Television series

Frankie Drake Mysteries

A 1920s Toronto private detective who uses her gender as cover to solve cases the police ignore. Frankie Drake Mysteries balances procedural plotting with period charm and feminist wit, following an agency of determined women navigating Prohibition-era crime, corruption, and their own ambitions. Smart without preaching, fun without being light.

TVMaze rating3.9

If you liked this

Murdoch Mysteries2008

Another Canadian period detective series with genuine warmth and ingenuity. If you loved Frankie's case-of-the-week structure and the way Toronto's history feels lived-in rather than costumed, this is essential.

But Moves slower and leans harder into procedural formula. The Edwardian setting feels stuffier, and it takes patience to find its rhythm.

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Gentleman Jack2019

Period drama centred on a woman writing her own rules in a man's world, with sharp humour and genuine jeopardy. The central relationship has real stakes, and the Yorkshire setting is as much a character as Toronto is here.

But More romantic and introspective. If you want constant momentum and mystery-solving, this prioritises character depth and slower-burn plotting.

Gentleman Jack poster

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel2017

Another 1950s woman finding power by being brilliant in spaces that weren't built for her. The writing is electric, the period detail obsessive, and every character gets complexity. The comedy lands differently but with equal snap.

But Set a generation later and in New York, so the Prohibition-era crime element is gone entirely. Moves at breakneck pace and assumes you're keeping up.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel poster

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The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Killjoys2015

Both centre an agency of outsiders solving cases by being cleverer and less bound by rules than official law. Both find comedy and genuine stakes in the same situation.

A ragtag crew doing morally grey work in a lived-in sci-fi world, solving problems through smarts and loyalty rather than authority. Same ensemble energy, same trust between leads, but swapped 1920s Toronto for space stations and alien planets.

But Demands you accept sci-fi worldbuilding. If period detail is what drew you, this trades it for spaceships and alien politics, which is a different pleasure entirely.

Killjoys poster
More like this (8)

Reno 911!2003

Same DNA as Frankie: ensemble cast of incompetent officials solving crimes with charm and humour. The mockumentary format keeps things brisk, and the camaraderie between leads mirrors what Frankie has with Trudy.

But It's loose and improvisational where Frankie is plotted. No period setting, no stakes, and the comedy is broader and sometimes mean-spirited.

Reno 911! poster

The Knick2014

Early 20th-century New York hospital drama with the same visual richness and moral ambiguity. Steve Buscemi's protagonist bends rules to get things done; the tone is darker but the texture is similar.

But Genuinely grim and frequently graphic. This is not cosy viewing. Much more focused on medicine and addiction than mystery-solving.

The Knick poster

Miss Scarlet2020

A woman working as London's first private detective in the 1880s, outwitting the police and her own society. Lighter than it sounds, with a spark of chemistry between leads and solid Victorian period work.

But Feels more conventional in structure and less interested in the era's actual history. The mystery plots are serviceable rather than clever.

Miss Scarlet poster

Penny Dreadful2014

Victorian London, morally flexible characters, a woman who knows her own mind (Eva Green), and genuine danger lurking beneath the period aesthetics. Gothic rather than cosy, but the same pleasure in detail.

But Horror-heavy and genuinely disturbing in places. The tone is closer to dread than the lighter mysteries Frankie offers, and it gets very dark.

Penny Dreadful poster

Marvel's Agent Carter2015

1950s spy drama with a woman running circles around men who underestimate her. Marvel-adjacent but self-contained, snappy, and genuinely fun. The period detail serves the story rather than overwhelming it.

But Only two seasons and clearly cut short. Unresolved plot threads. Also leans heavily on Marvel universe knowledge even if you don't need it.

Marvel's Agent Carter poster

The Newsroom2012

An ensemble of brilliant people solving daily puzzles under pressure, with snappy dialogue and mutual respect among leads. The workplace camaraderie is real, even when plots are thin.

But No mystery elements and no period setting. Aaron Sorkin's dialogue style overwhelms character; some find it exhausting rather than exhilarating. Ends poorly.

The Newsroom poster

Nikita1990

Both are about women using society's blindness toward them as an asset. Frankie chooses this path; Nikita is forced into it. Both succeed by being smarter and harder than anyone expects.

A woman remade by a system that captures her, learning to use her intelligence as weapon and shield. Early 1990s thriller with style, moral complexity, and a female lead who wins by being ruthless rather than likeable. Raw and propulsive.

But French language, dubbed in English versions. Grittier and morally murkier than Frankie. No ensemble warmth; it's a solo survival story, not a team working together.

Nikita poster

The Alienist2018

Both use historical New York as a character and both hinge on a woman forcing her way into male-dominated investigative work by proving she's better at it than they are. Different eras, different tone, same core story.

1890s New York, a woman working as journalist and investigator alongside men who need convincing she belongs there. Daniel Day-Lewis steals scenes, but the procedural plotting is excellent and the period New York is gorgeously corrupt.

But Darker and more violent. The crimes are genuinely horrific, centering child murder. Slower-paced and more psychological than Frankie's snappy mysteries. Less fun, more dread.

The Alienist poster

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Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries