Television series
Aquarius
Aquarius is a tense crime procedural set in 1967 Los Angeles, following a hardboiled detective hunting a charismatic cult leader through the underworld of hippie culture. David Duchovny anchors it as a square-jawed cop operating in a world that's leaving him behind. It's meticulous, atmospheric, and genuinely creepy—less about sensationalism than about how manipulation works.
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MINDHUNTER2017
FBI profilers in the 1970s building criminal psychology from scratch, interviewing killers in federal prison. Methodical, cerebral, and haunted by what obsession costs. Fincher directs with meticulous control.
But There's almost no action. If you need plot momentum or explosions, this moves at a thoughtful crawl that might frustrate you.
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood2019
Tarantino's love letter to 1960s LA, where a fading actor and his stunt double drift through a world about to be shattered by Manson's murders. Gorgeous, funny, and strange—the historical dread sits underneath like a bass note.
But It's slow and digressive. If you're expecting a conventional narrative, you'll find yourself wishing Tarantino would get on with it.
Serpico1973
Al Pacino as a cop trying to do right in a system rigged against him, fighting corruption from inside. Gritty, urgent, and powered by moral outrage. The '70s police procedural at its most honest and lean.
But It's firmly of its era—the pacing and visual style might feel dated if you need modern polish. Some scenes drag.
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Inherent Vice2014
Both are LA crime stories where the counterculture and official power collide; both treat the '60s/'70s as a world-ending moment rather than just a backdrop.
Paul Thomas Anderson adapts Pynchon's stoned LA detective novel as a 1970s noir fever dream. Josh Brolin and Joaquin Phoenix spiral through conspiracy, corruption, and the death of the counterculture. Funny, hallucinatory, and utterly original.
But The plot is deliberately unclear and the pacing drifts. If you need clarity and forward momentum, this will drive you to distraction.
More like this (6)
The Deuce2017
David Simon's sprawl through Times Square in the 1970s, where sex workers, traffickers, and detectives collide in a city rotting from the inside. Blunt, compassionate, and structurally ambitious.
But It's sexually graphic by design, and some viewers find the slow-burn storytelling exhausting. You need patience and stomach for vice.
Zodiac2007
Fincher's obsessive procedural about the hunt for the Zodiac Killer. Two detectives descend into a labyrinth of ciphers, dead ends, and maddening ambiguity. Technically flawless and hypnotic.
But There's no satisfying resolution—it ends on uncertainty. If you watch crime stories to see justice done, this will leave you frustrated.
L.A. Confidential1997
Corrupt 1950s LA where three detectives navigate lies, power, and a murder that threatens to expose everything. Beautifully structured, gorgeously shot, and thrilling without breaking a sweat.
But The tone is slicker and more stylish than Aquarius. If you're after raw procedural grit, this might feel too polished.
Mystic River2003
Three childhood friends, now detectives or ex-cons, collide over a girl's murder in Boston. Clint Eastwood directs with profound moral weight. Dark, complicated, and deeply tragic.
But It's bleak and punishing. There's no redemption arc or catharsis—just broken men making it worse.
The French Connection1971
Gene Hackman as a narcotics detective chasing heroin through New York. Visceral, propulsive, and shot like you're right in the chaos. The car chase alone is cinema history.
But The supporting characters are thin. It's about atmosphere and momentum, not character depth or nuance.
The Godmother2014
Both show charismatic predators building followings through charm and exploitation, but this one asks if survival justifies anything.
South Korean noir about a woman climbing from street vendor to organized crime boss through guile and ruthlessness. It has Aquarius's moral complexity and psychological intensity but operates in a completely different register—visceral, operatic, morally murky.
But Subtitled. If you can't commit to reading, you're out. It's also far more violent and shows ambition with less restraint than American TV.
People
Cast
Writing
- John McNamaraCreator
Production
- Becky ClementsExecutive Producer
- David DuchovnyExecutive Producer
- John McNamaraExecutive Producer
- Marty AdelsteinExecutive Producer
- Melanie GreeneExecutive Producer