In just seven episodes, HBO Max’s Mare of Easttown gained a dedicated fandom. The series follows the titular detective, a grieving, vaping, rule-breaking detective/grandma played by Kate Winslet. The show captivated viewers with its thoughtful exploration of familial trauma, its winning performances, and the kind of complicated female protagonists we see too rarely on TV.
Now that the season has come to a shocking end, you may be craving similar crime dramas to immerse yourself in. These shows like Mare of Easttown will help you get your fix.
Broadchurch
Like Mare of Easttown, Broadchurch is set in a small community reeling from the death of one of its young people.
The British crime drama's first and best season centers around the murder of 11-year-old Danny Latimer, who is found dead on the beach. DS Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) and DI Alec Hardy (David Tennant) face pressure to solve the worst crime the tiny coastal city has ever experienced—and Ellie is pressured to let go of the grudge she holds against the new DI.
The Killing
Seattle Detective Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) would probably get along well with Mare.
Linden is a single mom with difficult memories of her own childhood, and constant drama over custody battles with her ex. Linden's life gets even more complicated after the murder of teenager Rosie Larson. Along with her unconventional new partner Holden (Joel Kinneman)—a hippie in recovery, with no respect for authority—Linden becomes obsessed with bringing the Larson family closure.
If you liked the dynamic between Mare and her partner Zabel (Evan Peters), then you'll love watching a surprising friendship grow between Holden and Linden.
The Fall
Much was made in the media of the Mare of Easttown scene in which Mare has sex with Richard (Guy Pearce), a professor who’s new to Easttown. In Hollywood, it's unfortunately rare to see women over 40 in roles that explore all aspects of their character's identity, particularly sexuality. If you delighted in that aspect of Mare’s story, then you'll fall for The Fall.
This chilling North Ireland mystery centers around Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), a superintendent assigned to a new base to investigate a potential serial killer.
In The Fall, the mystery doesn’t come from searching for the identity of the murderer. From the beginning, the audience knows the culprit is Paul (Jamie Dornan), a chillingly normal-seeming grief counselor. Instead, the tension comes from the cat-and-mouse game that develops between the detective and the deviant.
The Night Of
Another standalone HBO miniseries, The Night Of unpacks the events of a single evening.
Nasir (Riz Ahmed), a college student living in Queens with his Pakistani-American family, takes his father’s yellow cab to attend a party in the city. During the commute, Nasir connects with Andrea, who invites him back to her apartment. After a night of sex and drugs, Nasir wakes and finds that Andrea has been murdered.
Nasir, of course, is the main suspect—and even he isn’t convinced that he didn’t have anything to do with the death. Eccentric, eczema-prone defense attorney John Stone (John Turturro) steps in to represent Nasir, and he’s exactly the sort of chaotic character who would be right at home in Easttown.
Bloodline
Mare of Easttown shows the ripple effects that a tragedy has on four generations of one family—something that the characters in Netflix’s Bloodline know all about.
The Rayburn family are like royalty in Islamorada, Florida, due in part to the success of their hotel, and the accomplishments of their three adult children. But there’s also a black sheep in the family: Danny (Ben Mendelsohn), a drifter haunted by the death of his younger sister.
When Danny arrives back in town for his parents’ 45th wedding anniversary celebrations, the secrets the Rayburns have struggled to hide for decades are dragged into the light, with deadly results. This Florida noir has superb acting, a gorgeous coastal backdrop, and family drama that would make even Mare blush.
Happy Valley
Set in Northern England, this dark mystery follows Catherine (Sarah Lancashire), a police sergeant traumatized by the suicide of her daughter.
Eight years after her daughter’s death, Catherine lives with her grandson and her sister, who struggles with substance use. When Catherine learns that the man who raped her late daughter has been released from prison, she begins a search for vengeance that uncovers a horrifying secret.
Jessica Jones
She’s a dysfunctional, prickly sleuth who could probably use some therapy—but no, she’s not Mare. Jessica Jones is a super-powered private eye desperately trying to forget her abuser, Kilgrave, who can compel her to commit terrible deeds.
This Netflix series is based around a Marvel character, but if you don’t mind some superheroes in your sleuth shows, then Jessica Jones makes a perfect companion to Mare of Easttown.
Sharp Objects
Based on the book of the same name by Gillian Flynn, Sharp Objects centers around Camille (Amy Adams), a reporter who returns to her small Missouri hometown to cover the brutal murder of two young girls.
But home isn’t where the heart is for Camille. To forget the death of her younger sister, and her tumultuous relationship with her mother, Camille has turned to alcohol and self-harm in the years since moving away.
As Camille grows closer to the story of the two murdered girls, she uncovers new clues about the horrific nature of her own childhood.
Five Days
A joint production of HBO and The BBC, Five Days follows five days throughout the course of a long-running investigation.
In the first season, Leanne (Christine Tremarco) steps outside her car to purchase some flowers off the side of the highway, then disappears. Leanne is white, and her husband Matt (David Oyelowo), a veteran, is Black. Racial and gender bias collide to create rumors that Matt is responsible for the probable murder of his missing wife.
As Matt fights to maintain custody of his and Leanne's children, he receives surprising support from a woman with a dark past of her own.
The series also centers around Amy Foster (Janet McTeer), a blunt, hard-drinking detective terrified by her approaching retirement.
