There are several great psychodramas and crime thrillers to check out after Apple’s limited series Lady in the Lake. Based on the 2019 bestselling novel by Laura Lippman, Lady in the Lake Oscar winner Natalie Portman plays her first leading role in a television series. Portman leads an exceptional cast in Lady in the Lake Other stars include rising actor Moses Ingram, future Superman David Corenswet and Mikey Madison, the star of this year’s Palme d’Or winner Anora by Sean Baker. Lady in the Lake received positive reviews, scoring 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The first two episodes of Lady in the Lake we introduce Ingram’s character Cleo Johnson, a mother and hard-working model and bartender who leaves her political ambitions behind to work full-time for ambivalent club owner Shell Gordon. This happens before her ultimate death, which is depicted in the opening scenes of the series. Cleo’s death fascinates amateur investigative journalist Maddie Schwartz (Portman) who gives up her lukewarm family life as a housewife and works for the newspaper “Baltimore Star”.

Lady in the Lake Episode 4 picks up where Lady in the Lake Episode 3 ended with the depiction of Stephan’s escape from prison and Cleo’s apparent murder. Lady in the Lake In episode 5, Maddie is deeply entangled in her search for Cleo Johnson’s true killer. More of Maddie’s backstory with Hal Durst is revealed, providing additional context for Maddie’s struggle with post-traumatic stress. The series’ biggest twists are revealed in Lady in the Lake Episode 6, when Maddie recovers from her stab wound and keeps losing consciousness, the truth about Cleo Johnson finally comes to lightIn the end, Maddie and Cleo’s lives become intertwined in ways neither of them could have imagined in the series finale.

10 True Detective

2014–

Season 1 of True Detective is widely regarded as one of the best police dramas and crime thrillers of all time, although the recent True Detective: Nightland is also considered a very strong contribution to the anthology series. The celebrated in the first season with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey in the role of a tough police detective who tries to solve a series of gruesome deaths.

Nightland takes the series to an unprecedented level by introducing central supernatural themes. Jodie Foster is as extraordinary as ever as Officer Liz Danvers whose reluctant but pragmatic partner Evangeline Navarro (Kai Reis) is a great counterpart and teammate. Nightland was released in January 2024, runs for six episodes and acts as its own miniseries until Season 2 finally comes out.

9 Mare by Easttown

2021

Kate Winslet stars in one of the best crime dramas of recent years, HBO’s Mare by Easttown. In seven episodes, each about an hour long Mare by Easttown is structurally similar to “Lady in the Lake” and has similar themes and narrative points revolving around a woman’s determination to solve the death of a young mother.

Winslet plays Detective Sergeant Mare Sheehan, who returns to her hometown of Easttown to investigate the case herself after becoming a highly trained investigator. Lady in the Lake is based on two true murders and Natalie Portman is great, Mare by Easttown is praised for its gritty realism and outstanding lead performance by Winslet, making the film an absolute must-see on television.

8 Under the bridge

2024

Led by star performances from Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone, Under the bridge received mostly positive reviews, and received a critics score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2024 limited true crime series premiered on April 17, 2024, with the first two episodes airing before the finale of Under the bridge on May 29, 2024. Under the bridge tells the true story of the Reena Virk case.

Virk was a 14-year-old Canadian girl who was beaten and killed by a group of teenagers in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The miniseries features the eight teenage suspects based on the tragic and disturbing true story from 1997. The series was developed for television by Quin Shephard (Accuse, Not OK) based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey. The acclaimed series is available exclusively on Hulu.

7 On top of the lake

2013–2017

For those who want more after watching a longer series Lady in the Lakethe similarly titled On top of the lake is a great option. Featuring outstanding performances from Elizabeth Moss, Gwendoline Christie, Nicole Kidman and more, On top of the lake follows Moss’ detective protagonist Robin Grifin, who is obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl in New Zealand.

On top of the lake runs a total of 13 episodes in two seasons, both of which can currently be streamed on Hulu. The series was created by Jane Campion, the acclaimed Oscar-winning director of The power of the dog (2021) and Oscar-winning screenwriter of The piano (1993).

6 Big little lies

2017–2025

Nothing compares to the extraordinary female ensemble in Big little lieswith appearances by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz and Laura Dern. Big little lies is set in the idyllic countryside of Monterey, California, where a group of mothers and wives must work together to cover up a murder in their picturesque beach town.

Big little lies is very gripping and full of suspense, while at the same time containing impressive notes of black humor and elitist satire. The acclaimed series won 8 Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series in 2017The first two seasons of Big little lies can be streamed on Max. The third season is currently in development and is scheduled for release in 2025.

5 Sharp objects

2018

Another outstanding psychodrama series from HBO is Sharp objectsbased on the novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn. Sharp objects has a similar premise as Mare by Easttown in a way that Amy Adams’ crime reporter Camille Preaker has to return to her hometown to confront her dark past and solve the murder of two young girls. Adams is exceptional as always in Sharp Objects, and Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Sophia Lillis, Violet Brinson and Matt Craven also give great performances. Sharp objects is a slow burn, but how Lady in the Lake delivers in its finale. It’s now available to stream on Max.

4 Love and death

2023

Based on a true story, Love and death tells the true affair between Candy Montgomery and Allan Gore and the subsequent murder of his wife Betty. The event made national headlines and followed Candace Lynn “Candy” Montgomery’s story all the way to her very public trial that shocked the nation. The series, based on the book “Evidence of Love” by James Atkinson and John Bloom, is set in a small Texas town and has a great ensemble cast.

Candy (Elizabeth Olsen), dissatisfied with her boyish and passionless husband Pat (Patrick Fugit), suddenly decides to have an affair with Allan (Jesse Plemons) after he accidentally knocks her over during a volleyball game. Allan cannot resist Candy’s advances and the two develop a detailed strategy on how to successfully pull off the affair. This leads to a shocking true story that has to be seen to be believed.

3 A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

2024 –

Netflix has delivered another acclaimed show featuring Emma Myers, one of the stars of the hugely popular series Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is essentially a teen drama series and does not share many of the more mature themes and tones of Lady in the Lakeit’s still a solid whodunnit with positive reviews. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder currently has a Certified Fresh critics rating of 83%, which is higher than Wednesday Season 1’s Rotten Tomatoes critics rating of 73%. With a total of six episodes ranging in length from 41 to 49 minutes, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder can be a quick and entertaining watch.

2 Poker face

2023–

Poker face is completely different from Lady in the Lake in its style and tone, but very similar in its crime premise and high-stakes plot. Natasha Lyonne is a tour de force of comedic brilliance in Poker facecreated by acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (brick, Loopers, Knife out). Lyonne is not only very funny during the first 10 episodes, but also leads a stellar cast, including Ron Perlman, Adrien Brody, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hong Chau, Chloë Sevigny and Nick Nolte. Viewers looking for a different and more light-hearted version of the crime series, Lady in the Lake would do well to check Poker facewhich is currently streaming on Peacock.

1 The Sinner

2017–2021

Bill Pullman stars in this thrilling crime series that introduces new characters and stories with each season. With a total of 32 episodes in four seasons, each acts as a standalone episode in a similar style to True Detectivealthough Pullman’s Harry Ambrose is the main protagonist throughout. Season 1 features appearances by Jessica Biel and Christopher Abbott, while Season 2 introduced characters played by Carrie Coon and Natalie Paul, and Matt Bomer starred in Season 3. The first season of The Sinner is probably the best and is worth a look after you have Apple’s Lady in the Lake.