Only Murders in the Building returned for a third season in August of last year, and murder mystery fans all over the world watched the newest exploits of Charles, Oliver, Mabel, and the rest of the crazies in the Arconia. The trio of podcasters try to absolve their personal troubles by solving crimes in their residence and recording their results for the world to see. The comedy-drama series has always combined thriller twists and a very meta-analysis of the genre it’s working within. While these traits make it hard to replicate, we have 22 shows you’ll surely enjoy if you love Only Murders in the Building.
1. Based on a True Story
This vehicle starring Kaley Cuoco and Chris Messina follows a married couple who decide to start their own true crime podcast with someone they suspect is a murderer. The protagonists think this inside presence will lead them to report him to the authorities successfully, but expect plenty of unexpected occurrences that lead them off the beaten path.
2. The Afterparty
Apple TV+ has some very offbeat series, and The Afterparty falls in line with what you can expect from the streamer. The show uses each episode to tell a story about one character who is a witness to the season’s crime, and the combined results of all of the stories should reveal the killer. Character drives the show rather than plot, granting it an extra layer of investment from the viewers.
3. Search Party
This black comedy from TBS feels like if a series followed the characters on Only Murders in the Building knew each other before they went into the murder mystery-solving business. Dory Sief (Alia Shawkat) is the main character of a friend group that investigates the murder of someone from Dory’s past. The ensuing seasons expand on the story and show how the first investigation’s results change the characters’ lives.
4. True Detective
This famous HBO anthology series has plenty of drama with massive star power. Each season follows new detectives who try to unravel the mysteries behind the curtain, often with shocking implications and jarring plot twists. The series has never been better than its first go-around in 2014, with Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson in the lead roles.
5. The White Lotus
Another anthology from HBO, The White Lotus focuses on the residents of the titular resorts around the world, along with their weird habits. Even though the characters in the show don’t solve murder mysteries, a vague opening scene to each season lets viewers know one of the people at the hotel chain will die by the end of their stay. The fun is in trying to predict who that person is!
6. Poker Face
In this hilarious and unique detective story, Natasha Lyonne has received high praise for her performance as Charlie Cale. Charlie works in a casino, not in a job as a real investigator or detective. That makes her adventures so much more fun. She tries to escape a crime scene herself, and comedic implications are usually delicious!
7. Scooby-Doo
There are so many different iterations of Scooby-Doo to enjoy going back to the original series in 1969. The friendly, mystery-solving dog and his human companion Shaggy are just part of the beloved team several generations of kids have grown attached to. Supernatural elements and horror are also part of this iconic cartoon!
8. The Flight Attendant
The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco does an excellent job in the lead role of this murder mystery set in the skies. The Flight Attendant follows Cassie Bowden’s attempts to find the person who killed a passenger on one of her airplane assignments. Parts of Cassie’s the murder also helps uncover layers to Cassie’s character.
9. One of Us Is Lying
Anyone who loves the board game Clue, but with a good mix of high school drama intermingled, One of Us is Lying will satisfy. The series puts five students into detention, and only four come out alive. The remaining characters’ motives are analyzed, and the rest of the episodes use pretty stereotypical mystery-solving storylines to get to the bottom of it all.
10. Criminal Minds
Network TV serials aren’t usually known for producing the same type of quality as cable or streaming TV, but CBS’ Criminal Minds brought an advanced version of the genre to the public. The investigators in the show solve mysteries surrounding the psychology of sociopaths and other criminals. In this way, the biggest reveals aren’t who did it, but why.
11. The X-Files
More of a science fiction series than a murder investigation one, The X-Files will entertain fans of many different genres and make audiences think about the potential of alien life. Mulder and Skully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) are FBI agents who have differing methods of finding the culprit behind the week’s crime. Their chemistry is similarly strong when compared to the trio in Only Murders in the Building.
12. Dexter
One of the best shows of the anti-hero era, Dexter isn’t always a mystery in the traditional sense, but it has thriller elements that keep the viewer and the characters on their toes at every turn. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is a blood-spatter analyst who takes it upon himself to kill the city’s criminals who don’t get arrested for their crimes. Sometimes Dexter and the audience don’t know the extent of the crimes or who he’s supposed to be tracking, allowing us to piece the puzzle together as Dexter goes.
13. Person of Interest
This one-of-a-kind crime drama tinkers with themes of invasiveness and the lengths humans will go to when trying to glean information about a case. The show revolves around technology that tracks and flags potential criminals, usually terrorists, in the United States in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center.
14. Murder, She Wrote
Angela Lansbury stars as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery author who uses her instincts and creativity in writing novels to deduce the culprits of a myriad of murders in her hometown. Without Jessica Fletcher, the amateur detective stories we know and love today wouldn’t exist.
15. The Leftovers
One of HBO’s most underrated series, creator Damon Lindelof’s show about the miserable majority of humanity that is left in the wake of the sudden departure of 140 million humans is dark, mysterious, thrilling, gratifying, and shocking. The series lures the audience along, and leaves many of the show’s main plot points open to interpretation.
16. Twin Peaks
One of the shortest-running shows on this list packed a real punch when it aired in the early 1990s. David Lynch lent his directing talents to this eye-popping mystery that seemed to get richer and weird with each passing week. The investigators of the murder of Laura Palmer always come across a revelatory issue that brought newfound energy to the mystery genre before the turn of the century.
17. How To Get Away With Murder
Putting Black leads in the spotlight is always important, and Viola Davis did that with How to Get Away With Murder for years. Lawyer Annalise Keating uses her knowledge of the legal system to rig murder investigations in her favor. The interpersonal implications of the crimes give the series such weight.
18. Love & Death
This HBO miniseries delivers a stellar performance from Elizabeth Olsen in the lead role of a woman who lives a small-town lifestyle before getting personally engaged in a murder investigation. The juxtaposition of those who usually commit crimes and the people at the center of this drama is what makes it stand out from the rest.
19. Bones
Sometimes the best mystery shows let viewers get lost for endless amounts of episodes, even the ones just to fill a network quota. Bones is the epitome of this comfort food drama description, with the nearly 250 episodes following a forensics team that deciphers meaning from the remains of murder victims.
20. Mind Hunter
Much like Criminal Minds, this Netflix series tries to get to the bottom of what motivates a criminal and how they operate before committing a murder. Mind Hunter is backed by the excellent filmmaking reputation of Charlize Theron and David Fincher. The only drawback: the series ran for a mere 19 episodes.
21. Black Bird
Based on a true story, Black Bird is a fascinating show about the life of Jimmy Keene, a man attempting to navigate his life after being sentenced to 10 years in prison. Ray Liotta and Taron Egerton deliver the best performances in this show, and the series gives Apple TV+ another standout property in their growing library.
22. Truth Be Told
Much like Only Murders in the Building, this series focuses on a podcaster committed to investigating criminals in a true crime format. Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad plays the murder convict with more to him than it seems at first glance. Octavia Spencer plays the main character Poppy Parnell, a woman with an insatiable drive to find the truth.
