Television series

The Serpent

Name: The Serpent
Genre: Drama, Crime
Released: 2021
Cast: Tahar Rahim, Jenna Coleman, Billy Howle, Ellie Bamber, Tim McInnerny

A slick, propulsive thriller about Charles Sobhraj, a charming serial killer who preyed on Western backpackers across Asia in the 1970s, told through the cat-and-mouse pursuit by a determined Dutch diplomat. Tahar Rahim is magnetic and unsettling as the serpent himself. Gorgeously shot, darkly funny, and genuinely suspenseful—it treats a true crime story with intelligence and momentum rather than exploitation.

TVMaze rating

3.4

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you like slow-burning true-crime dramas where the hunt is a battle of nerves and the period detail, the Hippie Trail's grubby glamour, does half the storytelling.

Skip it if you need a fast, tidy whodunit, since this is a patient procedural that spends long stretches on cat-and-mouse logistics and doesn't flinch from the victims' suffering.

What it asks of you: Eight hour-long episodes, a slow build where tension gathers through quiet scenes rather than shocks, and it rewards your full attention.

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

If you liked this

MINDHUNTER2017

An FBI profiler hunts serial killers by getting inside their heads. Like The Serpent, it's about intelligent people stalking intelligent predators, with scenes of genuine psychological cat-and-mouse that crackle with tension.

But Slower and more methodical than The Serpent; less globe-trotting adventure, more bureaucratic procedural. Season two loses steam.

A Confession2019

A detective pursues a killer across England with devastating obsession. Tightly plotted, morally complex, and anchored by two powerhouse leads. Shares The Serpent's sense of a hunt consuming everything in its path.

But Grimmer and more grounded than The Serpent—no glamorous travel sequences or exotic atmosphere. Based on real murders that are genuinely awful.

Broadchurch2013

A small town hides a murderer while two detectives clash on the investigation. Brilliantly constructed mystery with atmosphere to burn, and David Tennant gives one of TV's great performances. Addictive and twisty.

But The reveal in season one is the whole story; seasons two and three feel like unwanted sequels. Slower than The Serpent, more claustrophobic.

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

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Tokyo Vice2022

Both are about outsiders navigating foreign criminal underworlds with meticulous visual style, and both use the hunt for truth as a way to examine obsession and moral compromise. The Serpent glamorizes the hunt; Tokyo Vice complicates it.

An American journalist immerses himself in the Tokyo underworld. Visually opulent, structurally intricate, and genuinely strange—it thinks about crime and journalism with nuance that goes beyond the typical thriller. HBO's finest recent work.

But The pacing is unconventional and some episodes meander. If you want plot momentum over atmosphere and character, this will frustrate you.

The Fall2013

A serial killer and a detective play psychological chess across Northern Ireland. Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson) is a masterclass in screen presence. Tense, intelligent, with real stakes and genuine danger.

But Can feel repetitive—it's the same hunt cycle for four seasons. The killer's perspective gets tedious, and the gender dynamics are dated in ways that now read uncomfortably.

Godless2017

A criminal hides in a town run by women. Visually stunning Western with energy and invention. Michelle Dockery is excellent, and the premise alone makes it fresh. A show that knows it's entertaining and leans into it.

But The plot is simpler than it pretends to be. At points it feels more interested in style than story, which can feel hollow if you're looking for depth.

In Cold Blood1967

A meticulous dramatization of Truman Capote's true-crime classic about two men who murder a family in Kansas. Scott Wilson is haunting. It's patient, deeply empathetic even to its killers, and beautifully made.

But Slow and deliberate to a degree that modern viewers might find frustrating. Capote's book is the more gripping version of this story.

The Night Stalker2016

A documentary about Richard Ramirez, the serial killer who terrorized California. Genuinely unsettling without sensationalism; it uses archive and interviews to build a portrait of evil from the inside out.

But A documentary, not narrative drama—different rhythm and rewards. The subject matter is disturbing and unsparing, even if the approach is respectful.

Memories of Murder2003

A South Korean masterpiece about two detectives hunting a serial killer in 1980s rural Korea. Bong Joon-ho's first great film: tense, funny, heartbreaking, and formally brilliant. Unforgettable.

But Subtitled, and the mood shifts between thriller and something sadder and more philosophical. Not a conventional procedural; patience with ambiguity is essential.

The Snowman2017

Michael Fassbender hunts a serial killer in snowy Oslo. Gorgeous cinematography, a genuinely unsettling killer, and Fassbender doing some of his best work. A police procedural with real atmosphere.

But Notoriously compromised by editing problems and studio interference. It's less than it should be, and you can feel the seams. The final act doesn't land the way it intends.

L'Avventura1960

Both make the hunt itself—the obsession, the lies told during pursuit—more interesting than the quarry. The Serpent is a thriller; L'Avventura asks what thrillers never do: why do we chase?

Michelangelo Antonioni's masterpiece about desire and deception. A woman vanishes on an island; what follows is not the search but the moral unraveling of those searching. Hypnotic, formally daring, absolutely essential.

But It's a 1960s art film: deliberately paced, philosophically slippery, interested in absence rather than answers. If you want genre satisfactions, you won't find them here.

Serpico1973

Both are '70s-set true crime stories about dogged men whose obsession with justice isolates them, but where The Serpent celebrates the hunt, Serpico mourns it. They're mirrors: one thrills in pursuit, the other grieves what pursuit costs.

Al Pacino as a cop determined to expose corruption in the NYPD. Based on true events, it's a portrait of a man destroyed by his own integrity. A 1970s masterpiece: gritty, moral, and genuinely dangerous.

But Slower and more personal than The Serpent; less about the hunt, more about the hunter's isolation. The payoff is compromise, not triumph. Demands patience and emotional engagement.