Television series

Mr Inbetween

Name: Mr Inbetween
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime
Released: 2018
Cast: Scott Ryan, Chika Yasumura, Justin Rosniak, Damon Herriman, Brooke Satchwell

A sharp, emotionally precise Australian drama about a hitman trying to be present for the people he loves while his work keeps pulling him into chaos. It's funny without being silly, violent without being gratuitous, and genuinely interested in whether a man can live two lives without losing himself to either. For anyone who loved Justified or Barry but wants something leaner and stranger.

TVMaze rating

4.0

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like your crime stories small-scale and sour, where a hitman's worst problems are his ex-wife, his kid and a best mate who keeps asking favours, and the laughs come from bleak, awkward moments.

Skip it if you need a brisk plot with a clear payoff, since this is a slow, shambling character study where little gets resolved and the tone can turn grim without warning.

What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes, three seasons, and a patient, sour mood that lets awkward silences linger; it rewards staying with it rather than binging.

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

If you liked this

Barry2018

A hitman discovers acting. Like Inbetween, it's about a skilled criminal trying to build a real life, with the same dark comedy arising from the collision between those worlds. Brilliant character work and constant surprises.

But Shifts tone quite drastically across seasons, and the comedy can overwhelm the stakes. Also runs longer (eight seasons), which tests patience.

Justified2010

A US marshal navigates duty, loyalty, and small-town ties with the same moral complexity Ray carries. Taut writing, character-driven, and it trusts the audience to stay engaged without formula. Feels like family.

But Set in rural Kentucky with Southern accents and dialect; if that's not your world, it takes patience to enter it. Runs four seasons.

The Sopranos1999

The template for all of this: a violent man trying to be better at home, therapy sessions revealing the impossible gap between who he is and who he wants to be. Watching Tony fail differently each week is the real plot.

But Six seasons is a commitment. Pacing in early episodes feels deliberate to the point of slow. Some threads resolve unsatisfyingly.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Happy2012

Both find darkly comic grace in the collision between a professional killer's inner damage and the world refusing to cooperate with his damage management.

A hitman and a talking imaginary friend. Anarchic, surreal, hilarious, and shot through with genuine melancholy about what violence costs the soul. It operates in the space between brutal realism and absurdist comedy that Inbetween also finds.

But Very violent and lewd; the surrealism won't be for everyone. Dares to be stupid in service of something real, which can read as trying too hard.

Fleabag2016

Same scrappy energy, same willingness to let its protagonist be selfish and funny and painful in the same breath. Fourth-wall breaks, dysfunctional family, and a character so alive you feel her exhaustion. Only six episodes per season.

But The tone is sillier and more theatrical than Inbetween. If you want grit over style, this won't land the same way.

MINDHUNTER2017

Methodical, character-driven, about profilers building understanding rather than heroes solving crime. The same respect for complexity and interior life. Brilliant supporting cast and meticulous period detail.

But Deliberately paced. Cancelled on a cliffhanger. If you need immediate payoff, this won't give it.

Gomorra: La Serie2014

Italian crime series where the mob is just the setting; the real story is power, family, and men trapped by what they've already done. Fierce filmmaking and a cast that makes every character vital.

But Subtitled. Genuinely brutal. Doesn't offer heroes or redemption; if you need someone to root for, you won't find them here.

Peaky Blinders2013

Post-WWI Birmingham gangsters run by a sharp, damaged man holding his family together through violence and will. Moody, beautifully shot, and fascinated by the cost of power. Charismatic without ever being comfortable.

But Stylized almost to the point of parody by the end. Can feel more interested in aesthetic than character. Late seasons lose their footing.

Severance2022

Slower burn than Inbetween, but the same moral architecture: men caught between versions of themselves, comedy in the absurdity of impossible choices. Visually stunning and genuinely strange. Only two seasons so far.

But Deliberately cryptic and oblique. Wants you to sit with discomfort and mystery. If you need answers and clarity, this will frustrate you.

The Lighthouse2019

Same interest in the psychology of men under pressure, same willingness to let relationships corrode in real time, same dark humor emerging from impossible situations.

Two men trapped on a rock, slowly destroying each other through proximity and lies. A black-and-white chamber piece about masculinity, obsession, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Formally brilliant and weird.

But Deliberately artificial and stagey. Shot in an unusual aspect ratio. The dialogue is mannered and difficult. If you want naturalism, this is the opposite.

Moonlight2016

Both track how men become who they are through isolation, violence, and the relationships they can't quite hold. Both suggest that damage, once done, shapes everything that follows—not as excuse, but as truth.

Three chapters of a man's life—as a boy, a teenager, an adult—each shot in a different color palette, each fractured by violence and longing. Quiet, visually stunning, and about the impossibility of becoming whole. Film as poetry.

But Slow and inward. Not a plot; a feeling. No explosions or twists. If you need narrative momentum, you'll feel abandoned.