Television series

Before We Die

Name: Before We Die
Genre: Drama, Crime, Thriller
Released: 2021
Cast: Lesley Sharp, Vincent Regan, Kazia Pelka, Issy Knopfler, Tijmen Govaerts

Other titles called Before We Die: the film.

A British crime drama where detective Hannah Laing is dragged into the world of human trafficking while protecting her son's friend. Tense, morally murky, with performances that catch every uncomfortable moment. For viewers who want crime stories with real consequences and no easy answers.

TVMaze rating

2.9

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like crime drama where the moral ground keeps shifting under a single investigator, and you're happy to sit with grey characters rather than be rescued by a clean verdict.

Skip it if you want a brisk, tidy procedural with neat weekly closure; this one is unhurried and murky, and its tone can feel relentlessly bleak.

What it asks of you: Expect close attention and a watchful build, with 47-minute episodes that trade quick answers for a muddy, morally tangled texture.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

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Happy Valley2014

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The wildcard

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The Fall2013

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Godless2017

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The Stranger2020

Harlan Coben mystery with a killer premise: a stranger tells you a secret that tears apart your life. Twisty, character-driven, genuinely gripping across its run.

But Netflix's adaptation instinct: it's slicker and safer than it should be. Solves too many problems too neatly.

Vera2011

Brenda Blethyn as a detective solving murders through relentless curiosity and intuition. Cosy British crime with real grit, episode after episode of satisfying mysteries.

But Extremely long-running and uneven. Quality wavers significantly between seasons. Can feel repetitive if you binge.

Marcella2016

Anna Friel as a detective with trauma and secrets, digging into an old case. Pulpy thriller energy with a willingness to be genuinely dark and weird.

But Three seasons of diminishing returns. First season is best; later ones lose focus. Some plot threads never properly resolve.

The Americans2013

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In Treatment2008

Like Before We Die, about being drawn into other people's crimes and traumas without clear boundaries. Both explore the weight of knowing things you cannot unknow or unreport.

Gabriel Byrne as a therapist listening to patients' lives unravel. No plot, pure character and dialogue. Each episode is one session. Hypnotic, intimate, devastating.

But Literally people talking in rooms. If you need plot momentum, this will feel static. Some patients are more interesting than others.