In the mood for mystery? Here are the best mystery TV shows you can binge on Netflix and Hulu.
Sometimes I get tired of summer flings and beach romances and want to watch something that chills me to the bone. In a case like this, I turn to mysteries, and there’s an abundance of good ones you can stream online.
If you’re ready to put on your Sherlock Holmes cap, here’s a list of mystery series I recommend to stream.
The best TV mysteries on Hulu and Netflix
‘The Fall’ (Netflix)
Gillian Anderson is the queen of ice queens in this Netflix partnership series that takes place in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Detective Stella Gibson searches for a serial killer who strangles his female victims and then poses them naked.
The mystery isn’t whodunnit. The mystery is how Stella is going to catch and apprehend the killer, played by Jamie Dornan, whom you might know as Christian from Fifty Shades of Grey. Stella knows how to do her job, but she also knows how to use her sexuality to get what she wants, which comes in handy when you’re trying to draw out a serial rapist.
Disturbing to watch, but I couldn’t stop watching. Gillian Anderson is so good at sizzling beneath the icy exterior, and Jamie Dornan is almost too good at playing the cute, normal guy with deviant sexual appetites.
‘Bloodline’ (Netflix original)
Bloodline follows the Rayburn family, a staple in their Key West town, as they navigate the rough waters when prodigal son Danny, played by Ben Mendelsohn, returns for good. This family has many skeletons they want to stay buried, and they get one more skeleton when Danny is killed.
We know Danny dies in the first episode as the show flashes forward to reveal his brother John, played by Kyle Chandler, attempting to dump the body. It’s unclear who killed him, as each of the Rayburns have enough cause. As we see John hide the evidence, we hear his voice say, “We’re not bad people, but we did a bad thing.”
You don’t want to miss this stellar cast that includes Sissy Spacek, Linda Cardellini, Norbert Leo Butz, and Sam Shepherd as the core Rayburn clan. Ben Mendelsohn is heartbreaking as the black sheep of the family, and Kyle Chandler messes with our clear eyes and full hearts. It’s hard to see his character attempt to be Coach Taylor from Friday Night Lights and fail.
‘National Treasure’ (Hulu original)
Paul Finchley, played by Robbie Coltrane, is a living comedy legend and considered a national treasure. His life is turned upside down when he’s accused of committing sexual abuse over ten years ago. Sound familiar? Although this mini-series wasn’t directly inspired by Bill Cosby, I can’t help but think of it.
National Treasure seems to be a he said/she said case, but it gets more intriguing as we learn more about Paul’s past dalliances. Who do we trust, and can we even trust our own memories of the past?
Shout out to the series’ production design. The bright pastel colors seem more suited for a sitcom, but they work to highlight the fact this this is about a comedy legend. We want to laugh, but we can’t.
And the Harry Potter inception kills me with Hagrid playing Paul Finchley and Mrs. Weasley playing his wife.
‘Happy Valley’ (Netflix)
There’s nobody who can do mystery like the British, and this Netflix partnership series Happy Valley is no exception. Veteran British actress Sarah Lancashire plays police officer Catherine Cawood, who investigates the kidnapping of a young woman.
Catherine’s got a lot on her plate, though, as she takes care of both her sister and her grandson. On top of that, the man who brutally raped her daughter and drove her to suicide is back in town.
Again, we know who perpetrated the kidnapping early on, but the thrill lies in watching Catherine get closer to finding the young woman as well as dealing out justice to the man who tore her family apart.
While I admit the initial impetus for the kidnapping seems unrealistic, the series doesn’t shy away from grittiness and the reality of how certain crimes affect generations.