phenomenal lead performance delving into the small-town mystery, which stands as arguably her best on-screen work. A stirring character piece centered around a local killing, "Mare of Easttown" is a reminder that not every prestige crime show needs a flashy presentation.

The 2022 Apple TV limited series "Black Bird" is based on a true story, recounting the undercover exploits of Jimmy Keene. Convicted over possession of narcotics and illegal firearms, Keene (Taron Egerton) is approached by the FBI with a unique offer to have his criminal record expunged. In exchange, Keene has to spend time with convicted serial killer Larry Hall (Paul Walter Hauser) and coax additional confessions from him regarding unsolved murders. This has Keene confront a true heart of darkness in prison in a desperate bid for his freedom.

There is a deliberate pacing and sense of understatement to "Black Bird," which makes its tense and terrifying moments hit harder. Hauser handles much of the dramatic heavy lifting, bringing a multifaceted approach to his lethal role. Hall and Keene's dynamic provides the story with its juiciest material, and both actors revel in the opportunities they're given to explore that rapport. A true crime story that focuses on the human element of its key players, "Black Bird" treats its material respectfully without compromising its inherent intensity.

After creating "Mare of Easttown," screenwriter and producer Brad Ingelsby's next major HBO project was the 2025 limited series "Task." The show stars Mark Ruffalo, who also executive produced the project, as FBI agent and former Catholic priest Tom Brandis. Brandis is placed in charge of a task force investigating robberies involving biker gang stash houses in and around Pennsylvania. As the investigation escalates, Brandis realizes that someone on his team might not be who they seem.

To be sure, "Task" is a much more action-oriented and tautly delivered crime thriller than "Mare of Easttown" by design. For all the intense set pieces, the show is also bleaker than Ingelsby's previous HBO limited series, particularly as the full scope of the story becomes clear. Ruffalo is reliably good, as is co-star Tom Pelphrey whose character serves as a counterpoint to Brandis. A much different beast than "Mare of Easttown," but no less excellently crafted, "Task" is another crime thriller hit from HBO.