Television series

Baptiste

Name: Baptiste
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2019
Cast: Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, Barbara Sarafian, Tom Hollander, Boris Van Severen

A French ex-cop drawn back into casework in Amsterdam. Baptiste is deliberately paced, character-focused crime drama that trusts you to sit with moral ambiguity and damaged people. Tchéky Karyo's weary intelligence anchors everything. For viewers who want detective work to feel like actual work, not spectacle.

TVMaze rating

3.9

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The Leftovers2014

A cop trying to solve an impossible case while his personal life collapses. Extraordinary at balancing procedural meat with genuine philosophical grief. Every episode matters, every character breathes.

But Crushingly sad in ways that don't resolve neatly. If you watch crime shows to feel smart, not moved, skip this.

Slow Horses2022

British intelligence drama with glacial pacing and actors who can convey volumes in a glance. Contemptuous of shortcuts. Every scene pays for itself. Gary Oldman carries it the way Karyo carries Baptiste.

But Extremely dry. Humor is buried. If you need constant plot turns, you will be bored.

The Missing2014

A parent searching for their abducted child across two timelines. Excellent at showing how obsession corrupts, how unanswered questions destroy. British crime drama that prioritizes emotional truth over clever twists.

But Bleak and sometimes repetitive. The investigation circles. Some viewers hate the non-linear structure.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Baptiste

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

In Treatment2008

Both are procedurals about damaged people accumulating other people's damage. The case work is secondary; the cost is primary. Both trust that watching someone *think* is enough.

A psychotherapist works through cases and his own unraveling. Mostly one-on-one conversations, 30 minutes per episode. The engine is listening and observation—identical to Baptiste's detective work, just turned inward. Karyo-adjacent wisdom in Gabriel Byrne.

But If you need plot, this is your nightmare. Five days a week, same characters, minimal external action. The appeal is entirely in dialogue and performance.

Mare of Easttown2021

Small-town detective drama where the protagonist is worn smooth by decades of disappointment. Kate Winslet's weariness, the case work, the weight of knowing too much. One perfect season.

But American setting means it won't have Baptiste's European texturing. Some will find Winslet's accent distracting.

Vienna Blood2019

Austro-Hungarian setting, period detail as mood. A detective and a pathologist working 1900s Vienna. Slightly lighter than Baptiste but same commitment to character and setting as texture.

But Gentler tone. If you're here for the murk and misanthropy, this is too polite.

Jordskott2014

Swedish rural noir. A detective returns to her hometown to investigate a child's disappearance. Gorgeous, strange, dark cinematography. The forest becomes a character. Patient storytelling.

But Slow-burn mysticism that some will mistake for aimlessness. Subtitles again. Concludes on its own terms, not everyone's.

The Fall2013

Stella Gibson versus a serial killer in Northern Ireland. Gillian Anderson's unflappable composure against a man's unraveling. Crime drama interested in psychology over plot contrivance.

But The killer's POV scenes are difficult. Some storylines feel stretched thin across three seasons. The ending divides people sharply.

The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith1978

Both examine how systems grind people down and what happens when they push back. Both are interested in the interior life of a man no one understands. Both end in places that don't resolve, just stop.

1978 Australian film about a man caught between two worlds, pushed toward violence by circumstance and prejudice. Slow-burn character study that becomes existential fury. Fred Schepisi directing with tremendous control. Nothing like what you expect from the premise.

But Genuinely disturbing violence in the second half. 1970s aesthetics, long takes that test patience. Absolutely not a crowd-pleaser.