Television series

Bodkin

Bodkin is a darkly comedic thriller about podcasters investigating a mysterious disappearance in a small Irish coastal town. It's equal parts mystery and character study, with genuine weirdness lurking beneath the quirky surface. For viewers who want their mysteries tangled with dark humour and moral ambiguity, who don't need clean answers.

TVMaze rating3.6

If you liked this

Slow Horses2022

British spy thriller with a stellar ensemble cast and the same wry, intelligent humour. The plotting is intricate but never loses sight of character, and the dialogue crackles with wit and tension in equal measure.

But If you want clear-cut heroes and straightforward action, this moves slowly and rewards patience. It's cerebral in ways that can feel like work.

Slow Horses poster

Only Murders in the Building2021

A mystery wrapped in character comedy with three leads who genuinely seem to like each other despite being dysfunctional. It nails the tone of amateur detectives stumbling toward real danger while making you laugh.

But The later seasons lose some of the first season's elegance, and the mystery itself sometimes feels like scaffolding for the jokes rather than the other way around.

Only Murders in the Building poster

Mare of Easttown2021

A small-town murder investigation where the real story is about grief, exhaustion, and how communities lie to themselves. Deeply human and painfully well-acted, with genuine stakes woven through every frame.

But It's relentlessly bleak with few moments of lightness. If you need levity, this will test your patience.

Mare of Easttown poster

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

In Bruges2008

Both are darkly funny examinations of moral culpability dressed up as mysteries. The real investigation in both is into character, not plot—what did we do, who are we, and can we live with the answer?

Two hitmen hide in a medieval Belgian city after a job goes wrong. It's a perfect blend of dark comedy, genuine violence, philosophical despair, and unexpected tenderness. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson are electric.

But Unapologetically bleak and violent, with sudden tonal shifts that can feel jarring. The nihilism is real, not softened by humor.

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More like this (8)

MINDHUNTER2017

Two FBI agents pursuing an unorthodox approach to criminal psychology. It's meticulous, tense, and fascinated by what makes people tick—both the hunters and the hunted. The dialogue alone is worth your time.

But Very slow-burn. Some episodes feel like procedural homework, and the series ending on an unresolved note will infuriate you if closure matters.

MINDHUNTER poster

The Fall2013

A psychological cat-and-mouse between a detective and a serial killer that explores obsession, ego, and the danger of seeing what you expect to see rather than what's there. Stella Gibson is unforgettable.

But Graphically violent and genuinely disturbing in places. The pacing can feel glacial, and by season three, repetition sets in.

The Fall poster

Severance2022

A trippy, unsettling mystery about people who have their work and personal lives surgically separated. It's visually stunning, conceptually wild, and builds genuine dread while asking profound questions about identity and labour.

But Deliberately cryptic and slow-rolling. If you hate ambiguity and need answers, the first season will frustrate you intensely.

Severance poster

The Sinner2017

A detective drama that asks not 'whodunit' but 'why did they do it'—and works backward from shocking acts to uncover the psychological causes. Each season resets with a new mystery and cast, keeping it fresh and unpredictable.

But Quality drops noticeably in later seasons. The early premise—excavating trauma through one crime—gets diluted when applied too broadly.

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Unbelievable2019

A hard-edged true-crime drama about sexual assault investigations that treats victims with gravity and detectives with humanity. It's angry and necessary, with pitch-perfect performances and a story that unfolds across different timelines and perspectives.

But Heavy subject matter handled without softening. Sexual violence is depicted candidly, and the emotional toll on characters never becomes decorative.

Unbelievable poster

The Outsider2020

A Stephen King adaptation about a murdered child and a man accused of the crime—except the evidence suggests something impossible. Atmospheric small-town dread with real supernatural stakes, not just procedural mechanics.

But The back half abandons grounded detective work for outright fantasy, which feels tonal whiplash. Some will love it; others will feel cheated.

The Outsider poster

Kelly + Victor2012

Both use setting—a small town where everyone watches everyone—as a character itself. Both are interested in the gap between what people appear to be and what they actually are, and how communities invent stories to fill that gap.

A stunning, alien love story between two damaged people in a working-class English town. Shot in stark black-and-white, it's intimate and unflinching, finding tenderness in the most unexpected places. Genuinely unlike anything else.

But Extremely obscure, deliberately paced, and sexually explicit in ways that serve the story but won't suit everyone. It's a slow film about quiet people doing very little.

Kelly + Victor poster

A Prophet2009

Both are about isolation in plain sight—surrounded by people who think they know you while you become someone unrecognizable. Both explore how desperation and ambition can warp identity, and how truth becomes a negotiable thing when survival is at stake.

A young man enters prison and becomes something else entirely—manipulative, powerful, unknowable. It's a masterpiece of slow transformation and psychological thriller tension, shot with precision and moral clarity. French, subtitled, and absolutely essential.

But Prison setting with violence and sexual coercion. The protagonist becomes increasingly difficult to root for, and the pacing is deliberate enough to feel punishing.

A Prophet poster

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