15 Thrillers Like 'Mare Of Easttown' to Binge Watch Now
It’s been a while since we’ve had some good, old-fashioned, week-to-week water cooler television like Mare of Easttown. We’re guilty of binge-watching our favourite series like everyone else, but the week by week release of Binge’s Mare of Easttown, starring Kate Winslet as a small town detective tasked with solving the murder of a young woman, was drip-fed to us in a way that had us sitting on the edge of our seats.
Every Monday, we couldn’t wait to watch the latest episode and when the finale came around a few weeks ago, we were desperate to find out who really killed Erin. (No spoilers! But we were shocked.)
Now it’s over, and we’re casting around for something else to watch in its stead. If you loved the gritty and atmospheric murder mystery at the heart of the series, we have a few suggestions of shows that might be able to pick up where Mare of Easttown left off. We've previously suggested watching British crime drama Happy Valley to fill the void, but here are 15 others to watch now.
15 Best Shows Like 'Mare Of Easttown' to Watch
1. The Night Of
Released on HBO in 2016, The Night Of was one of those gripping and thrilling whodunnits that was filled with twists and turns, right up until the last episode. Still, it was criminally under-watched when it was first released, despite a great cast – this miniseries features Oscar nominated actor Riz Ahmed in one of his earliest American roles – and a brilliantly plotted script, so if you missed it the first time around, now might be the time to catch up. (You can stream the whole thing on Binge.)
The series follows Naz (Ahmed), a young Pakistani American college student who borrows his father’s taxi for the night and picks up a young woman at a party. But when he wakes up in her place the next morning, she has been brutally murdered. The series features flashbacks to piece together what really happened: did Naz kill her? Or is he innocent as he proclaims? The Night Of keeps you guessing all the way until the end.
Where to watch it: Amazon
2. State of Play
One of the things we loved about Mare of Easttown was the lived-in feel of the setting and how each of the many supporting characters felt fleshed out and real. This is true also of State of Play, a 2003 BBC miniseries that features some of the most realistic depictions of both a London newspaper office, and the halls of parliament, we’ve seen on screen.
State of Play starts with the suspicious death of a young parliamentary staffer, which quickly balloons into a bigger mystery: it turns out that she was having an affair with her married boss, who happens to be old college friends with a hard-living journalist, who happens to be investigating a back alley mugging... How are these two cases linked? State of Play’s incredible script manages to weave them together, and with a seriously stacked cast – Bill Nighy! Kelly Macdonald! Benedict Wong! A very young James McAvoy! – this show is so watchable you’ll find yourself bingeing the whole thing. And yes, it was remade a few years ago into a Hollywood film, starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Helen Mirren. If you’ve seen that, don’t worry, this miniseries is substantially different and, we might add, substantially better. You can stream the whole thing on Stan now.
Where to watch it: Amazon
3. Broadchurch
Before The Crown and before The Favourite there was Broadchurch. This English murder mystery was one of Olivia Colman’s great early roles, introducing her to a global audience as an actress who could effortlessly blend together the worlds of comedy and drama. Just like Mare of Easttown, Broadchurch is set in a small town and focuses on a police duo – played by Colman and David Tennant – as they attempt to solve the devastating murder of a young 11-year-old boy.
Dark and atmospheric and twisted, each episode was crafted to slowly unravel the mystery, and yet just like Mare of Easttown, the reveal of the killer’s identity completely shocked viewers when it first aired in 2013.
If you haven’t seen Broadchurch, watch the first season on Britbox now. There were two further seasons, including one with a co-starring appearance from Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame, but the original episodes are still the best.
Where to watch it: Amazon
4. Perry Mason
Another HBO mystery that slipped through the cracks earlier this year was Perry Mason, and like The Night Of, it’s worth revisiting on Binge if you’re in need of some post-Mare of Easttown grittiness. Only this time, the grittiness is set in 1930s-era Los Angeles, and the crime is the death of a newborn baby – or is it?
A reboot of the much beloved Perry Mason television series, which was about an idealistic lawyer who fights on the right side of history, this series stars Matthew Rhys in a portrait of the lawyer as a young, and slightly jaded, private investigator. Yet to take up the mantle of justice that we later expect from him, this Perry is boozy, sexy and a little bit naughty, although his sense of honour always shines through. Sounds a lot like Mare, another boozy and misbehaved detective, right? But that lavishly recreated ‘30s setting provides a fresh backdrop of anyone who has spent too long in the Mare of Easttown present-day world. If you’re looking for a historic, period crime drama, this is it.
Where to watch it: Amazon
5. The Serpent
Staying in the period lane, we’d also love to recommend The Serpent, which launched on Netflix earlier in the year. This one is tells the true story of the infamous ‘70s serial killer Charles Sobhraj, played by Tahar Rahim, who targeted backpackers in Southeast Asia with his accomplice, played by Jenna Coleman.
What we love about The Serpent is the dual storylines: half of the series follows Charles himself, while the other half focuses on an embassy executive and his wife, slowly piecing together a missing persons case and getting closer and closer to Charles, the culprit. It makes for thrilling viewing that really gets under your skin.
Where to watch it: Netflix
6. Top Of The Lake
There are two seasons of this Jane Campion-helmed television series. The first, filmed in New Zealand, is tricky to get a hold of, unless you purchase it on iTunes. But the second, starring Elisabeth Moss, Gwendoline Christie and the one, the only, Nicole Kidman, is readily available for streaming on Binge, ABC iView and more. Both seasons are only loosely linked to each other, so you can go straight into season two without watching season one – and you definitely should give it a go.
Campion weaves together a compelling mystery that darts back and forth between Sydney’s red light district and the unravelling personal life of detective Robin, played by Moss. If what drew you into Mare of Easttown was the focus on Mare’s fascinating family, Top Of The Lake season two will deliver more of that, especially with its focus on Robin’s attempts to find the daughter she gave up for adoption several years ago.
Where to watch it: Amazon
7. The Stranger
This mystery thriller will hook you in from the second you press play. Based on the 2015 novel of the same title. The eight-part series kicks off with a mysterious stranger telling a man a secret that has a devastating impact on his perfect life. Enough said.
It’s packed with incredible plot twists that aren’t afraid to push the boundaries on creativity, which will keep you glued to the couch for hours until you reach the explosive climax that is just as unpredictable as it is… tragic.
Where to watch it: Netflix
8. Happy Valley
It’s become evident on social media that Happy Valley’s straight-talking, murder-solving female detective Sergeant Catherine Cawood will give you the same vibes as Kate Winslet’s character.
Happy Valley is a British crime drama that was originally released in 2014, and is filmed and set in the Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, in Northern England.
The series is written, created and directed by Sally Wainwright – the mastermind behind all the great British crime dramas including Scott & Bailey, Last Tango in Halifax and Unforgiven.
From Happy Valley’s first episode, we learn Sergeant Catherine Cawood lives in a world where drunkards, drug addicts and teenage pregnancies are a way of life.
"I'm Catherine by the way. I'm 47, I'm divorced, I live with my sister, who's a recovering heroin addict. I have two grown-up children, one dead, one I don't speak to, and a grandson, so," she says.
The single mother begins investigating the abduction of a local girl named Ann Gallagher (played by Charlie Murphy), which brings her into the path of Tommy Lee Royce (played by James Norton) - the man she believes raped her daughter Becky (who committed suicide six weeks earlier). She learns that he has just been released from prison on unrelated drug charges. For a complete guide to the show, you can head here.
Where to watch it: Amazon
9. Valhalla Murders
Produced and shot in Iceland, this eight-episode police procedural TV series is based on a real-life story. The story follows a police investigator named Arnar, who is ordered against his will to travel from Copenhagen to Reykjavik to help investigate Iceland’s first serial killer case - a gruesome series of murders where elderly men have been butchered in a horrific manner. Arnar works with senior inspector Kata, and the two race to find the killer before he strikes again. But their investigation takes an interesting turn when their trail leads them to an abandoned boys' home named Valhalla, where some horrifying events occurred 35 years earlier. As the series goes deeper into the darkness of Iceland, the central characters’ troubling backstories are unravelled, too.
Where to watch it: Netflix
10. The Missing
This narrative puzzle series is set in France and London, which explores the impact of a child’s abduction, and the emotional cost of hope and finding when to let go. When Tony and Emily Hughes visit France on a holiday with their five-year-old son Oliver, things go horribly wrong when their car breaks down one night in a small town and their son goes missing.
Tony becomes a man obsessed, unable to accept the fact that his son may be dead. His exhaustive search breaks down his marriage and even threatens to destroy his life. Eight years later Tony continues to search for his son after seeing a recent photograph of a little boy wearing an identical scarf to the one Oliver was wearing on the day he disappeared, which was made specifically for him with a unique symbol.
If you’re hooked to the first season, you’ll be glad to know the second season - which follows a different storyline - is said to be even more compelling, according to critics.
Where to watch it: Amazon
11. The Bridge
This four-season series has earned itself quite a cult following and an outstanding IMDb rating of 8.6/10. It follows an investigation led by Swedish detective Saga Noren and Martin Rohde from the Copenhagen police department, who are called to the scene of a gruesome murder: the torsos of a high-profile Swedish politician and the lower body of a Danish prostitute have been brutally joined together. Noren and Rohde realise they are dealing with a killer who has been planning his crimes for many years.
Where to watch it: Amazon
12. Unbelievable
This American true crime TV miniseries has received critical acclaim for its excellence in dramatising the 2008-2011 Washington and Colorado serial rape cases.
Starring Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable follows Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped. However, as Marie recants her story, two female detectives follow evidence that soon reveals the truth. This is guaranteed to send shivers down your spine.
Where to watch it: Netflix
13. The Undoing
This 2020 American mystery psychological thriller is based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz, and stars Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman as the leads so you know it’s going to deliver the goods.
The Undoing is about Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman) - a successful therapist who has a devoted husband (Hugh Grant) and a young son who attends an elite private school in New York City. But one night everything changes: a mother of a boy from the school is found murdered and her husband disappears. She soon realises the man she loves is not the person she thought he was.
With only six episodes, you’ll be able to binge-watch this in one night.
Where to watch it: Amazon
14. The Killing
Set in Seattle, homicide detective Sarah Linden is assigned to the murder of teenager Rosie Larsen, who is found in the trunk of a car at the bottom of a lake. The car is registered to councilman Darren Richmond, who is running for mayor.
Over the four seasons, various murders are investigated by Linden and detective Stephen Holder, which are somehow intertwined.
While it’s one of the slow-burning series on this list, there’s just something about it that will keep you hooked.
Where to watch it: Disney+
15. True Detective
True Detective is another hit HBO series, which has won multiple awards. It follows police officers and detectives around the US, who are forced to face dark secrets about themselves as they chase criminals using unconventional criminals. There are currently three seasons, with talks of a fourth in the works. If you like intense and unpredictable crime dramas with string character, True Detective is for you.
Where to watch it: Amazon
