While crime stories on TV often follow familiar formulas, Deadloch quickly proved that a murder mystery series doesn't need to go by the book. Deadloch, an Australian Prime Video series, focuses on a small Tasmanian town where the body of a local man is discovered on the beach, forcing two very different detectives to work together and solve the case.
Deadloch was created by comedians Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan, and due to the comedic nature of its creators, the series mixes murder mystery, dark comedy, and sharp satire into a single story. That combination gives the show a tone that feels both suspenseful and hilariously offbeat, allowing it to parody classic crime dramas while still delivering genuine twists and intrigue.
Critically, Deadloch has been widely praised for its unusual balancing act. Earning a perfect 100% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the series has become a global streaming success since its 2023 premiere. The show's first season has reached the Prime Video Top 10 in more than 150 countries, demonstrating how a mix of satire, mystery, and character-driven storytelling resonated with audiences all over the world.
With a blend of several elements, shows like Deadloch feel few and far to come by. Bringing together comedy and crime drama in a way that feels organic isn't the easiest balance, and mixing those elements with small-town intrigue puts Deadloch into a specific space. Fortunately, the market for quirky crime shows isn't entirely dependent on the Prime Video original, which is set to return on March 20.
10 Dexter
Dexter, the Showtime crime drama featuring Michael C. Hall as the titular Dexter Morgan, has been one of the most successful original series for the network in the modern era. Running from 2006 through 2013, Dexter tells the story of a forensic technician specializing in bloodstain pattern analysis who, by chance, is also a serial killer operating by his own moral code.
While Dexter, who hunts down murderers he feels weren't given an adequate punishment by the justice system and makes them pay, is a complicated character, the tone of the series is what makes it shine. Although Dexter is primarily a drama, the show's human moments blend well with its high stakes, creating a cohesive series.
Release Date 2006 - 2013-00-00
Showrunner Clyde Phillips
Directors John Dahl, Steve Shill, Keith Gordon, Marcos Siega, Michael Cuesta, Romeo Tirone, Ernest R. Dickerson, Tony Goldwyn, Nick Gomez, Rob Lieberman, Tim Hunter, Adam Davidson, Alik Sakharov, Brian Kirk, Holly Dale, Jeremy Podeswa, Michael Lehmann, Milan Cheylov, Seith Mann
Writers Scott Reynolds, Jace Richdale, James Manos, Jr., Drew Z. Greenberg, Jim Leonard, Karen Campbell
9 Killing Eve
A series that sees a massive game of cat and mouse play out between MI5 analyst Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) and assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer), Killing Eve has become one of the most influential crime dramas in recent years. With Oh and Comer working in conjunction with four different female showrunners, including Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Emerald Fennell, the series was able to tease out a complex, intimate relationship.
Though the tone of Killing Eve, which ran for four seasons between 2018 and 2022, was often dark and serious, it was the comedic moments that made the show soar. With sometimes painful and sometimes preposterous moments playing out, Killing Eve often lent itself to comedy.
Release Date 2018 - 2022-00-00
Showrunner Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Directors Lisa Brühlmann
Writers Phoebe Waller-Bridge
8 Broadchurch
Patrick Redmond / © ITV/BBC America / Courtesy: Everett CollectionWith Deadloch originally being pitched as "funny Broadchurch" by its creators, it's only right that the ITV crime drama be in conversation with the Australian hit. Broadchurch is more of a straightforward crime drama starring David Tennant and Olivia Colman, who work as detectives in the fictional English town of Broadchurch. Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Colman) work through difficult local cases.
While Broadchurch has a more severe tone than some of its fellow crime dramas, the performances help it to stand out amongst the crowd. With each season focusing on a singular case, Broadchurch brings some of the best English actors together for intense, sometimes mind-blowing moments.
Release Date 2013 - 2017
Network ITV1
Showrunner Chris Chibnall
Directors Euros Lyn, James Strong
Writers Louise Fox
7 Frayed
Frayed, Sarah Kendall's series which she created, wrote, and starred in, was a fantastic two-season show that deals less with crime, but has a similar dynamic to Deadloch. In Frayed, Kendall stars as Sammy, an Australian woman living in England, whose husband dies disgracefully and leaves a bankrupt estate. Sammy and her two teenaged sons return to Australia to live with her mother, and her life shifts dramatically.
A series that does eventually involve a serious crime, Frayed is far more about the small-town dynamics that play out in shows like Deadloch than the general drama. Despite a bleak series of events taking place throughout the two seasons, Frayed is a series that accurately depicts small-town energy.
6 Prodigal Son
Focusing on Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne), Prodigal Son has both familial tension and crime drama in spades. Bright, whose father Martin Whitly (Michael Sheen) is an infamous serial killer, reported his father to the police as a child and has been running away from his legacy ever since.
Having cut all ties and changed his name, Malcolm has no choice but to re-immerse himself in his father's past when a copycat killer pops up. Prodigal Son grapples with Malcolm's work with the NYPD tangling with his past, and makes it clear that despite his desire to do so, outrunning his father's tarnished reputation isn't an option.
Release Date 2019 - 2020
Showrunner Chris Fedak
Directors Chris Fedak
Writers Chris Fedak
5 Bad Sisters
Apple TV's Bad Sisters, an Irish series from Catastrophe star Sharon Horgan, stars Horgan as Eva Garvey, the eldest of five sisters in Dublin. After Eva's abusive husband dies, she and her sisters Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), and Becka (Eve Hewson) face an insurance fraud investigation surrounding the circumstances of his death.
While the series shifts between two timelines, with some of the series prior to the death and some of the series in its aftermath, its focus on a darkly comedic story is what shines. Bad Sisters may not be a traditional crime drama, but it grapples with all of the most interesting elements of every good crime show.
Release Date 2022 - 2024-00-00
Network Apple TV
Directors Rebecca Gatward, Josephine Bornebusch, James Griffiths
Writers Malin-Sarah Gozin, Brett Baer, Dave Finkel
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Eva Birthistle
Ursula Flynn
4 Orphan Black
John Medland/©BBC-America/Courtesy: Everett CollectionA science-fiction series that ran from 2013 through 2017, Orphan Black is one of the most ambitious shows of the modern era. Starring Tatiana Maslany as several different clones of the same woman, the series follows Sarah Manning as she discovers a conspiracy surrounding her life that she never realized was there. With the thrill and intensity of a crime show, Orphan Black has darkly comedic moments, as well.
Release Date 2013 - 2017
Network Space, BBC America
Directors Ken Girotti, T.J. Scott, David Wellington, Grant Harvey, Helen Shaver, Aaron Morton, Brett Sullivan, Chris Grismer, Peter Stebbings
Writers Aubrey Nealon, Karen Walton, Tony Elliott, Peter Mohan, Sherry White, Jeremy Boxen, Kate Miles Melville, Greg Nelson, Jenn Engels, Nikolijne Troubetzkoy
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Sarah / Cosima / Alison / Helena / Rachel
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Jordan Gavaris
Felix 'Fee' Dawkins
3 The Afterparty
Apple TV's The Afterparty is a comedic crime series starring Tiffany Haddish as Detective Danner, and features two seasons of distinctly different cases. Haddish works with a revolving cast of characters at the scene of a murder during each season, both anchored by Aniq Adjaye (Sam Richardson). The show's concept didn't resonate with some, but despite it's short run, the comedic crime elements made for a fun series.
Release Date 2022 - 2023-00-00
Showrunner Christopher Miller
Directors Christopher Miller
2 Poker Face
Rian Johnson's Poker Face, which aired on Peacock for two seasons, starred Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman with the ability to tell when people are lying. As she travels across the US, Charlie finds herself solving murders in a darkly comedic fashion. While the show's high-concept wasn't for everyone, its short run made for a hilarious and exciting stretch of comedic crime drama.
Release Date 2023 - 2025-00-00
Network Peacock
Directors Lucky McKee, Natasha Lyonne, Janicza Bravo, Ben Sinclair
Writers Wyatt Cain, Alice Ju
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Natasha Lyonne
Charlie Cale
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Benjamin Bratt
Cliff Legrand
1 Only Murders In The Building
Hulu's Only Murders In The Building, which puts Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez into the spotlight along with various other stars, is one of the best crime shows of the modern era. With its ability to capitalize on New York as a backdrop, Only Murders In The Building blends modern sensibilities with a classic feel, and comedy that ripples through its high-intensity mysteries.
Release Date August 31, 2021
Network Hulu
Showrunner John Hoffman
Directors Jamie Babbit, John Hoffman, Cherien Dabis, Chris Koch, Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman, Adam Shankman, Don Scardino, Jesse Peretz, Jessica Yu, Jude Weng, Chris Teague
Writers Ben Smith, Matteo Borghese, Rob Turbovsky, Kristin Newman, Madeleine George, J. J. Philbin, Ben Philippe, Kirker Butler, Jake Schnesel, Peter Swanson, Stephen Markley, Rachel Burger, Kenny Schwartz, Rick Wiener, Valentina Garza, Elaine Ko, Tess Morris, Kim Rosenstock, Sas Goldberg, Thembi Banks
English (US) ·