Best tv shows like The Killing
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The Killing is a Danish police procedural set in the Copenhagen main police department and revolves around Detective Inspector Sarah Lund and her team, with each season series following a different murder case day-by-day and a one-hour episode covering twenty-four hours of the investigation. The series is noted for its plot twists, season-long storylines, dark tone and for giving equal emphasis to the story of the murdered victim's family alongside the police investigation. It has also been singled out for the photography of its Danish setting, and for the acting ability of its cast.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany
Duration: 57 min
Plot tags: psychological, gloomy, tense, detective, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, captivating, atmospheric, noir
Best tv shows and movies like The Killing (2007):
Similar in 85%
Sebastian Bergman (2010)
Plot Summary:
Swedish crime drama series about forensic psychologist Sebastian Bergmann.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 649
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, atmospheric, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, stylized, detective, gloomy
Similar in 86%
Caliphate (2020)
Plot Summary:
National Security agent Fatima receives a tip that a terrorist attack against Sweden is in the planning stage. Meanwhile Sulle, a teenage girl in Stockholm, gets interested in her student assistent who opens doors to a new and fascinating world - the true path. Kalifat is a thriller about the intermingled fates of five young women who get caught up in the seducing and destroying force of religious fundamentalism.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Sweden
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: suspense, exciting, disturbing, tense, slasher, dramatic, masterpiece
Similar in 80%
All the Sins (2019)
Plot Summary:
Lauri Räihä, a criminal investigator from Helsinki, is sent to investigate two murders that have occurred in the northern Finnish town where he grew up. The assignment offers Lauri a way out of confronting his own problems.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Finland, Estonia
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, detective, contemplative
Similar in 75%
Snow Angels (2021)
Plot Summary:
Two days before Christmas, while Sweden is paralyzed by a heavy snowstorm, five-week-old baby Lukas inexplicably disappears from his home. Experienced police officer Alice thinks that something is not right in the parents' stories.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Iceland
Duration: 341 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, clever
Similar in 85%
Midnight Sun (2016)
Plot Summary:
Kahina Zadi, 32, a French police officer travels to Kiruna in Sweden to investigate the bestial murder of a French citizen. Together with Anders, a Swedish prosecutor of Sami origin, she begins an investigation. Soon new killings start to happen and the first victim turns out to be the tip of a very dark iceberg. The victims seemingly have nothing in common more than that they are all being killed in a well-planned and vicious manner. In their hunt for the truth, both Kahina and Anders are forced to deal with their own past that they have repressed. A personal journey through a painful past becomes the key to succeed in preventing the violent killings that affects the small mining community of Kiruna.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, France
Duration: 440 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspenseful, detective, suspense, atmospheric, noir, dark
Similar in 84%
Pagan Peak (2018)
Plot Summary:
When a gruesomely staged body is found, propped up on a mountain pass in the Alps close to the German-Austrian border, two detectives are sent to investigate. For German detective Ellie, this is the first real challenge of her career; her Austrian counterpart Gedeon though seems to have lost any ambitions in his job. Very soon, they discover more crime scenes with symbolically posed victims, reminiscent of pagan rituals. It all seems to be part of a bigger, sinister plan. Ellie finds herself under increasing pressure to understand the deranged killer's motives so she can stop him. The hunt leads them ever deeper in the dark valleys and archaic Alpine customs - and the paranoid world of the killer.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Germany, Austria
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, suspenseful, detective, slasher, rough, bleak, interesting
Similar in 75%
Wallander (2005)
Plot Summary:
Wallander is a Swedish television series adapted from Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander novels and starring Krister Henriksson in the title role. The 1st series of 13 films was produced in 2005 and 2006, with one taken directly from a novel and the remainder with new storylines suggested by Mankell. The 2nd series of 13 films was shown between 2009 and 2010. The stories are set in Ystad near the southern tip of Sweden. The three films Before the Frost, Mastermind, and The Secret were premiered in cinemas, with the rest first released as direct-to-DVD movies. The first episode of the second series, Hämnden, was released in Swedish cinemas in January 2009; the rest of the series was made for television. The BBC aired all 26 episodes of the Swedish television versions on BBC Four. A third and final season, containing six 90 minute episodes, will air in 2013 with Charlotta Jonsson as Linda Wallander. The first episode, adapted from the novel The Troubled Man, was released in cinemas in January 2013.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Finland
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful, captivating, suspense, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Department Q: The Keeper of Lost Causes (2013)
Plot Summary:
Based on the first book in Jussi Adler-Olsen's bestselling thriller series about Department Q THE KEEPER OF LOST CAUSES tells the story of the two policemen Carl Mørck and Assad who become involved in a five-year-old case concerning a missing woman, Merete. Soon Carl and Assad are on a journey through Scandinavia's darkest corners to find a psychopathic killer.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: suspense, tense, suspenseful, enigmatic, serious, noir, dark, detective, disturbing, realistic
Similar in 84%
The Investigation (2020)
Plot Summary:
Copenhagen Police's Homicide unit, headed by Jens Møller, tries to solve the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Denmark, Sweden
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, disturbing, intellectual, suspenseful, detective, contemplative
Similar in 83%
Wallander (2008)
Plot Summary:
This drama follows Inspector Kurt Wallander – a middle-aged everyman – as he struggles against a rising tide of violence in the apparently sleepy backwaters in and around Ystad in Skane, southern Sweden. Based on the international best-selling books by Henning Mankell.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Sweden, Germany, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: bleak, detective, psychological, tense, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, realistic, atmospheric, noir
Similar in 76%
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 76%
Those Who Kill (2011)
Plot Summary:
Those Who Kill is a Danish crime TV series from 2011, which follows a fictitious unit within Copenhagen Police which specialises in investigating serial murders. The series was aired as five two-part stories in Denmark, but has aired as five feature film length episodes in most other countries. A separate 92 minutes feature film, Fortidens skygge, which forms a continuation and ending of the series, premiered in Danish cinemas on 15 March 2012, and is being aired as a final, sixth episode of the series in many other countries, such as the UK and Germany. The series is created and written by Elsebeth Egholm and Stefan Jaworski, with various other screenwriters helping out as episode writers, among them Siv Rajendram, Rikke De Fine Licht and Morten Dragsted. Directors have been Birger Larsen, Niels Nørløv and Kasper Barfoed. The series is a Danish-German-Swedish-Norwegian co-production. Although originally planned to run for several seasons, Danish TV2 announced in October 2011 that there would be no further seasons made, due to falling viewer shares after the first few episodes. TV2 programming manager Keld Reinicke stated that, "We have no plans to continue the series as it never gave us the audience share we expected in Denmark.".
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Denmark
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, bleak, serious, suspenseful, noir, captivating, detective, gloomy
Similar in 83%
Vera (2011)
Plot Summary:
A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, detective, crime drama, captivating, costume drama, hardboiled detective, suspenseful, stylized, tense
Similar in 90%
Prime Suspect (1991)
Plot Summary:
A female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 207 min
Plot tags: detective, suspense, suspenseful, tense, atmospheric, enigmatic, emotional, intense, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 84%
Happy Valley (2014)
Plot Summary:
Happy Valley is a dark, funny, multi-layered thriller revolving around the personal and professional life of Catherine, a dedicated, experienced, hard-working copper. She is also a bereaved mother who looks after her orphaned grandchild.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 58 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, tense, detective, crime drama, realistic, captivating, atmospheric, noir, bleak
Similar in 83%
Unforgotten (2015)
Plot Summary:
'Unforgotten' follows modern police team DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan, who gradually unravel long-forgotten secrets which have a dramatic impact on their investigation and the four potential suspects. The slow revelation of the secrets will also affect the personal lives of both Sunny and Cassie.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, realistic, crime drama, tense, suspenseful, clever, captivating, disturbing, atmospheric
Similar in 89%
Agatha Christie's Marple (2004)
Plot Summary:
The show follows the adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, detective, realistic, suspenseful, tense, captivating, suspense, slasher, anthology
Similar in 82%
Cold Case (2003)
Plot Summary:
The Philadelphia homicide squad's lone female detective finds her calling when she is assigned cases that have never been solved. Detective Lilly Rush combines her natural instincts with the updated technology available today to bring about justice for all the victims she can.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 31000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: detective, atmospheric, serious, contemplative, realistic, tense, suspense, bleak, dramatic, grindhouse
Similar in 78%
The Bridge (2013)
Plot Summary:
A murdered body on a bridge between El Paso and Juarez bring together El Paso detective Sonya Cross and Chihuahua State Police detective Marco Ruiz.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 20000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: tense, atmospheric, detective, serious, suspenseful, psychological thriller, sexy, bleak, crime drama, captivating
Similar in 75%
The Bridge (2011)
Plot Summary:
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Norway
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, captivating, tense, suspenseful, gloomy, serious, detective, realistic, crime drama, noir
Similar in 80%
Broadchurch (2013)
Plot Summary:
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 124000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: emotional, tense, clever, realistic, serious, detective, crime drama, gloomy, dramatic, crime thriller
Similar in 88%
Top of the Lake (2013)
Plot Summary:
A woman haunted by her past, Detective Robin Griffin, investigates complex and unsettling cases.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, clever, bleak, captivating, detective, suspenseful, dark, crime drama, spooky, psychological thriller
Similar in 87%
Hinterland (2013)
Plot Summary:
Tom Mathias comes to Aberystwyth having abandoned his life in London. He's a brilliant but troubled man. Despite his faults he is an excellent detective, who knows that the key to solving the crime lies not in where you look for truth, but how you look. From the windswept sand dunes of the coastline to the badlands of the hinterland, Y Gwyll is a series of four two-hour stories that are original and local, yet timeless and universal.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, detective, serious, tense, bleak, crime drama, dark, suspense, noir, grindhouse
Similar in 75%
The Hunt for a Killer (2020)
Plot Summary:
Based on true stories about real homicide investigations in the south of Sweden between 1989-2004. The six-part series explores the murder of 10-year-old Helen Nilsson in Hörby, southern Sweden, a seemingly impossible case that remained unsolved for 15 years. On the March 1989 night when Helen disappeared, there were around 20 suspected paedophiles living in Hörby.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, psychological, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, contemplative, tense
Similar in 78%
The Chestnut Man (2021)
Plot Summary:
A young woman is found brutally murdered in a Copenhagen playground. Above her hangs a small doll made of chestnuts. Adapted from the acclaimed novel.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Denmark
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: enigmatic, brutal, tense, captivating, psychological, detective, twisted, suspense, disturbing, serious
Similar in 89%
Luther (2010)
Plot Summary:
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 152000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, psychological thriller, tense, detective, rough, serious, crime drama, exciting, dramatic, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000)
Plot Summary:
The series follows Las Vegas criminalists working for the Las Vegas Police Department as they use physical evidence to solve grisly murders in this unusually graphic drama, which has inspired a host of other cop-show "procedurals". The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter and character-driven drama. The network later added spin-offs CSI: Miami and CSI: NY, which have both been cancelled after ten and nine seasons respectively.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 88000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, detective, psychological, suspenseful, rough, realistic, suspense, dramatic, exciting, funny
Similar in 85%
The Killing (2011)
Plot Summary:
The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 120000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: psychological, gloomy, neo noir, tense, serious, detective, suspenseful, atmospheric, realistic, dark
Similar in 89%
Ripper Street (2012)
Plot Summary:
A drama set in the East End of London in 1889, during the aftermath of the "Ripper" murders. The action centres around the notorious H Division – the police precinct from hell – which is charged with keeping order in the chaotic streets of Whitechapel. Ripper Street explores the lives of characters trying to recover from the Ripper's legacy, from crimes that have not only irretrievably altered their lives, but the very fabric of their city. At the drama's heart our detectives try to bring a little light into the dark world they inhabit.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 22000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, Ireland
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, tense, suspenseful, stylized, detective, costume drama, historical drama, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 87%
True Detective (2014)
Plot Summary:
An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.
IMDB Rating: 8.9
IMDB Votes: 618000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: neo noir, serious, atmospheric, anthology, gloomy, realistic, southern gothic, clever, stylized, captivating