Television series

Clarice

Clarice follows the FBI profiler a year after The Silence of the Lambs, returning to fieldwork in 1993 Washington, D.C. It's a character-driven procedural that treats her trauma seriously rather than as backdrop, exploring how she hunts predators while fighting institutional sexism. For fans wanting more of Jodie Foster's character without relying on Hannibal Lecter.

TVMaze rating3.4

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MINDHUNTER2017

The spiritual predecessor: FBI profilers inventing behavioural analysis while hunting serial killers in the 1970s. Methodical, intelligent, genuinely unsettling. Every scene earns its dread.

But Deliberately slow. If you want procedural momentum and neat resolutions, this will frustrate you. It prioritizes psychology over plot.

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The Fall2013

Stella Gibson hunts a serial killer in Belfast with the same intelligence and weariness Clarice brings. Taut, morally complex, anchored by exceptional writing and a phenomenal lead performance.

But Genuinely dark and sometimes graphic. The killer is seductive and charming, which some find manipulative rather than compelling.

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Hannibal2013

A baroque reimagining of how Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter meet. Visually operatic, psychologically complex, with a genuine relationship at its core that transcends the cat-and-mouse formula.

But Heavily stylized in ways that can feel overwrought. Gore is presented as art rather than consequence, which some find pretentious.

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Killing Eve2018

Both centre a driven woman investigator whose pursuit of a dangerous predator mirrors an internal hunt for self-understanding; both treat institutional corruption as seriously as the crimes themselves.

A British psychological thriller where an MI6 agent hunts a charismatic female assassin across Europe. Same structural DNA as Clarice—obsessive hunter, brilliant antagonist, institutional frustration—but inverts the power dynamic and refuses easy morality.

But The tonal whiplash between dark comedy and genuine violence alienates some viewers. Later seasons lose focus. The series ending divides fans sharply.

Killing Eve poster
More like this (7)

The X-Files1993

Scully and Mulder hunt monsters and conspiracies with the same partnership dynamic Clarice explores with her team. The early seasons have that exact 1990s procedural-meets-mythology balance that makes Clarice work.

But Wildly uneven. Mythology episodes are hit-or-miss. Some of the early gender politics have not aged well.

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Profiler1996

A female profiler hunts serial killers while processing her own trauma. Earnest 90s procedural DNA. If you like Clarice's tone, this will feel like coming home to a show you didn't know you loved.

But Very much a network drama of its era. Dialogue can be on-the-nose. Technical details are often simplified for broadcast.

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The Silence of the Lambs1991

The film that created this universe. Essential viewing if you haven't seen it. Taut, perfectly constructed thriller with the Lecter-Starling dynamic that defined psychological crime drama.

But If you've seen it recently, rewatching might feel unnecessary rather than revelatory. Clarice functions fine as a standalone.

The Silence of the Lambs poster

Zodiac2007

Fincher's obsessive hunt for the Zodiac Killer. Methodical, unglamorous detective work that mirrors Clarice's approach. Every frame is precise. Gylenhaal and Ruffalo are excellent.

But Three hours with minimal catharsis. The case remains unsolved. If you need resolution, this will leave you frustrated.

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Se7en1995

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman hunt a serial killer in a rain-soaked city. Iconic for a reason: dark, tightly plotted, with a finale that actually matters. The 1990s crime procedural at its peak.

But Relentlessly bleak. The ending is deliberately, harshly unhappy. If you watch crime drama for escapism, this works against you.

Se7en poster

The Outsider2020

Shares Clarice's interest in how trauma shapes investigation; both explore the psychological cost of proximity to darkness; both ask whether knowing the truth matters if you can't prove it.

King's miniseries about detectives hunting a supernatural killer that may not be supernatural. Methodical procedural that gradually destabilizes its own reality. Ben Mendelsohn carries the investigation with exhausted intelligence.

But The supernatural element frustrates viewers who came for procedural realism. Pacing sags in the middle. The ending hinges on accepting a premise many find absurd.

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Mare of Easttown2021

Both centre a competent female investigator whose skill isolates her socially; both treat the personal toll of this work as central rather than incidental; both set investigation against institutional failure.

Kate Winslet as a Pennsylvania detective hunting a killer in her small town while her own life collapses. Grimy, character-focused crime drama that trusts viewers to sit with ambiguity and pain. Exceptional writing.

But Aggressively bleak. No character arc provides comfort. If you watch for catharsis or momentum, this punishes that impulse.

Mare of Easttown poster

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