10 Best TV Shows Like Netflix’s ‘Muted’ Ranked by IMDB Score
Created by the famous Spanish Screenwriter Aitar Gabilondo, Muted (El Silencio) is one of Netflix’s best Spanish Shows of 2023. The psychological thriller gives a different perspective to how people look at violent criminals through the eyes of Ana Dussel, a psychologist secretly watching every move made by an ex-convict sentenced for the murder of both of his parents as a minor. The combination of mystery and suspense keeps viewers guessing whether the protagonist is actually a good person or a serial killer waiting to happen.
The show’s subject is Sergio Cisar, a young man that suddenly went mute after killing his parents and won’t speak to anyone, including his lawyers. Ana Dussel’s inhumanely intrusive surveillance, with secret cameras covering every moment of Serio’s life, seeks to discover the triggers for his violent tendencies as Sergio tries to move on with his life out of prison. Muted fans can binge on these 10 TV Shows ranked by their IMDB score for more entertainment from similar psychological thrillers and crime dramas.
1. Hannibal 2013-2016
IMDB: 8.5/10
What it is about: Will Graham is an FBI agent struggling to crack a case involving a serial killer when his bosses refer him to a forensic psychiatrist (Dr. Hannibal Lecter) to help him figure out how the mind of a serial killer works. The two develop a strange bond as the psychiatrist seems to push Graham into becoming a serial killer himself. It turns out that the doctor is also a dangerous serial killer, and the risk is that he could turn the FBI agent into a monster.
Why it is similar to Muted: Like Muted, Hannibal is a psychological thriller that focuses on the complexity of a murderer’s mind. The show also follows a protagonist keen to understand why serial killers turn into monsters, just like Ana Dussel in Muted. The intensity of the suspense and mystery in the show makes it interesting, as everyone keeps guessing that the protagonists could have violent-killer tendencies.
2. Criminal Minds: 2005-
IMDB: 8.1/10
What it is about: This is one of the longest-running docudramas in the US, having been launched on CBS in 2005, running for 16 seasons until 2020 and then getting renewed for another 16 in 2022. The series follows a group of FBI profilers working for the agency’s Behavioral Analysis Unit as they try to predict the next move by criminals in their investigating cases. Serial killers are especially interesting subjects in the series as the profilers try to uncover mysteries around some of the most horrific unsolved murders in America.
Why it is similar to Muted: Criminal Minds is like a bigger version of Muted with fewer unknowns. Unlike Muted, which follows one specific suspect, Criminal Minds uses behavioral analytics to create the profile of a criminal and try to predict their next move. The main theme is predicting what triggers violent tendencies in a criminal, and both shows focus on it.
3. The Sinner: 2017
IMDB: 7.9/10
What it is about: When homicide detective Harry Ambrose is called in to investigate Cora Tannetti for violently stabbing an innocent man on the beach, he must know the back story that caused Cora to snap. Harry is an expert at solving mysterious murder cases, believing there are two sides to every murder story. The four seasons see Harry uncover mysterious murders by getting close to the killer and sometimes endangering his life just to get to the truth.
Why it is similar to Muted: Like Ana, Harry takes the killer’s side and doesn’t just assume they are guilty simply because they committed a murder. Both shows look at the mind of a killer and what triggers a person’s mind to commit mysterious, violent murders. Unlike Muted, which follows the killer with surveillance cameras, Harry does it physically and sometimes ends up living in the killer’s world just to get to the root of everything.
4. You: 2018
IMDB: 7.7/10
What it is about: Joe Goldberg, a bookstore manager, suffers from a toxic obsession with women he likes and often ends up killing them or the people they love. He won’t let anything stand in the way of his romantic obsessions, which means anyone he dislikes or crosses him pays with their lives. He starts moving from city to city and changing identities as he commits a string of murders from New York to London as a result of his obsession with different women.
Why it is similar to Muted: You portrays Joe as a smart man who just can’t control himself once his obsessions with women kick in. He is similar to Sergio because he also committed his first murder at a young age. Unlike Sergio, who was blamed for the murders, Joe gets away with most of his murders using his genius to frame them as accidents or suicides. Both shows have an air of mystery about whether killers can have empathy and control their darkest thoughts.
5. Defending Jacob-2020
IMDB: 7.8/10
What it is about: Andy Barber has a thriving career as the Assistant District Attorney until his son gets accused of murdering a 14-year-old boy at school. A sting on incriminating evidence, including a knife and a fingerprint, even causes parents to doubt their son’s innocence. It is soon revealed that Andy’s estranged dad is serving life in prison for murder, leading to the speculation that Jacob could have the dreaded killer gene.
Why it is similar to Muted: The speculation of the tendency for violence being related to a particular gene is a mystery that accompanies the subjects in both shows. Like Sergio, Jacob finds himself isolated by everyone as he is seen as a monster despite the possibility that he may be innocent. Both shows also explore the triggers for violent behavior, which remain a mystery.
6. Prodigal Son-2019-2021
IMDB: 7.7/10
What it is about: Malcolm Bright discovered that his father was a serial killer while still a child and called the police on him, leading to his lifelong imprisonment. Years later, after cutting all ties to his father, including changing his name and becoming an FBI profiler specializing in catching serial killers, Malcolm is forced to seek his father’s help to solve a case as a copycat killer appears. His father becomes his consultant but also a danger as he threatens to turn Malcolm into a serial killer.
Why it is similar to Muted: Like Muted, which tries to understand what pushed Sergio to commit murder, Prodigal Son takes viewers through the minds of serial killers identifying the dark desires that cause them to kill. Malcolm Bright plays the role of a psychologist fascinated with the science of studying killers, just like Ana Dussel. Like Muted, Prodigal Son also explores difficult upbringing as a trigger for serial killers.
7. Swarm-2023
IMDB: 7.1/10
What it is about: Andrea “Dre” Greene is a young woman that develops an obsession with an R&B artist. The obsession grows toxic with time as she goes online and starts hunting down people that say anything bad about the artist on Twitter and kills them. As the self-proclaimed punisher of an artist’s critics, Dre gets away with a string of murders that shock many viewers because the whole thing starts as a joke.
Why it is similar to Muted: Swarm takes a comedic approach to the subject of “what makes a serial killer,” as Dre’s first murder feels like a one-off rage-motivated killing just like Sergio’s. Both shows still express the dangers involved with obsession and how a single rage-motivated murder could create a monster. Both protagonists get dethatched from the real world into a dangerous reality that causes them to snap and commit violent murders.
8. White Lines: 2020
IMDB: 6.6/10
What it is about: Created by Alex Pina, the creator of Money Heist, White Lines is a multilingual thriller that explores the dark side of life on the Spanish island of Ibiza, where people like to live life on the edge. The show follows Zoe Walker as she goes to the island to investigate the murder of her brother, who disappeared over 20 years ago, only to turn up dead. Her investigation reveals a dark world that tests Zoe’s sanity threatening to turn her into a monster.
Why it is similar to Muted: Zoe Walker has many similarities with Ana Dussel as they both get too involved with discovering the triggers of violent criminals that they get dragged onto the dark side. The somber mood surrounding Ana as she spies on Sergio is similar to what Zoe feels when she reaches Ibiza. The line between good and evil quickly becomes gray in both TV shows as it becomes clear that every monster has a trigger.
9. Toy Boy: 2019-
IMDB: 6.5/10
What it is about: Hugo Beltrán is a carefree male stripper in Costa Del Sol, Spain, living life on the edge while enjoying an electric sex life with a rich and powerful married woman Macarena Medina. One day, Hugo wakes up on a boat with the burned body of his lover’s husband, and he just can’t remember what happened. After serving seven years in prison for the murder, Hugo is released. He goes back to being a male stripper, but this time, with a mission to prove that he is not a killer and to find out the truth about what happened.
Why it is similar to Muted: It is another Spanish thriller that explores the life of a young man struggling to find roots while trying to prove their innocence after leaving prison. Unlike Sergio, whose fight is within himself, Hugo is determined to set himself free by proving that he was framed for murder and is not a monster. Hugo’s career as a male stripper is a welcome diversion from his internal struggles, just like Sergio, whose life becomes much easier after he meets Martha.
10. Who Killed Sara: 2021-2022
IMDB: 6.4/10
What it is about: Alex Guzman is released from prison after serving 18 years for the murder of his sister Sara which he didn’t commit. He believes the powerful Lazcano family framed him and sets out on a mission to clear his name and avenge her death. However, he soon realizes that his sister isn’t exactly the innocent victim he imagined and that the real monster might be closer to him than he previously thought.
Why it is similar to Muted: Like Sergio, Alex realizes that there is more mystery to his sister’s murder and that the forces behind it might be a lot bigger than he imagined. Who Killed Sara explores the life of an ex-convict that tries to fit into society while dealing with guilt, just like Sergio. The mystery is the theme that keeps both shows interesting as every aspect of the making of a monster is revealed scene by scene with a lot of intense emotional scenes.
