15 Best Murder Mystery TV Shows to Binge This Winter
Introduction
Winter is an excellent time to get suspicious. A quiet evening, a storm outside and a television full of people insisting they have nothing to hide: that is the sort of setting where a murder mystery can turn “one episode” into a very late night. The best shows make the crime only the beginning. They give us a community with its own rules, a detective or amateur sleuth worth following, and enough human complication that the final answer matters.
This countdown moves from glossy wedding secrets and playful amateur sleuthing to darker, more unsettling investigations. Some entries are classic whodunits, built around a finite group of suspects; others are character dramas in which a murder exposes a family, a town or an entire system. We have kept each description spoiler-light, focusing on the setup, the central investigator and the kind of viewing experience you can expect.
The order follows your supplied sequence, with The Perfect Couple opening the countdown and True Detective season one taking the top spot. We ranked the shows for their mystery construction, strength of character, atmosphere, emotional impact and how well their stories reward a binge. This means the list includes both cosy, comic mysteries and genuinely heavy crime dramas. Check the linked UK viewing pages before you settle on a title, as streaming catalogues change.
If you want a clever puzzle rather than grim realism, The Afterparty or Only Murders in the Building may be the right call. For a slow-burn investigation that seeps into a whole community, try Broadchurch, Mare of Easttown or The Killing. And if you want a mystery with a broader psychological or social edge, The White Lotus and Sharp Objects make very different kinds of trouble. Here are fifteen distinctive ways to spend a long winter night. Let’s get into it 👇
Part of the fun is choosing the right kind of suspense. A classic locked-room setup lets you test your own theories against a finite set of suspects; a season-long case has time to show how grief and fear change the people around it. A strong mystery can do both, giving us clues to follow while making the outcome matter beyond the question of who did it. The shows below offer different entry points: short limited series for a weekend, longer ensemble stories for a gradual winter watch, and a few comedies for nights when the crime should come with a laugh. Their UK viewing links are there to make the next step straightforward, while the ranking explains why each title lands where it does.
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15. The Perfect Couple (2024)
Amelia Sacks is about to marry into the wealthy Winbury family on Nantucket, whose polished summer life is ruled by celebrated novelist Greer Garrison Winbury and her husband Tag. On the wedding day, a body is discovered on the beach, turning a lavish celebration into a police investigation and every guest into a possible suspect. Amelia has to navigate the family she is joining while secrets emerge from beneath its carefully managed image. The central pleasure is watching the wedding party’s competing stories shift the shape of the case, as privilege and suspicion occupy the same beautiful shoreline.
Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Eve Hewson lead an ensemble designed for shifting alliances and suspicious glances. The Nantucket setting, expensive clothes and family rituals give the series a glossy surface that makes its darker secrets feel even more pointed.
Why it ranks here: At 15, its glossy closed-circle setup and sharp ensemble make an easy binge. The familiar twists feel less surprising beside the more ambitious mysteries ahead.
Who should watch: Choose it for glossy family secrets, wedding-weekend tension and a relatively brisk six-episode mystery.
Where to watch in the UK: Netflix.
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14. The Afterparty (2022–2023)
A high-school reunion turns deadly when pop star Xavier is found dead after the party at his cliffside home. Detective Danner arrives to question the guests, while former classmate Aniq, who has his own complicated history with the evening, tries to clear his name and help work out what happened. Each suspect’s account retells the night in a different film genre, so the same events appear as romance, action, thriller or something sillier depending on who is speaking. The mystery is not simply who had a motive; it is which details survive the jump from one person’s story to another.
The format gives Christopher Miller’s comedy a playful visual engine: a change in point of view means a change in style, rhythm and even what the audience thinks it saw.
Why it ranks here: At 14, its point-of-view structure makes a reunion murder unusually playful. The genre jokes are inventive, though And Then There Were None carries more psychological weight.
Who should watch: A great pick if you want a comic whodunit, lively ensemble and episodes that keep changing their storytelling style.
Where to watch in the UK: Apple TV.
13. And Then There Were None (2015)
Ten strangers accept invitations to a remote island off the Devon coast, where their hosts are nowhere to be found. A recorded accusation suggests that each guest has escaped justice for a death, and when one person dies, the survivors realise that the island has become a trap. With the weather cutting them off from the mainland and the familiar nursery rhyme predicting the order of events, they must determine who among them is carrying out the killings. The three-part adaptation turns Christie’s closed-circle puzzle into a study of guilt, fear and what people do when escape is no longer possible.
The island setting gives the story a severe, windswept atmosphere, and the ensemble performances make each arrival feel like a new suspect rather than a bit of casting decoration.
Why it ranks here: At 13, Christie’s isolated-island puzzle gives the list a classic, compact whodunit. It sits below the strongest entries because its bleakness leaves less room for character growth.
Who should watch: For viewers who like isolated settings, classic suspect lists and a dark, self-contained mystery.
Where to watch in the UK: Disney Plus and Sky Go.
12. The White Lotus (2021–)
Each season of The White Lotus follows wealthy guests and hotel staff during a week at a luxury resort, using a death or apparent tragedy as a frame around the holiday. The first season begins with an unidentified body being taken away, then rewinds to the arrival of the guests at the Hawaiian White Lotus. Resort manager Armond tries to keep the operation running while entitled visitors such as Shane and Rachel bring their private tensions into the lobby, restaurant and spa. Staff member Belinda is pulled into one guest’s emotional orbit, and the resort’s polished service begins to reveal the unequal bargains underneath the paradise image.
Mike White makes the mystery a pressure system for the character drama rather than a simple puzzle. The hotel staff and holidaymakers are all funny, uncomfortable and capable of surprising selfishness, while the sunlit setting makes the unease more vivid.
Why it ranks here: At 12, the resort satire makes each season’s mystery feel socially pointed. It ranks below the focused crime dramas because the murder is only one strand of the show.
Who should watch: Try it for sharp character observation, luxury-resort atmosphere and a mystery that shares space with social comedy.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max and Sky Go.
11. A Murder at the End of the World (2023)
Darby Hart is a young amateur detective and hacker whose true-crime writing brings her to a remote retreat hosted by billionaire Andy Ronson and his wife Lee. The group of invited guests includes artists, scientists and influential people, but the isolation turns dangerous when one of them dies. Darby suspects the death is murder and has to investigate in a place designed to keep the outside world at a distance. The story also moves between the retreat and Darby’s earlier cold-case work with Bill, so the present crime becomes entangled with the skills and emotional history she brings into the room.
Emma Corrin gives Darby a restless intelligence and a credible digital fluency, while the frozen, high-tech setting makes the show feel both intimate and strange.
Why it ranks here: At 11, Darby’s tech-savvy sleuthing refreshes the remote-retreat formula. It falls below the more controlled mysteries when its flashbacks and speculative ideas compete with the case.
Who should watch: Best for viewers who like an amateur sleuth, wintry isolation and a mystery with a near-future edge.
Where to watch in the UK: Disney Plus and ITVX.
10. The Sinner (2017–2021)
The first season begins with Cora Tannetti committing a sudden, public act of violence on a family beach day. She does not deny what she has done, but she cannot explain why, so Detective Harry Ambrose investigates the history behind the crime instead of treating the confession as the end of the case. Each later season follows Ambrose into a different disturbing mystery, usually in a small community where apparently ordinary lives conceal trauma and buried motives. The show’s defining question is not merely who committed a crime, but what combination of memory, pressure and circumstance brought that person to it.
Bill Pullman makes Ambrose a compelling investigator because his curiosity is mixed with his own private damage; he is not a polished genius who can stand outside the cases he studies.
Why it ranks here: At 10, The Sinner makes motive the central clue and gives Ambrose a memorable presence. Its seasons vary in strength, keeping it below the tighter mysteries ahead.
Who should watch: Pick it if you prefer psychological crime stories about motive and memory over cosy clue-solving.
Where to watch in the UK: Netflix.
9. The Undoing (2020)
Grace Fraser is a successful Manhattan therapist whose carefully ordered life begins to collapse after a young mother from her son’s school is found murdered. Grace’s husband Jonathan, a paediatric oncologist, disappears just as the police investigation intensifies, leaving Grace to question what she knows about the marriage she has built. The case draws her into the school community, the media spotlight and a legal fight that threatens her son’s stability. The mystery is filtered through Grace’s perspective, so the viewer must weigh what she sees against what she wants to believe about the people closest to her.
Nicole Kidman gives Grace a polished exterior that grows less reliable as the story tightens, while Hugh Grant brings a disquieting charm to Jonathan.
Why it ranks here: At 9, its performances and compact family mystery are compelling. It ranks below The Sinner because the reveal feels less layered than the polished setup promises.
Who should watch: Watch for upscale family drama, unreliable appearances and a compact legal mystery with strong central performances.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max.
8. The Chestnut Man (2021–)
In Copenhagen, detective Naia Thulin and Europol investigator Mark Hess are assigned to the murder of a woman whose crime scene contains a small figure made from chestnuts. The figurine connects the case to an earlier killing and to the disappearance of a politician’s child, pulling the investigators into a terrifying pattern. Thulin wants to move on to a different role; Hess arrives with his own professional complications, so their partnership has friction as well as purpose. The nursery-rhyme clue gives the investigation a memorable signature, while the victims’ histories widen the case beyond a simple hunt for a stranger.
This is Nordic noir with a sharp visual identity: grey Copenhagen streets, careful police work and a childlike object made ominous through repetition.
Why it ranks here: At 8, its detective partnership and signature clue deliver the strongest Nordic-noir entry here. The grim tone keeps it below the more emotionally varied shows ahead.
Who should watch: A strong winter choice for fans of Nordic noir, serial investigations and a darker, carefully plotted mystery.
Where to watch in the UK: Netflix.
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7. The Killing (US) (2011–2014)
Seattle homicide detective Sarah Linden is preparing to leave the job when the disappearance and murder of teenager Rosie Larsen pulls her into one more investigation. Her new partner Stephen Holder is an unconventional detective, and together they trace Rosie’s last movements through school, family, local politics and the people who knew her. The show gives the case time to alter the investigators’ lives and the Larsen family’s grief, following leads that shift suspicion rather than resolving neatly at the end of every hour. This is the American adaptation of the Danish series, with its own Seattle setting and pacing.
Mireille Enos plays Linden with a guarded intensity that makes her sense of duty feel both admirable and costly, while Joel Kinnaman’s Holder brings an unpredictable energy to the partnership.
Why it ranks here: At 7, the Seattle setting and Linden-Holder partnership make the long investigation absorbing. Its deliberate delays feel less controlled than the tighter limited series above.
Who should watch: Choose it for a moody, serialized police investigation and a long-form case that refuses easy answers.
Where to watch in the UK: Prime Video, Disney Plus, Sky Go and Channel 4.
6. Sharp Objects (2018)
Crime reporter Camille Preaker returns to Wind Gap, Missouri, after her editor sends her to cover the murder of one young girl and the disappearance of another. The assignment puts her back in the home of her wealthy, controlling mother Adora and near her teenage half-sister Amma, reopening painful memories that Camille has tried to contain. As she interviews locals and follows the girls’ last movements, the investigation becomes bound up with the town’s social hierarchy and the family’s private history. Camille is not a detached observer: what she learns about the case keeps touching the wounds she carried away from Wind Gap.
Amy Adams gives Camille a brittle, inward performance that lets the show communicate as much through silence and visual fragments as through dialogue.
Why it ranks here: At 6, its Gothic atmosphere and Camille’s family history turn the case into psychological drama. The top five have stronger mystery engines or more expansive character arcs.
Who should watch: For viewers drawn to atmospheric Southern Gothic, damaged family dynamics and a darker psychological mystery.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max.
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5. The Night Of (2016)
Nasir “Naz” Khan is a Pakistani-American college student in Queens whose ordinary night out turns into a nightmare when he wakes beside a woman who has been stabbed to death. He is arrested for her murder, and the series follows the police investigation, the legal case and the experience of being held on Rikers Island while the truth remains contested. Defence lawyer John Stone takes on Naz’s case, but the questions extend beyond whether Naz committed the crime: what can the system prove, and how does the accused person change while waiting for a verdict? The limited series gives the case room to press on every part of his life.
Riz Ahmed anchors the story with a gradual, unsettling transformation, while John Turturro makes Stone a memorable lawyer whose practical instincts are shaped by his own precarious career.
Why it ranks here: At 5, it turns one accusation into a deep account of law and incarceration. It ranks below the final four because the courtroom story gradually outweighs the whodunit.
Who should watch: For viewers who want a serious, character-led crime mystery with a strong legal and justice-system dimension.
Where to watch in the UK: Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max.
4. Mare of Easttown (2021)
Detective Mare Sheehan investigates the murder of a teenage mother in Easttown, Pennsylvania, while her own life is splintering around grief, family responsibilities and an old missing-person case. She knows the town and many of its residents, which gives her useful context but also makes every interview personal. When a county detective joins the investigation, Mare has to share a case she has struggled to solve as pressure grows from the victim’s family and the local community. The mystery keeps widening through overlapping relationships, and Mare’s private losses shape how she approaches each new lead.
Kate Winslet’s performance makes Mare funny, stubborn and exhausted without flattening her into a familiar “tough detective” type. The supporting cast gives Easttown the density of a real community, where loyalty and resentment can exist in the same kitchen.
Why it ranks here: At 4, it pairs a vivid detective with an affecting small-town investigation. The three higher entries offer either broader rewatch range or a more singular mystery design.
Who should watch: Choose it for a grounded small-town case, a superb lead performance and family drama woven into the investigation.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max.
3. Broadchurch (2013–2017)
When an eleven-year-old boy is found dead beneath the cliffs of Broadchurch, local DS Ellie Miller and newly arrived DI Alec Hardy investigate a crime that shocks their small Dorset community. Ellie knows many of the people under suspicion; Hardy brings experience but also friction, having arrived in circumstances that have already strained their working relationship. As grief and media attention intensify, neighbours and family members become part of a case that makes familiar routines feel suspicious. The detectives must seek evidence without losing sight of what each new revelation does to the people living through the tragedy.
Olivia Colman and David Tennant give the investigation its emotional centre, building a partnership that moves from irritation toward hard-won trust.
Why it ranks here: At 3, the performances and coastal setting give the case unusual emotional force. Mare is more intimate, while the top two offer greater tonal range and rewatchability.
Who should watch: For viewers who want an emotional British small-town mystery with a strong two-detective partnership.
Where to watch in the UK: Netflix and ITVX.
2. Only Murders in the Building (2021–)
Charles, Oliver and Mabel are neighbours in the Arconia, a grand New York apartment building, and strangers whose shared love of true-crime podcasts turns them into amateur investigators after a resident dies. They decide to make a podcast about the case, interviewing neighbours and turning their building into a growing list of suspects. Their own histories and wildly different temperaments complicate the work: Charles is a former television detective, Oliver a theatrical producer and Mabel a young artist with her own ties to the Arconia. New seasons bring fresh deaths and mysteries while the trio’s friendship grows through each investigation.
Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez have a comic rhythm that can make a suspect interview feel like a farce without losing the clue trail.
Why it ranks here: At 2, the trio, apartment setting and fresh cases make it exceptionally rewatchable. True Detective season one wins on the strength of one complete, atmospheric crime story.
Who should watch: Best for viewers who like amateur sleuths, comedy and a recurring ensemble that feels like a familiar winter hangout.
Where to watch in the UK: Disney Plus.
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1. True Detective — Season 1 (2014)
In 1995, Louisiana State Police detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart are assigned to investigate the ritualised murder of Dora Lange. The case draws them through a humid landscape of roadside churches, trailer parks and small towns, and clues suggest that the killing may connect to other disappearances. Years later, the former partners are interviewed separately about the investigation, revealing that their memories and relationship do not line up neatly. The two timelines build a mystery around the original crime and around the detectives themselves: what they found, what they did and how the case altered their lives.
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson create a volatile partnership between Rust’s bleak, analytical intensity and Marty’s more conventional confidence. Cary Joji Fukunaga’s direction gives Louisiana a thick, uneasy atmosphere, while the interrogation structure turns memory into part of the evidence.
Why it ranks here: True Detective season one wins for making its Louisiana setting, fractured timeline and damaged detective partnership part of one cohesive mystery. Only Murders is warmer and Broadchurch more intimate, but neither matches its atmosphere and sustained performances.
Who should watch: For adults who want a dark, cinematic investigation, layered performances and a mystery that lingers after the final episode.
Where to watch in the UK: HBO Max and Sky Go.
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Conclusion
The best murder mysteries do more than ask us to guess a name. The Perfect Couple and The Afterparty turn a closed group into a game of shifting stories; The Chestnut Man and The Killing let a case press down over a longer stretch; and The Night Of shows how an accusation can transform a life even before a verdict. Some of these shows make room for humour, others prefer dread, but each gives its investigation a human cost.
For an easy, funny binge, start with Only Murders in the Building or The Afterparty. If you want an atmosphere that gets under your skin, choose Sharp Objects or True Detective season one. Broadchurch and Mare of Easttown are the strongest choices when you want to care about a whole town as much as the case. Our top pick is True Detective’s first season because its Louisiana setting, two detectives and fractured timeline work together as one complete story.
A murder mystery can be cosy, glossy, bleak or absurdly funny, and the right one depends on what kind of evening you want. Tell us which series you would move up the ranking, and which title you think deserved a place. We are always happy to have another mystery to watch.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best murder mystery TV shows to binge this winter?
For a gripping all-round mystery, start with True Detective season one or Broadchurch. Only Murders in the Building and The Afterparty add comedy, while The Chestnut Man and Sharp Objects are darker, more psychological choices. The list also includes closed-circle classics such as And Then There Were None and glossy ensemble puzzles such as The Perfect Couple.
Which show on this list is the best classic whodunit?
And Then There Were None is the clearest closed-circle whodunit: ten people are isolated, a killer is among them and the suspects dwindle. The Afterparty also invites viewers to compare conflicting accounts, while The Perfect Couple gathers suspects around a wedding.
Is The White Lotus a murder mystery?
The White Lotus is primarily a social satire and character drama, but its seasons use death and mystery as a frame for the resort story. The first season opens with a death and then rewinds to the guests’ arrival, letting the viewer watch tensions build toward that opening.
What is The Killing (US) about?
The American version follows Seattle detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder as they investigate the murder of teenager Rosie Larsen. It is based on the Danish series Forbrydelsen, but has its own setting, cast and four-season run.
Do I need to watch all of True Detective to understand season one?
No. True Detective is an anthology, and season one tells a complete story with its own detectives, crime and setting. Rust Cohle and Marty Hart investigate a Louisiana murder across two timelines, and the season’s case reaches its own conclusion. Later seasons follow different investigators and cases.
Which murder mystery show is the least dark?
Only Murders in the Building and The Afterparty are the most comic options here, although both revolve around murder and include adult humour. The Perfect Couple is glossy and twisty rather than especially bleak, while The White Lotus balances discomfort with satire. By contrast, Sharp Objects, The Night Of and The Chestnut Man explore trauma and violence more directly.
Where can I watch these murder mystery series in the UK?
The entry for each title links to a current UK listing that shows where it can be streamed, rented or purchased. Services change their catalogues, so check the linked page before signing up or planning a full binge. At the time of checking, titles on this list appeared across Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, ITVX, HBO Max, Sky Go and other providers.
What should I watch after Broadchurch?
If you want another mystery where a case changes a whole community, try Mare of Easttown or The Killing. The Chestnut Man offers a colder, more serial-killer-focused investigation, while Sharp Objects makes the town and the detective’s family history part of the same psychological knot.
Is The Perfect Couple based on a book?
Yes. The Netflix limited series adapts Elin Hilderbrand’s novel of the same name. Amelia is preparing to marry into the wealthy Winbury family on Nantucket when a body is discovered near the wedding celebrations. The television version uses the family’s secrets and the guest list to build a closed-circle mystery.
Which show is best for a short winter binge?
And Then There Were None, The Undoing, Sharp Objects, Mare of Easttown and The Night Of are limited series, so each gives you a complete story without a long multi-season commitment. The Afterparty has two seasons of self-contained mysteries, while The Perfect Couple is a six-episode limited series.
More Places to Find Great Movies and TV Shows
BBC iPlayer is the BBC’s official UK streaming service and programme guide. Netflix Tudum offers official news and background on Netflix series. Warner Bros. Discovery Pressroom publishes official HBO series information. JustWatch UK compares current streaming, rental and purchase listings across services.
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