Finding a new show to watch on one of the many streaming sites out there may seem like a daunting concept–especially if your tastes tend to cross genres. Mystery shows may bring out our inner detectives, but some are so dark and gruesome that they can be tough to stomach. Thankfully, there is a subgenre that combines levity with the thrill of trying to solve a case.
These funny mystery shows are the perfect mix of laughter and suspense. The best thing about these shows? All of them are available for streaming now.
Netflix
iZombie
When Liv, a Seattle medical resident, becomes a zombie after a strange boat party, she thinks her life is over (technically, it is). She breaks up with her fiancee, quits her residency, and realizes that she needs to eat human brains in order to avoid going on murderous rampages.
She takes a job at the local morgue and eats the brains of the corpses that come in to be autopsied. Soon, Liv realizes that the flashes of the dead person’s life eating brains also gives her valuable information—information she can use to help solve crimes. She assists the police force, claiming that she’s a psychic to keep her new partner, Clive, in the dark about her abilities. This crime-fantasy-comedy sets its tone from the very start: The zombie’s name is literally Liv Moore.
Murderville
You'd be hard-pressed to find a mystery show more ridiculous—or more entertaining. Terry Seattle (Will Arnett) is an eccentric and downtrodden detective who struggles to settle on a new partner after the tragic murder of his former partner. But there are other murders that still need solving, so he'll just have to suck it up—even if his recent divorce only further distracts him from justice.
In each of these six episodes, Seattle has a new partner stepping in to help him catch the killers. It's a wonderful and varied roster of celebrities, from Sharon Stone to Marshawn Lynch. And none of the guest stars are given a script. Relying on improv, this show brings in a fun, off the wall element you won't find anywhere else.
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
A playful and absurd parody of modern thrillers, this show also manages to still deliver an intriguing mystery at its core. Anna (Kristen Bell) is a woman drowning in heartbreak and wine, watching life go on without her as she spends every day the same. But when a handsome man moves in across the street, she starts to think there could be some excitement in her life. She gets more than she bargained for when she witnesses a brutal murder. Maybe?
Amazon Prime
Psych
Sean Spencer (James Roday) has a photographic memory, which allows him to memorize the details of crime scenes and suspects at an alarmingly quick rate. With this skill, he convinces the Santa Barbara Police Department that he is psychic in order to get the job of crime consultant. Along with his childhood best friend, Burton “Gus” Guster (Dule Hill), the two solve murders and keep Sean’s secret.
Almost no one at the SBPD takes Sean seriously, and they shouldn’t. He jokes his way through every investigation and has over-the-top “psychic visions.” His relationship with the usually serious and finicky Gus is another source of humor throughout the show, as the two could not be more different. The pair are like the mystery TV version of Chandler and Joey from Friends–although Gus is more like Ross (in the best, least annoying way possible.) Some episodes reveal who the killer is at the start, while most leave the murderer’s identity as a mystery until the end.
Monk
Detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) has severe OCD: His various phobias and a fear of germs prevent him from leading “normal” murder investigations. After the mysterious death of his wife, Trudy, he had a nervous breakdown and cannot cope with day-to-day life without the help of an assistant.
Monk works as a private detective for the San Francisco Police Department and solves every case he works on–except who killed his wife. He is scared of 312 things (he counted), including his food touching and milk. These phobias lead to some hysterical crime scene investigations, as he takes precautions more severe than those who are directly handling evidence. Shalhoub was nominated for both Emmy and Screen Actors Guild awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series each year that the show was on and won three Emmys, two SAG awards, and one Golden Globe.
Bored to Death
After a bad breakup, writer Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) decides to post on Craigslist about moonlighting as a private detective. When people actually hire him, he somehow uses techniques from detective novels to help solve various crimes. Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson also star in the three-season series, and Jenny Slate and Kristen Wiig frequently guest star. With a cast this stacked with comedians, it’s no wonder that the show is one of the best funny mysteries out there.
Hulu
Only Murders in the Building
Charles-Haden Savage (Steven Martin) is a washed up actor from a once popular detective series. Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) is a Broadway director left broke and alone after a massive flop. Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) is a troubled young woman remodeling her aunt's apartment. Three strangers, they have nothing in common—except for the fact they're all living at the Arconia, and they're all obsessed with true crime.
When a fellow resident is found murdered, this unlikely trio bands together to start a podcast and find out who's responsible. But as old secrets come to light, it can be difficult to trust people you barely know...
Ghosted
In 2018, “ghosted” usually refers to a romantic partner who stops responding to all forms of communication without warning. In the case of this show, it means actually hunting mysterious ghost activity. Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation) and Craig Robinson (The Office) play a bookstore employee and mall cop, respectively, who investigate paranormal activity in the L.A. area. Though the show might seem more supernatural than a traditional mystery, there is no shortage of suspicious crimes that need solving.
One plotline of the first season involves a date with an actual murderous demon, while another centers on the death of a golf caddy. Will you laugh? Yes. Will you also wonder how someone came up with these storylines and the show’s concept? Double yes.
Bones
Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan is a forensic anthropologist, played by Emily Deschanel. She and FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) form an unlikely alliance to solve cases based on the decomposing bone fragments from murder victims. The two initially disagree on pretty much every subject, which certainly doesn’t detract from their constant sexual tension.
Deschanel's character, Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan lacks certain social graces, which leads to quite a few of the show’s laughs. Booth, on the other hand, doesn’t know much medical jargon, and his head-scratching moments are often a reprieve from the seriousness of analyzing bones for clues.
