Television series
Murder in the First
Other titles called Murder in the First: the 1995 film.
Murder in the First is a procedural thriller that interweaves two murder investigations with a larger conspiracy involving a tech-world outsider. It's deliberately paced, atmospheric, and willing to let you sit in uncertainty. Built for viewers who prefer character development and moral complexity over rapid-fire plot resolution. Best suited to those who like their mysteries genuinely mysterious.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a crime procedural that lets a case take its time, where the partnership between two detectives and the slow tightening of pressure matter as much as the clues.
Skip it if you want self-contained episodes with quick resolutions; this one stays with dark material around killings and rewards patience over snap verdicts.
What it asks of you: Expect hour-long episodes with unhurried stretches of procedure and conversation, and a slow burn that rewards staying put across the whole run rather than wrapping each case in one sitting.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
True Detective2014
Two detectives investigating a ritualistic murder while their partnership fractures under personal and institutional pressure. The 2014 season especially captures that same blend of procedural momentum and deeper psychological unraveling.
But The first season's tone can feel oppressively bleak, and the narrative threads don't always tie together as satisfyingly as the buildup suggests.

The Bridge2013
A detective series where two investigators from either side of the US-Mexico border pursue a killer whose crimes carry larger social and political weight. Shares the commitment to character work within a larger web of corruption.
But Pacing can drag in the middle seasons, and some viewers find the tonal shifts between personal drama and procedural elements jarring.

Rectify2013
A man released from death row after twenty years struggles to reintegrate while his hometown watches. Deliberately slow, beautifully shot, and genuinely interested in how people change and survive injustice.
But The measured pace will test viewers accustomed to faster narratives. It rewards patience, but demands it first.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Murder in the First
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Contempt1963
Both are investigations, but into different kinds of mysteries. Murder in the First asks *who* and *why*; Contempt asks *how did we get here*. Each unfolds a slowly collapsing relationship with the same forensic attention.
A marriage deteriorates while a filmmaker struggles with producers, money, and artistic compromise. Godard's most accessible work—visually stunning, deeply sad, and about how people stop understanding each other despite proximity.
But 1960s experimental film grammar requires adjustment. Plot is minimal; the real story is in silences and glances. Patience essential.

More like this (8)
The Fall2013
A detective hunting a serial killer across Dublin, told from both investigator and killer perspectives. Psychological depth, genuine tension, and strong ensemble work make this remarkably immersive television.
But Serialized structure means you must watch in order. Some find the killer's presence overwhelming rather than compelling.

Bosch2015
A Los Angeles homicide detective pursues cases that lead up bureaucratic ladders. Grounded procedural work with a protagonist who's genuinely good at his job, solving crimes methodically rather than through luck.
But Episodic structure can feel repetitive if you're not invested in Bosch himself as a character.

MINDHUNTER2017
FBI agents develop criminal profiling by interviewing incarcerated serial killers. Cerebral, methodical, and quietly devastating. The best episodes are conversations in interrogation rooms.
But Second season loses narrative momentum. Some viewers find the slow-burn approach to early profiling history too academic.

Homicide: Life on the Street1993
The template for intelligent detective drama. Baltimore homicide squad solving murders in a city worn down by violence and bureaucracy. Character-first storytelling that influenced everything after.
But Early seasons have dated production values and pacing expectations from 1990s television. Takes time to find its rhythm.

Mare of Easttown2021
Kate Winslet as a small-town detective investigating a murder while her own life collapses. Intimate character study wrapped in genuine procedural tension. Beautifully acted and written.
But Limited series format means investment pays off quickly but there's nowhere to go afterward. Some find the dialogue difficult to parse.

Broadchurch2013
A child's murder rocks a coastal village. Masterfully constructed whodunit with performances that feel lived-in and real. British television at its most assured.
But Second and third seasons retroactively complicate what worked about the first. Best experienced as a single season and stopped.

Snowfall2017
Both explore how a single event (a murder, a shipment) ripples outward to corrupt an entire system. They're both about the machinery beneath the surface crime.
A sprawling ensemble series about cocaine's arrival in 1980s Los Angeles, told from street dealer, cop, CIA, and gang perspectives. Genuinely literary television—multiple viewpoints, mythic scope, impeccable period detail.
But Six seasons means serious commitment. Violence and trauma are depicted without flinching. Not prestige-drama comfort viewing.

The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst2015
Both treat murder as a knot to untangle methodically. But where Murder in the First is fiction, The Jinx is the strange reality—proof that actual crimes often confound narrative satisfaction and resist neat solutions.
A documentary miniseries following a real estate heir and his connection to multiple murders. Constructed like a thriller with genuine mystery—you don't know where it's going, and neither do the filmmakers when they start.
But Real crime documentation means potential victims and families are involved. Documentary unfolds slowly with moments of frustration. Final revelation is real-time and unsatisfying to some.

People
Cast
Writing
- Eric LodalCreator
- Steven BochcoCreator
Production
- Amanda Lencioni BarnettAssociate Producer
- John MabryAssociate Producer
- Corinne MarrinanCo-Executive Producer
- Jesse BochcoCo-Executive Producer
- Jonathan AbrahamsCo-Executive Producer
- Robert MunicCo-Executive Producer
- Rebecca MolineCo-Producer
- Alison CrossConsulting Producer
- Brian NelsonConsulting Producer
- Alison CrossExecutive Producer
- Eric LodalExecutive Producer
- Jesse BochcoExecutive Producer
- Jonathan AbrahamsExecutive Producer
- Steven BochcoExecutive Producer
- Thomas SchlammeExecutive Producer
- Caroline JamesProducer
- Daniele NathansonProducer
- Daniele NathansonSupervising Producer
Recommended by
Escape at Dannemora, The Poisoner's Handbook, The Case of the Hillside Stranglers