The Best Mystery Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now

In this buzzy new spy thriller set in the 1960s, an Israeli clerk named Eli Cohen (played by Sacha Baron Cohen) transforms into a secret agent and goes deep undercover on a perilous mission in Syria. Based on the real-life story of Israel’s top Mossad agent Eli Cohen, this limited series is sure to keep you glued to your screen.  

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In this icy Nordic noir import from Finland, Pihla Viitala plays homicide detective Sofia Karppi. Karppi is still healing from her own tragic loss when she begins an investigation into a woman’s murder. Soon, she uncovers a trail of clues that connects the victim to a powerful construction company in Helsinki. 

Imagine a town so isolated that it has no cell phone reception and no GPS tracking—even compasses go haywire. Now imagine that town is on the outskirts of a forest where inexplicable events and grisly crimes occur, and you’ll come close to the eerie setting that is Villefranche, a community with a murder rate six times the national average.

Based on the true crime book by legendary FBI agent and criminal profiler John E. Douglas, Mindhunter is one of Netflix's most popular shows. The mystery of Mindhunter isn’t so much about the crimes committed by infamous serial killers (although that certainly is a factor), but about the mystery of the mind of a killer. Portrayals of real-life murderers appear throughout this offering from David Fincher, including Ed Kemper, the Co-Ed Killer. The hotly anticipated second season of Mindhunter is out now. 

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This British police procedural has a supernatural twist: suffering from guilt after the murder of his partner, Detective Inspector John River sees her ghost everywhere. The series follows his attempts to solve ongoing cases as well as the mystery of what happened to his partner, and who wanted her dead.

Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman star in this supernatural mystery show based on Maggie Stiefvater’s book of the same name. Detective Harry Ambrose (Pullman) returns to his hometown in rural New York to examine a chilling case: a husband-and-wife couple murdered by their young son. As Ambrose searches for a motive, he discovers there’s nothing ordinary about the young suspect or the darkness hanging over his hometown. 

This whimsical British show has been airing since 1997—and now, American audiences can stream the first 19 seasons. Set in the fictional English county of Midsomer, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby solves crimes with the help of his younger cousin John Barnaby, who later takes over as the series’ forerunner. With quirky black comedy and an ever-evolving cast, there’s never a dull moment on this show.

How and why did the DNA of Julian Hirtmann, a serial killer who’s been locked up for over a decade, end up at an active crime scene? The Frozen Dead opens with this perplexing mystery, and it only gets more puzzling from there. Based on the novel by Bernard Minier, this icy thriller will chill you to your core.

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This period mystery shows us the seedier side of London. In 1889, the city seethes with panic as Jack the Ripper stalks the streets, viciously murdering as he pleases. Desperate to stop the killings, Whitechapel’s police force teams up with an eclectic cast of characters, including a former surgeon and the madam of a local brothel.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Sherlock Holmes and Watson—what more do you need? In this award-winning BBC update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic detective series, Holmes and Watson set out across present-day London to crack cases and stop Sherlock’s arch-nemesis, Moriarty. 

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Dexter’s Michael C. Hall stars as a grieving widower in this nailbiter of a miniseries. When his 16-year-old daughter goes missing, pediatric surgeon Tom Delaney launches a frantic search—one that exposes the buried secrets of numerous townspeople, including Jenny herself.

Loosely based on the short stories by G.K. Chesterton, Father Brown features a crime-solving priest whose occupation gives him a unique outlook on earthly justice. Mild-mannered and compassionate, Father Brown often finds himself at odds with a bumbling police inspector, but his shrewd sleuthing skills are undeniable.

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A slow-burner about conflicted cops solving crimes among the austere woodlands of Wales, Hinterland looks a lot like your favorite detective dramas. What sets this one apart is its methodical Nordic noir and that it’s the first Welsh-made drama available to U.S. bingers. Warning: heavy accents ahead.

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Mindhunter’s Anna Torv stars in this Australian political mystery show. Torv plays Harriet Dunkley, a muckraking journalist who fights for truth and transparency in Australian politics and the halls of power, despite threats to her life. 

Michaela Coel and John Goodman star in this BBC legal thriller. Coel plays Kate Ashby, a legal investigator in the London law offices of barrister Michael Ennis (Goodman). As a child, Kate escaped the Rwandan genocide and was adopted by a human rights attorney. Years later, Kate’s adoptive mother accepts a case prosecuting an African militia leader. Now Kate must confront her past as she takes on the war criminal. 

Looking for something a bit cozier in spirit? Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries is your next binge. Phryne Fisher is a glamorous private detective in 1920s Australia. This case of the week is heightened by its lead performances, its wit, and its gorgeous clothes.

As its moniker suggests, Broadchurch is rooted in religion, particularly, the sins of man and how those sins refuse to stay buried. When authorities find the body of a murdered 11-year-old boy, their sleepy town of Broadchurch gets ripped apart. Get ready to worship at the altar of Olivia Coleman. The show in its entirety is streaming on Netflix, so you have no reason not to binge.

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Think of this German export as a combination of Stranger Things and Twin Peaks. This mystery leans heavily into fantasy and sci-fi territory, but the enthralling mystery makes it worth a watch even for those who tend to shy away from such genres.

Lydia Wilson stars in this supernatural British mystery show. Wilson plays Matilda Grey, a skilled cellist whose mother commits suicide. As Grey seeks answers about her mother’s death, she uncovers haunting family secrets and connections to the disappearance of young girl in a small town in Wales. 

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Count your blessings before diving into this otherworldly mystery show from South Korea. Song Seung-heon plays a grim reaper tasked with tracking down his fugitive partner. In so doing, the hereafter detective gets caught up in mysteries of life and death and cold cases stretching back twenty years. 

Noah Taylor and Yael Stone star in this Australian series based on a staggering wave of real-life hate murders targeting gay men in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. When a gay man is murdered near Bondi Beach, detectives Tori Lustigman (Stone) and Nick Manning (Taylor) investigate. Soon, more bodies turn up, with the slayings linking back to a spate of mysterious deaths and hate-fueled homicides in the 1980s and 90s and the disappearance of Lustigamn’s brother.  

Detective Inspector Kari Sorjonen (Ville Virtanen) is one of Finland’s most skilled investigators. He hopes his move to a small town near the border of Russia will lead to quieter days and more time with his family. Instead, he soon finds himself ensnared in a series of brutal murder mysteries. 

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More psychological thriller than color-by-number police procedural, this cat-and-mouse chase stars Gillian Anderson as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson opposite her prey, Jamie Dornan, a serial-killing family man who has a thing for strangling the life out of attractive, successful brunettes.

Stay out of the forest, kids. When a young girl goes missing from her village near the Ardennes Forest, local authorities begin their search. Assisting in the investigation is the missing girl’s teacher, who had her own harrowing experience in the woods many years ago. It isn’t long before deep-rooted secrets are unearthed. 

Technically a teenage whydunit, this Selena Gomez-produced series struck binge-worthy gold with its story of a high schooler who reveals her motivations for committing suicide over 13 highly emotional cassette tapes. The show has been intensely divisive among viewers. Some believe that the makers are unintentionally glorifying suicide; others hail it for starting a conversation.

A Brussels detective and his daughter move back to the Belgian town where he grew up, though their welcome home is cut short when the body of a football player is pulled from the nearby water source. Incest, S&M, and things that will shock even the most hardened mystery viewer make this series a standout. Also know: This one’s in French.

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No one can be trusted in this powerfully acted four-part BBC crime drama set in the remote Scottish Highland village of Braeston. When newlyweds Adam and Grace are found brutally murdered, family members and neighbors are shattered. Detectives search for answers, exposing friction between the families. Meanwhile, a bloodied man appears in town after crashing his car—a man who may be the killer.

If this list is any indication, Belgian noir is having a moment, although this 10-episode, subtitled series takes a rather different approach: the murderee looks for her own murderer. Meet Kato Hoeven, the teenage protagonist who awakens to find she’s actually dead in a bathtub. Unraveling the events of Kato’s murder, even with her ghost to help, is a complicated and thrilling process. 

This soapy Spanish mystery is perfect for those who wanted Downton Abbey to have just a bit more murder. Grand Hotel is set in 1906 and follows Julio, a young servant at the hotel. He’s taken the job after his sister disappeared while working there. He changes his name to hide his true identity while trying to uncover just what happened to his sister. There’s plenty of cross-class mingling, scandal, and intrigue along the way. The show is being remade for American audiences by Eva Longoria, with Season 1 premiering in June 2019 on ABC.

Damages’ creators go from urban jungle to a sweltering labyrinth of mangroves in the Florida Keys, where the Rayburns, once-proud pillars of their community, tirelessly try to keep their secrets from bubbling to the surface. Trust, there’s misery in paradise. And you know what they say about misery. 

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Did he, or didn’t he? That is the question in Ray McKinnon’s haunting character study about a small-town convict’s life after exoneration, the torment that continues to imprison him, and the innocent and not-so-innocent people who surround him. The answer? Everyone’s guilty of something.

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What begins with the sodden body of a homecoming queen washing ashore the banks of an idyllic town unfurls into one of the most iconic murder mysteries of the ‘90s. Stylized and often just plain odd, it’s straight out of the mind of David Lynch. Bonus: The acclaimed new season is currently airing on Showtime, as well as 1992’s prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me. 

For a truly eerie experience, hit play on this French atmospheric take on zombies. This zombie show forces viewers to actually use their own brains rather than watch undead monsters eat others’. About a group of loved ones who return home years after their own deaths, it’s exactly what we want to watch alone. In the dark. Though the show aired for two seasons, only the first (and best) is available on Netflix.