Stay Close To These Murder Mysteries
Stay Close is the latest Harlan Coben adaptation, with all the usual murder mystery hallmarks. With lots of twists, turns and surprising revelations, it’s certainly a very watchable series. If you’ve finished watching this and are looking for alternate shows, fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle of having to try and find something similar with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming Stay Close.
The Innocent
Similarities – Harlan Coben
Gritty, well-written and incredibly absorbing, this mini-series constantly keeps you guessing until the very end. There are some great twists in here too and when the puzzle pieces do eventually slot together, the ending wraps everything up nicely. The story here takes place deep in the heart of Spain. A nightclub brawl ends in tragedy when Mat accidentally kills a boy called Dani. After serving four years in prison, Mat leaves and tries to piece together his life. And he does a pretty good job of it too. However, ghosts of his past soon resurface. New flame Olivia goes missing and Mat is thrown into a whirlwind of lies, distrust and deceit. You can read our thoughts on The Innocent in our full season review here!
Save Me
Similarities – Whodunit thriller
Save Me does takes a while to pick up momentum after a slow start but when it gets going, this thriller is devastatingly impactful. At the heart of the mystery lies innocent teenager Jody who goes missing after being coerced by someone online pretending to be Jody’s absent father, Nelly. When the police catch wind and paint Nelly as the prime suspect in the girl’s disappearance, Nelly take matters into his own hands to track down his daughter while clearing his own name from suspicion with the police. Gripping and well written – this one’s well worth a watch. You can read our thoughts on Save Me in our full season reviews here!
The Stranger
Similarities – Mystery & Harlan Coben
What would you do if a stranger told you your whole life was a lie? Harlan Coben’s The Stranger aims to answers this very question. The story itself revolves around family man Adam. During his son’s football match, a strange woman arrives and tells him his wife Corinne lied about her pregnancy and miscarriage. Adam is rattled to his core and as secrets are exposed and Corinne goes missing, what follows is a quest for the truth that takes plenty of turns along the way. Only, the truth is far more shocking and ugly than first meets the eye. With Richard Armitage and Paul Kaye both firing on all cylinders, the series is let down slightly by some incredulous character motivations. Still, if you can get invested in the mystery, and excuse some of these shortfalls, this thriller delivers a compelling and binge-worthy journey worth taking. You can read our thoughts on The Stranger in our full season review here!
The Mentalist
Similarities: Tone & Backstory
Patrick Jane works as an independent consultant for the CBI (California Bureau Of Investigation) with an impressive track record for solving serious crimes thanks to his observation skills. On top of that, he also makes frequent use of his mentalist abilities to lead witnesses and offenders into divulging facts known only to them. Split across 7 seasons, The Mentalist adds this hook across a number of different episodes, chock full of plot twists and interesting cases to boot. There’s also an intriguing long-form story about Patrick trying to find a madman called “Red John” who killed his wife and daughter. If you liked the tone of Prodigal Son, you should be in your element with this one.
Sharp Objects
Similarities – Mystery & Characters
Psychologically charged murder mystery Sharp Objects is as engaging as it is technically impressive. From the exquisite sound design to the perfect editing, every part of this show has been finely tuned and crafted to create a compelling mystery. The story follows troubled reporter Camille who begrudgingly finds herself assigned to reporting a violent murder case in her hometown Wind Gap. Haunted by a troubled past mired in violence and depression, Camille feels alienated from the adults, growing closer to the young girls whom the killer in town is targeting. The show is a must-watch if you’re looking for a compelling character-driven mystery. You can read our thoughts on Sharp Objects in our full season review here!
Dare Me
Similarities – Mystery & Dark Female Issues
Dare Me is an interesting cheerleading drama that takes elements of Gossip Girl and other melodramas of its kind and blends them up into a 10 episode series driven by some dark, central themes around murder, rape and jealousy. Based on the best-selling 2004 novel of the same name, Dare Me is a tale that predominantly revolves around three females. Addy and Beth are best friends; inseparable teenage girls reveling in the heady world of alcohol, drugs and parties. When new cheer-leading coach Colette arrives to shake things up, what follows is a story that starts to drive a wedge in Beth and Addy’s friendship, while dark secrets blanket the trio. The “whodunit” mystery here is pretty strong and it’s backed up by some good character development too. You can read our thoughts on Dare Me in our full season review here!
The Missing
Similarities – Mystery
The Missing, unsurprisingly, is a series about a missing child. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare and the way The Missing captures this in its rawest essence is partly why the show works as well as it does. Our protagonists here are Tony and Emily Hughes, who travel to France with their 5-year-old son Oliver. Their family holiday turns into a nightmare when Oliver disappears from a large celebrating crowd in Northern France. Suspenseful, gripping and split across two seasons, The Missing really hits that character-driven essence of what makes this scenario so frightening. It also makes for quite the engrossing watch that we highly recommend checking out.
Beyond Evil
Similarities – Murder Mystery
Beyond Evil is a great example of how to take a simple concept and absolutely run with it. Between the exemplary acting, tight writing and numerous twists and turns along the way, this Korean drama is easily one of the best shows of the year. It’s hardly surprising then that it’s been nominated for 7 Baeksang Awards. At its core, Beyond Evil plays out as a simple murder mystery. Police detective Dong-Sik is haunted by the death of his sister Yu-Yeon 20 years prior. With the case still unresolved, a string of new murders seem to be connected with her death. It also coincides with the arrival of junior detective Joo-Won. He suspects Dong-Sik killed Yu-Yeon and sets to work piecing together evidence to incriminate him. Only, as he soon comes to learn, those at Manyang substation are a tight-knit family and watch out for one another. Beyond the killings, Beyond Evil is a tale of forgiveness, healing, and respect. There’s no big romance or montage sequences, there’s just 16 episodes of crime investigating and character development. Beyond Evil completely exceeds expectations, solidifying itself as one of the best Korean dramas of all time. You can read our thoughts on Beyond Evil in our full season review here!
Tabula Rasa
Similarities – Slow Burn Mystery
If you’re in the mood for slow burn thrillers, look no further than Belgium’s Tabula Rasa. With an intriguing premise, some solid characters and an itching mystery that compels you to see it through to its conclusion, this crime drama is certainly worth your time. The psychological thriller revolves around an amnesia-stricken young woman called Mie, who’s locked up in a secure psychiatric hospital. When she receives a visit from Detective Wolkers, he claims to be the last person seen with Thomas Spectre, who has vanished. As a witness and prime suspect in the case, Mie is forced to remember what happened that night before she can even think about being released. In order to fight for the truth, Mie is forced into reconstructing her lost memories. The more she remembers though, the more Mie starts to distrust those around her. Moody, ambitious and really well written, Tabula Rasa is a solid series to check out.
White Lines
Similarities – Soapy melodrama & Murder Mystery
White Lines is a show you’ll either really love or really hate. Mixed up in a heady cocktail of sun, sex and drugs on the White Island, the show begins with a simple premise before spiraling out to encapsulate a whole range of different ideas. Some of these work well, but others really don’t. However, don’t let that deter you – if you enjoyed Stay Close then you may find a lot to like here. The story centers on Zoe, who flies out to Ibiza to find out what happened to her brother, Axel, who’s declared dead when his mummified body is uncovered thanks to heavy rainfall. Once on Ibiza, Zoe discovers exactly what happened to her brother and who’s responsible for his murder. Meeting back up with Axel’s childhood buddies Marcus, Dave and Anna, she realizes all is not what it seems. So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished with Stay Close on Netflix! What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!
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