The Best Mystery Series To Watch After Netflix’s ‘The Final Problem’
Netflix’s new limited series ‘The Final Problem’ has pulled viewers into a fog-soaked island hotel where a storm has trapped thirteen guests with a killer among them. The show stars Jose Coronado, María Valverde, Martiño Rivas, and Maribel Verdú, and is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. A fading actor once famous for playing Sherlock Holmes on the big screen finds himself pulled into a real murder investigation when the other guests decide his fictional detective skills are enough to qualify him for the job.
The series leans into a very specific kind of comfort viewing, the locked room mystery where everyone is a suspect and nobody can leave until the truth comes out. For anyone who finished ‘The Final Problem’ and wants more of that slow burn, amateur detective energy, here are several other shows worth queuing up next.
‘Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials’
Set in England in 1925, this three part series follows a lavish country house party where a practical joke appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong. Written by Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall, the show stars Mia McKenna Bruce as Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent, a young and determined sleuth pulled into the investigation. It shares the same period setting and amateur detective premise that makes ‘The Final Problem’ so appealing.
‘The Residence’
This Shondaland whodunit trades a remote island for the White House. The murder mystery is described as having 132 rooms, 157 suspects, one dead body, one wildly eccentric detective, and one disastrous State Dinner. Uzo Aduba leads as Cordelia Cupp, a consulting detective brought in to investigate a killing among the White House staff, working alongside a skeptical FBI agent.
‘Inside Man’
For those who liked the idea of an unlikely investigator stumbling into a crime far bigger than expected, this four part thriller fits well. David Tennant plays a British vicar who ends up keeping a maths tutor prisoner in his cellar, while a journalist across the ocean interviews a death row inmate whose story turns out to be connected. The show comes from Sherlock writer Steven Moffat, whose puzzle box plotting rewards patient viewers the same way ‘The Final Problem’ does.
‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’
This series follows a teenager who investigates a five year old cold case as part of a school project, only to find the official story does not add up. The show became one of BBC iPlayer’s most watched titles for young adults and a major hit for Netflix, and has since expanded into further seasons continuing the investigation. It carries the same amateur sleuth spirit that drives Basil’s investigation in ‘The Final Problem’.
‘Lupin’
Netflix’s most watched French series ever, this show has also earned real recognition from awards bodies, winning the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Foreign Language Series and picking up Golden Globe nominations for both the show and its lead performance. It trades the isolated hotel for a globe trotting caper, but the same pleasure of watching a clever outsider outthink everyone around him carries through.
‘The Sinner’
Viewers drawn to the psychology behind ‘The Final Problem’ rather than just the twists may enjoy this anthology series. Instead of saving the killer’s identity for a finale, each season reveals who committed the crime early and spends its runtime unpacking the reasoning behind it, with Bill Pullman anchoring the investigation as Detective Harry Ambrose. The show holds a strong 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
‘Murderville’
For something lighter, this series swaps somber period detail for improvised comedy. Will Arnett stars as Detective Terry Seattle in a show that blends elements of a police sitcom with a reality competition, as a rotating cast of guest stars tries to solve the case alongside him. It is a good palate cleanser if the heavier mood of ‘The Final Problem’ starts to feel like a lot.
‘Elite’
This Spanish teen drama layers a murder investigation into its ongoing storylines about a group of students. Even stripped of the mystery element the show would remain compelling, but the added sense of danger and the pull to learn what really happened makes it difficult to look away. The Spanish language production also gives it a similar texture to ‘The Final Problem’.
‘The Perfect Couple’
Adapted from Nantucket author Elin Hilderbrand’s 2018 novel, this six episode series centers on a highly anticipated wedding at a wealthy family’s beach estate that turns into a murder investigation, with Meghann Fahy playing maid of honor Merritt Monaco. The glamorous setting is a departure from the storm battered island in ‘The Final Problem’, but the closed circle of suspects will feel familiar.
‘Mindhunter’
Based on the book Mindhunter, Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit and produced by David Fincher and Charlize Theron, this series follows agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench along with psychologist Wendy Carr as they build the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. The story is set in motion when the young agent, played by Jonathan Groff, decides he wants to interview convicted killer Ed Kemper, launching the origins of criminal profiling. Anyone who appreciated the detective work at the center of ‘The Final Problem’ will find plenty to chew on here.
‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window’
This dark comedy parodies psychological thrillers, particularly the trope of a woman who witnesses something unsettling and becomes a possible target herself, with Kristen Bell starring as Anna, a woman convinced she has seen a murder. It pokes fun at the genre while still delivering a real mystery underneath the jokes, offering a lighter companion piece to the more straight faced tone of ‘The Final Problem’.
Between period whodunits, globe trotting capers, and comedic riffs on the genre, there is no shortage of ways to keep the mystery streak going after ‘The Final Problem’. Which of these will earn a spot on your watchlist next, and does anything else deserve a place among Basil’s fellow amateur detectives?
