Best Mystery Series to Watch and Read for Every Mood
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Best Mystery Series to Watch and Read for Every Mood

Best Mystery Series to Watch and Read: 8 TV Picks and 3 Book Series

Key takeaways

  • These TV and book picks offer different approaches to mystery, from fair-play detection and small-town investigations to comedy and unconventional storytelling.
  • Broadchurch and Mare of Easttown focus on character-led investigations, while Columbo lets viewers watch the culprit’s scheme unravel.
  • Try Only Murders in the Building for a lighter mystery or Twin Peaks for an eerie, unconventional one.
  • For mystery novels, the Cormoran Strike, Jackson Brodie, and Claire DeWitt series each offer a distinctive investigator and reading experience.

Table of contents

Best mystery TV series

The best mystery series depend on what you want from a puzzle: a fair-play whodunit, a tense small-town investigation, an eccentric detective, or a story that gets stranger with every episode. These picks cover different styles of mystery on television, followed by three book series for readers who would rather solve the case one chapter at a time.

There’s no single definitive ranking—popularity lists and editorial recommendations use different criteria. The choices below are selected for their distinct approaches to investigation, atmosphere, and storytelling. If you’re browsing by popularity, remember that lists such as Rotten Tomatoes’ mystery-and-thriller TV category are discovery tools, not a universal verdict.

1. Broadchurch — for a gripping small-town investigation

Set in a coastal English town, Broadchurch follows detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller as they investigate the death of a local boy. David Tennant and Olivia Colman lead the cast, and the story gives weight to the investigation’s impact on the wider community as well as the search for answers.

Choose this if you like character-focused crime dramas where suspicion and grief shape the atmosphere. Its central case gives the series a strong sense of direction, so it’s a good pick for viewers who want a mystery that unfolds across episodes rather than a new case every week.

2. Mare of Easttown — for a grounded, character-led crime drama

Kate Winslet plays Mare Sheehan, a detective in a Pennsylvania community where a murder investigation becomes closely tied to local relationships and personal pressures. The series balances the mechanics of the case with Mare’s life outside work.

This is a strong choice if you want a self-contained story with a lived-in setting and a lead investigator who feels like more than a puzzle-solving device. It’s a limited series, making it an easy option when you’d rather not commit to multiple seasons.

3. Columbo — for a classic “howcatchem”

Many detective shows keep the culprit hidden until the final reveal. Columbo often does the opposite: viewers see who committed the crime, then watch the seemingly rumpled Lieutenant Columbo patiently build the case against them.

That structure makes each episode less about guessing the killer and more about spotting the mistake that will unravel the scheme. Start here if you enjoy clever interrogations, self-contained episodes, and a detective whose mild manner hides a sharp mind.

4. Sherlock — for a modern take on classic detective fiction

This BBC series relocates Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson to contemporary London, with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman in the lead roles. It keeps the familiar partnership while using modern technology and brisk, often elaborate cases.

Sherlock suits viewers who like fast-moving mysteries and a detective who treats observation as a kind of performance. Its style is more heightened than a conventional police procedural, so it’s a better fit for those who enjoy big deductions and a strong central duo than for viewers seeking strict realism.

5. Only Murders in the Building — for a lighter, comic mystery

Three residents of a New York apartment building—played by Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez—bond over their shared interest in true crime and begin investigating a death in their building. Their amateur sleuthing provides both the mystery and much of the comedy.

Pick this when you want a whodunit that doesn’t stay grim. The show mixes clues and suspects with humor, friendship, and the characters’ podcasting efforts. It’s especially appealing if you like the idea of amateur investigators rather than detectives working an official case.

6. Twin Peaks — for an eerie, unconventional mystery

The disappearance and murder of Laura Palmer draw FBI agent Dale Cooper to the town of Twin Peaks. The investigation provides the series with its central question, but the show’s offbeat characters, dreamlike mood, and surreal turns make it very different from a straightforward detective drama.

This is the pick for viewers who enjoy atmosphere as much as answers. If you prefer every clue to lead neatly toward a realistic solution, its stranger, more experimental approach may not be for you.

7. The Sinner — for a mystery built around the question “why?”

Rather than making the main puzzle only about who committed a crime, The Sinner asks what led someone to do it. Detective Harry Ambrose investigates cases in which the apparent facts leave a deeper motivation unexplained.

That shift gives the series a psychological edge. Try it if you’re less interested in a classic clue-by-clue puzzle and more interested in how a case connects to memory, motive, and personal history.

8. The Afterparty — for a playful, shifting-perspective whodunit

Each season of The Afterparty centers on a murder investigation and revisits events through different characters’ accounts. The changing perspectives also change the style of the storytelling, giving the series room to play with familiar genres and unreliable memories.

It’s a good choice if you enjoy comparing conflicting versions of the same night and looking for details that don’t quite fit. The comic tone keeps the mystery breezy, while the rotating viewpoints give viewers plenty to reconsider.

Best mystery book series

If you meant mystery novels rather than television, these three series offer different kinds of investigators and cases. Recommendation roundups from Book Riot and TCK Publishing include these titles among their mystery-series picks; the suggestions below focus on what kind of reading experience each one offers.

Cormoran Strike — for contemporary private-investigator cases

Written by Robert Galbraith, the Cormoran Strike novels follow private detective Strike and his partner, Robin Ellacott. Start with The Cuckoo’s Calling, which introduces the pair and their investigative work.

Choose this series if you want a continuing detective partnership and cases that develop over full-length novels. Reading from the beginning is the clearest way to follow Strike and Robin’s changing professional and personal relationship.

Jackson Brodie — for literary crime fiction

Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels center on a former police inspector turned private investigator. The series begins with Case Histories, which introduces Brodie through intersecting cases and lives.

This is a good fit if you want more than a tightly engineered puzzle. The books combine investigation with character histories and the consequences of past events, making them appealing to readers who like crime fiction with a broader literary focus.

Claire DeWitt — for an unconventional detective

Sara Gran’s Claire DeWitt mysteries follow a private investigator whose approach to solving cases is distinctly unconventional. The first novel, Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead, sets the tone for a series that doesn’t treat detection as a purely procedural exercise.

Try it if you want an investigator who feels different from the traditional hard-boiled or methodical detective. It’s a less conventional choice for readers who enjoy mysteries with an unusual perspective.

Which mystery series should you start with?

For a focused, one-story commitment, try Mare of Easttown. Choose Columbo if you want stand-alone cases, or Only Murders in the Building for a lighter, comic approach. If atmosphere matters more than a conventional solution, start with Twin Peaks. For books, begin with The Cuckoo’s Calling for a continuing detective partnership or Case Histories for literary crime fiction.

A good mystery series doesn’t have to follow one formula. Start with the style you’re most in the mood for—classic detection, psychological tension, comedy, or something stranger—and let the case pull you in.