Best tv shows like Penance
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The murder of a young girl leaves the inhabitants of a small Japanese village in shock. The body of Emili is found by four classmates with whom she was playing. The murder is never solved. Emili's mother Asako is torn by grief and puts a curse on the four girls when they claim not to remember the killer's face. Each of the girls, in their own way, will do penance for their silence.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Horror, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 270 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, bleak, suspense, tense, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Penance (2012):
Similar in 82%
Murder on the Orient Express (2015)
Plot Summary:
The Japanese adaption of Agatha Christie's famous whodunit "Murder on the Orient Express".
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 195
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 280 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, intellectual, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful
Similar in 90%
Blood of the Vine (2011)
Plot Summary:
Benjamin Lebel, an internationally-acclaimed wine expert, finds himself helping the local police inspector on cases combining murders and Grand Crus.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 169
Genere: Crime
Country: France, Belgium
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, clever, serious, suspenseful, realistic, witty
Similar in 90%
The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club (1972)
Plot Summary:
When one of the more venerable members of the Bellona Club passes away in the reading room, Lord Peter Wimsey is brought in to determine the time of death for testamentary purposes. But the more he investigates, the more complicated things seem.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 325
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: detective, mind bending, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, witty, talky, stylized
Similar in 89%
Murderland (2009)
Plot Summary:
Murderland poses the question of tragedy and curiosity - can one move on from horrible and unexplained events that one experiences as a child, and grow up to make a new life? Or will peace come only once the truth is known? Murderland tells of the mystery surrounding a traumatic murder, as seen from the perspective of the three primary characters. Carrie, the daughter of the murdered woman, Douglas Hain, the detective in charge of the investigation, and Sally the murder victim all have their story to tell. Haunted by her mother’s murder when she was a child, Carrie seeks to uncover the truth so that she can move on with her life. As the investigation unfolds, Carrie’s yearning to discover who murdered her mother grows more intense, bringing her closer to the detective working the case.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 601
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: psychological, bleak, serious, suspenseful, detective, tense, rough, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 82%
Epitafios (2004)
Plot Summary:
Epitafios is a 2004 13-episode, Argentinian crime fiction TV mini-series with the tagline: El Final Está Escrito ... The End Is Written. The series, which takes place in an unnamed South American city, was shot in Buenos Aires. The series was produced by HBO Latin America and Argentinian TV/film company Pol-Ka Producciones. It was written by Marcelo Slavich and Walter Slavich and directed by Alberto Lecchi and Jorge Nisco. Although all of the actors were Argentinian, a neutral Spanish was used instead of the local Rioplatense Spanish, avoiding colloquialisms such as the local vos in favor of the more common tú. The series debuted in Australia on SBS in May 2007 under the title If The Dead Could Speak. It premiered in Poland on Cinemax on November 6, 2008. In Germany, it premiered on November 6, 2009 on pay TV channel FOX under the title Epitafios - Tod Ist Die Antwort.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Argentina
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: tense, suspenseful, detective, serious, realistic, crime drama, spooky, anthology, gloomy, slasher
Similar in 83%
Unfair (2006)
Plot Summary:
A no-nonsense detective with a reputation for pushing limits investigates a rash of brutal murders connected by a series of cryptic short stories.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 121
Genere: Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: clever, serious, suspenseful, stylized, detective, realistic
Similar in 81%
Mystery Woman: Sing Me a Murder (2005)
Plot Summary:
Murder is something to sing about when Mystery Woman Samantha Kinsey-an expert in pulp fiction, and increasingly proficient when it comes to real-life crime-untangles a record-breaking murder. Mystery Woman bookshop owner, Samantha Kinsey, has offered to host a charity concert for a once-famous folk-rock trio out to recapture their old fame flame. But sweet success hits the ultimate sour note when the band's promoter is found murdered in his hotel room. Sam and her partner in crime, Philby, investigate, digging up deadly secrets of private indiscretions, professional greed, and personal vengeance that put a twisted spin on fame and fortune-and bring a whole new meaning to a Top Ten hit.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 534
Genere: Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, suspense, mind bending
Similar in 88%
Case Histories (2011)
Plot Summary:
Case Histories is a British drama television series based on the Jackson Brodie detective novels by Kate Atkinson. It stars Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, touching, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, atmospheric, anime, hardboiled detective, realistic
Similar in 83%
A BUTTERFLY EFFECT –The Murder Analysis Team– (2019)
Plot Summary:
Kisaragi Toko is a detective in the Investigation 1 Section 11 of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Her senior, Detective Hideaki Takano, has decided to move to the Public Security Bureau. Hideaki Takano’s transfer will be carried out in 1 week. During this time, a murder takes place. A wealthy man is found dead in his home. His throat has been cut and a blue flower placed within the wound. Also, the victim's wife Mayumi is missing. A newspaper then receives an email from Kurasuta 16, professing themselves as the murderer. The email also implies the location of Mayumi. Since Detective Hideaki Takano is soon to transfer to the Public Security Bureau, Toko Kisaragi feels more pressure and responsibility to solve the crime.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 18
Genere: Crime
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: tense, psychological, atmospheric, unusual plot structure, serious, suspense, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 89%
The Murder Room (2004)
Plot Summary:
The lease on the Dupayne Museum is almost up and under the terms of their father's will, all three of the Dupayne children must agree to continue or the museum is to close. Neville Dupayne is dead set against continuing the museum when the money could be used for a much better purpose. One of the museum's key attractions is the Murder Room, displaying information on a series of notorious murders from between the two World Wars. When Neville dies in a way reminiscent of one of the murders on display in the Murder Room, Commander Adam Dalgleish is asked to investigate. There are any number of suspects: his siblings, several museum employees who will lose their job, his secretary with whom he once had an affair and his daughter who felt he was an absentee father. A second murder reveals some of the activities of the upper classes and the solution lies in a long-ago wrong that someone is seeking to right.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 544
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, detective, tense, mind bending, realistic
Similar in 88%
Mystery Woman (2003)
Plot Summary:
A famous writer is found hanged in his office. At first, all police investigations conclude that it was suicide, but when Samantha Kinsey, owner of Seller 'Mystery Woman' starts his own investigation, he discovers that there is chance that has been committed murder. The film is the first in a long series of American TV movies called" Mystery Woman", in which Samantha Kinsey, the owner of a bookshop specializing in thrillers and suspense is involved in the resolution of real cases.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 682
Genere: Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 89%
Garage Sale Mystery: All That Glitters (2014)
Plot Summary:
Jennifer Shannon (Lori Loughlin) has a gift for finding rare treasures hidden in garage sales that she can resell at her consignment store, Rags to Riches, and for get her involved in the criminal investigations that happen at the very second-hand sales she frequents. When her friend Martin (Michael Kopsa) turns up murdered just hours after auctioning off an abandoned storage unit full of unique items to Jennifer, she is immediately pulled on the case as a key eyewitness. Working with Detective Lynwood (Kevin O'Grady), Jennifer helps single out a disgruntled customer as the prime suspect, while she and her business partner, Danielle (Sarah Strange), sift through boxes from the auction. As her husband Jason (Steve Bacic) worries about her safety, she starts to get over her head when there is a break-in at her store and a run-in with Martin's angry wife. They must race to save a life and put their own on the line. Will they succeed before times runs out?.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, captivating, tense, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Garage Sale Mystery: The Deadly Room (2015)
Plot Summary:
A sleuthing garage sale maven suspects foul play when her friend dies in an old house with a cursed reputation. Even though police evidence - and even webcam footage of the death – point to natural causes – this mysterious death in a cursed” home poised for multi-million dollar sale seems too coincidental. Putting her keen instincts to work, she examines a few key suspects. As she digs into this deadly mystery, she uncovers clues that bring her closer to the truth, and even put her own life in danger.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: Canada
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: serious, enigmatic, captivating, tense, suspense, psychological, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
The Apostate (2000)
Plot Summary:
A man of the cloth finds his faith challenged both by the death of one of his closest relatives and the aftermath of the crime in this thriller. When a man is murdered under mysterious circumstances, his brother, a Catholic priest (Richard Grieco), decides to start his own investigation with the help of his uncle, a detective, in hopes of tracking down the killer.
IMDB Rating: 4.0
IMDB Votes: 436
Genere: Crime, Thriller, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: tense, bleak, scary, rough, mind bending, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, serious, gloomy
Similar in 76%
Da Vinci's Inquest (1998)
Plot Summary:
Da Vinci's Inquest is a Canadian dramatic television series that aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes. The show, set and filmed in Vancouver, stars Nicholas Campbell as Dominic Da Vinci, once an undercover officer for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, but now a crusading coroner who seeks justice in the cases he investigates. The cast also includes Gwynyth Walsh as Da Vinci's ex-wife and chief pathologist Patricia Da Vinci, Donnelly Rhodes as detective Leo Shannon, and Ian Tracey as detective Mick Leary.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, gloomy
Similar in 90%
Zekkyo (2019)
Plot Summary:
A woman’s dead body is found in an apartment in Kokubunji, Tokyo. The decayed body seems like a half year has passed since its death and it is damaged by domestic cats that ate the body. The woman's death is thought to be a "lonely death" (someone died naturally without anyone noticing for a long period of time). Detective Ayano has doubts about that conclusion. The cats seemed like they were not house trained, which is odd for domestic cats. Detective Ayano wonders whether the cats were really owned by the dead woman. Detective Ayano then finds Suzuki Yoko’s bankbook in an empty fishbowl. It seems like the dead woman is 36-year-old Yoko.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 57
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 85%
The Fifth Woman (2002)
Plot Summary:
The 5th woman unfolds autumn 1994. An elderly man found in a gillrad pitfall impaled to death on the sharp sharpened bamboo poles, ecstatic praise of crows. Shortly afterwards disappears a florist without a trace and he also found executed in the forest. Kurt Wallander and his colleagues will soon understand that the attacks is all about revenge.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 620
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland
Duration: 229 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, serious, suspenseful, detective, bleak, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Cold Case: Shinjitsu No Tobira (2016)
Plot Summary:
Yuri Ishikawa and her team try to crack unresolved cold cases in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 107
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 75%
Arne Dahl: The Blinded Man (2011)
Plot Summary:
Arne Dahl - Misterioso A failed robbery attempt at Sydbanken outside Avesta leaves one robber lying dead with a dart through his eye, but there are no witnesses to the incident and no perpetrator is ever identified. In Stockholm, three high-profile businessmen are assassinated in a short period of time, and Jenny Hultin of National CID is assigned the task of putting together a special team to solve the case before the assassin strikes again.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Sweden
Duration: 178 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, realistic, tense, exciting, captivating, suspense, detective, gloomy
Similar in 81%
Arne Dahl: Europa blues (2012)
Plot Summary:
A man is found dead, hung from a tree. Another body is found in Skansen's wolverine enclosure. Five girls attempt to flee from Sweden.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Sweden
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, psychological, suspense, detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful, gloomy
Similar in 83%
Rebus (2000)
Plot Summary:
Rebus is the title of the detective drama TV series based on the Inspector Rebus novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin set in and around Edinburgh. The series was produced by STV Productions for the ITV network. Four seasons have been aired; series 1 starred John Hannah and was made for STV by his own production company, Clerkenwell Films. A new cast featuring Ken Stott as DI John Rebus was introduced for the second and subsequent series.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, tense, realistic, crime drama, detective, suspense, clever
Similar in 78%
Gracepoint (2014)
Plot Summary:
When a young boy is found dead on an idyllic beach, a major police investigation gets underway in the small California seaside town where the tragedy occurred. Soon deemed a homicide, the case sparks a media frenzy, which throws the boy's family into further turmoil and upends the lives of all of the town's residents.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, bleak, serious, gloomy, detective, captivating, suspense, action adventure
Similar in 90%
Shetland (2013)
Plot Summary:
Created from the novels by award winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, Shetland follows DI Jimmy Perez and his team as they investigate crime within the close knit island community. In this isolated and sometimes inhospitable environment, the team have to rely on a uniquely resourceful style of policing.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, tense, crime drama, serious, stylized, detective, suspense, realistic, noir, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Quirke (2013)
Plot Summary:
A chief pathologist in the Dublin city morgue investigates sudden death victims in the 1950s.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Ireland, UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, bleak, realistic, tense, suspense, detective, crime drama, historical drama, suspenseful, period drama
Similar in 82%
DCI Banks (2010)
Plot Summary:
A thrilling drama based on the novels by Peter Robinson. Stephen Tompkinson and Andrea Lowe star as the tenacious and stubborn Chief Inspector Alan Banks and the feisty and headstrong Detective Sergeant Annie Cabbot.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, crime drama, tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, dark, gloomy
Similar in 77%
The Long Goodbye (2014)
Plot Summary:
Tamotsu is suspected of murdering his actress wife Shizuka Harada. He flees to Taiwan and commits suicide. Tamotsu’s friend Banji Masuzawa works as a private detective, and has doubts about Tamotsu’s death, but the case is covered up by powerful media mogul Heizo Harada.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 63
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Japan
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, detective
Similar in 78%
Atypical Crime Investigator, Hinako Todo (2016)
Plot Summary:
Hinako Todo (Haru) is a first-year detective who graduated from the police academy at the top of her class. She always carries with herself a bottle of shichimi chili peppers which was left by her late mother and sprinkles shichimi over everything she eats. Despite her a bit quirky/cheerful demeanor, she holds dark secrets locked deep within her heart… Hinako became a detective, because she wants to find the line between people who kill and those who don't. Once her "crime-solving switch" is on, nothing can stop Hinako from tackling even the most bizarre crime cases. Armed with her overwhelming memory and unstoppable curiously, will Hinako be able to find answers to her question through seeking to solve various crimes?.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 43
Genere: Mystery
Country: Japan
Duration: 54 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, detective
Similar in 76%
Girl From Nowhere (2018)
Plot Summary:
A mysterious, clever girl named Nanno transfers to different schools, exposing the lies and misdeeds of the students and faculty at every turn.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Thailand
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, mysterious, serious, horror comedy, psychological horror, teen horror, harsh, intense, slasher, anthology
Similar in 86%
Silent Witness (1996)
Plot Summary:
Silent Witness is a British crime thriller series focusing on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, bleak, realistic, serious, crime drama, bloody, suspense, tense, brutal
Similar in 84%
Secrets and Lies (2015)
Plot Summary:
Detective Andrea Cornell is a tough, thorough Homicide Detective who leaves no stone unturned. Her unwavering dedication to her job makes her the most formidable opponent - or a highly valuable ally.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, detective, idiotic