Television series

Elsbeth

Elsbeth is a gleefully strange crime procedural where a brilliant, eccentric attorney from Chicago joins the NYPD to solve murders using unorthodox psychology and lateral thinking. Carrie Preston plays it with perfect dead-eyed delivery, and the show luxuriates in small character moments between the cases. It's for people who want smart crime TV that doesn't take itself seriously.

TVMaze rating3.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like procedurals where the fun comes from a quirky investigator's odd logic rather than grim forensics, and you enjoy a sharp, playful lead who notices what everyone else misses.

Skip it if you want gritty, emotionally heavy crime stories, since this one stays light on its feet and treats most cases with a wink.

What it asks of you: Mostly an hour of episodic cases that you can dip into; it asks for little serialized homework and rewards attention to the banter more than the clues.

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

If you liked this

The Good Wife2009

Elsbeth's predecessor series, where Preston's character first appeared as the most magnetic supporting player: a woman who seemed to operate in five dimensions everyone else couldn't see. Tighter plotting, sharper writing, and legal cases that actually matter.

But Nine seasons is a commitment, and the later ones drag. The show's relationship drama becomes increasingly overwrought and soap-operatic compared to the case work.

The Good Wife poster

Only Murders in the Building2021

Three amateur detectives solve murders in their apartment building with warmth, humor, and genuine character depth. Marty Short's performance proves chaos can coexist with real vulnerability. It nails the tone Elsbeth is aiming for.

But The mystery plots sometimes take a back seat to character whimsy, which works beautifully until a season where it doesn't quite land with the same precision.

Only Murders in the Building poster

Poker Face2023

A chaotic woman with a peculiar gift for reading people investigates one case per episode, outwitting criminals with intuition rather than authority. Each standalone story is tightly written and deeply satisfying. Peak Rian Johnson fun.

But Standalone episodes mean no character development across the season, and some detective logic stretches beyond credibility if you need perfect procedural rigor.

Poker Face poster

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Scrubs2001

Elsbeth shares Scrubs' secret: procedurals don't have to choose between being funny and being kind. Both let their characters be strange without punishing them for it, or celebrating them despite their oddness.

A comedy-drama about misfits in a workplace who solve daily problems through ingenuity, kindness, and humor. Carrie Preston appears occasionally, but the show's real gift is mixing genuine warmth with snappy procedural problem-solving across eight seasons.

But Tonally inconsistent; it lurches between broad comedy and genuine trauma in ways that work sometimes and feel manipulative other times. Later seasons are a significant quality drop.

Scrubs poster
More like this (7)

Veep2012

Rapid-fire comedy about incompetent people in power, where the dialogue sparkles and the characters are both horrible and endearing. Julia Louis-Dreyfus commands every scene with brilliance and comedic timing that's almost athletic.

But Relentlessly profane and cynical—if you need your shows to end on hopeful notes, this will leave you feeling hollow and entertained but slightly hollowed out.

Veep poster

Severance2022

A philosophical thriller where employees undergo a procedure to separate work and personal memories. Atmospheric, genuinely creepy, and brilliantly acted. Every episode reveals new layers of conceptual genius and existential dread.

But Deliberately paced and often unclear on what's happening; rewards obsessive viewers and punishes anyone wanting straightforward plot clarity or immediate answers.

Severance poster

Columbo1968

Peter Falk plays a rumpled detective who solves murders by being smarter than he appears, befudding brilliant criminals with patient, seemingly artless questioning. The OG eccentric detective who makes crime-solving look like philosophy.

But The pacing is glacial by modern standards, and you know the killer from minute three, so the show lives or dies on Falk's charm—if he doesn't captivate you, it's just slow.

Columbo poster

The Diplomat2023

Keri Russell plays a career diplomat thrust into international crisis who navigates politics with tactical brilliance and barely concealed exasperation. Smart, funny, and genuinely tense. The ensemble cast is uniformly excellent.

But Season two loses some momentum and relies more on soap-opera plotting than the first season's clever maneuvering. Political intrigue can feel repetitive if you're not invested in the characters.

The Diplomat poster

Mare of Easttown2021

Kate Winslet as a small-town detective investigating a murder while drowning in local pain and personal failure. A masterclass in acting, cinematography, and how procedurals can do genuine emotional work underneath the mystery.

But Relentlessly bleak and grim; there are few moments of levity, and the accumulated weight of grief and addiction can feel punishing rather than cathartic.

Mare of Easttown poster

Monk2002

Tony Shalhoub as an obsessive-compulsive detective solving murders through rigorous attention to detail and pattern recognition. Warm-hearted, character-driven crime-solving with enough humor to balance the darkness.

But Eight seasons of repetition; the format grows thin, the emotional notes flatten, and by the end it's running on fumes and audience goodwill rather than genuine story momentum.

Monk poster

Killers of the Flower Moon2023

Both are fundamentally about how smart people deceive themselves and others—Elsbeth through individual criminal ingenuity, this through systems designed to hide in plain sight. One offers the satisfaction of a criminal caught; the other offers the horror of understanding why they were allowed to operate.

Scorsese's three-and-a-half-hour investigation of historical crime, where corruption is systemic and individual brilliance matters less than institutional rot. Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and a narrative that refuses easy villains.

But Glacial pacing and brutal subject matter; the film is more interested in moral architecture than plot momentum, and some may find it punishing rather than illuminating.

Killers of the Flower Moon poster

People

Cast

Writing

Production

Recommended by

Only Murders in the Building