Like the suspects caught up in a locked-room whodunit, viewers can’t always untangle themselves from the best TV crime dramas. From the adrenaline-inducing heist or juicy murder mystery to the meticulous, simmering detail of a slow-burn police procedural –- the real crime is that the drama has to end at some point. “Columbo” fans no-doubt cheer when the unassuming homicide detective whips his raincoat around to say, “Oh, just one more thing.” And what “Luther” fan hasn’t nearly gone over the edge along with its brooding title character? When your investment as a viewer following a long case is rewarded, it makes the journey all the more satisfying.
But that’s not to suggest a longer manhunt is always better. While there are plenty of great crime drama series that have made their mark over many seasons, there are some single-season titles that pack quite a wallop of their own.
No need for the agonizing wait for another season to be announced. Whether a crowd-pleasing detective novel gets adapted into a tight eight-episode miniseries, or a cinematic storyline gets a short-lived TV treatment, a self-contained, complete story is sometimes exactly what we need. In a sea of crime dramas where the hero’s craftiness lives up to the culprit’s motivation, here are five titles that did a pretty fine job of closing the case in one season.
Mare of Easttown
As small town murder mysteries go, 2021’s “Mare of Easttowne” is one of the better entries in recent years, though it does require patience. Kate Winslet turns in a well-deserved Emmy-winning performance as Pennsylvania detective and former high school basketball star Mare Sheehan, who’s investigating the death of a local teenage mom. But like many great detective protagonists, Mare also faces some internal demons.
The complete story is told in seven episodes with a satisfying conclusion. What makes the miniseries so captivating is its recognizably human characters and enveloping setting. The slow burn draws you in by tricking you into thinking nothing truly terrible can happen -– until the bubble bursts. Winslet’s portrayal of Mare, particularly her physical appearance, drew some reactions for apparently being “too real.” In an interview with The Guardian, Winslet revealed she would refuse the traditional touch-ups that made her look “better” on camera. “Mare is how most of us felt through [COVID] lockdown,” she said. “She validated the permanent [pajama] look.”
The supporting cast around Winslet is great, too. Evan Peters also won an Emmy for his role as detective Colin Zabel, as did Julianne Nicholson for her role as Mare’s best friend Lori. And Guy Pearce shows up as a visiting writing professor named Richard who gets close to Mare in more ways than one.
The Stranger
<a href="https://comicvibe.com/3-suspenseful-netflix-horror-shows-like-the-body-to-watch-in-a-weekend/” title=”3 suspenseful Netflix horror shows like The Body to watch in a weekend”>Netflix definitely has a thing for strangers. Not to be confused with the 2022 Netflix film, this 2020 British series is about a family man who gets some unexpected news about his wife. Based on the Harlan Coben novel of the same name, “The Stranger” follows Adam Price (Richard Armitage) as he’s approached by a nameless woman who claims the pregnancy and subsequent loss he and his wife Corinne (Dervla Kirwan) experienced two years prior was faked. This bombshell leads to Corinne’s disappearance and sends Adam spiraling into a labyrinthine conspiracy of blackmail and hidden identities. Fans of Coben TV shows get the signature tantalizing hook, breathtaking twists, and drama at the center.
Hannah John-Kamen plays the title character who doesn’t just carry secrets about Adam’s family, but others in the community as well. As her motivation unravels across the eight episodes, the plot threads hold in place fairly well; including that of Detective Sergeant Johanna Griffin, played by “Downton Abbey” and “Happy Valley” star Siobhan Finneran, who investigates a string of bizarre cases that intertwine with Adam’s.
The Undoing
The David E. Kelley-produced “The Undoing” is an adaptation of the novel “You Should Have Known.” This six-episode series centers a wealthy Manhattan therapist named Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman) as she and her family get swept up in a murder mystery. When a young mother in the Frasers’ prep school community is found brutally murdered, Grace’s husband Jonathan (Hugh Grant) starts behaving unusually. As the investigation mounts, Jonathan is put on trial, which opens the floodgates to cover-ups and shocking reveals.
Kidman, Grant, and Donald Sutherland, who plays Grace’s father Franklin Reinhardt, carry this crime drama with exquisite performances. The show also effectively encapsulates a theme about how privilege and proximity can shape perception. Talking to HuffPost in 2020, Susanne Bier, series executive producer and director, touched on what many viewers felt while watching. “It’s essentially all ingrained in our human nature ― that we want to see what we want to see and we change our perception of reality accordingly. It’s exactly what Grace does. In spite of being this brilliant, brilliant therapist, she does it like we all do.”
The Outsider
“The Outsider,” based on the 2018 novel, is one of the best examples of how a Stephen King story can shine on TV. Detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) thinks he’s found the murderer of 11-year-old Frankie Peterson. The evidence points to Terry, played by Jason Bateman (who earned an Emmy nomination for this role). But when Terry’s alibi is airtight, and other inexplicable events send the case in a really weird direction, Ralph teams up with eccentric private investigator Holly (Cynthia Erivo) to reach the depths of this rabbit hole.
It certainly sounds “True Detective”-esque. But Bateman — series executive producer and director of the first two episodes — highlighted another King title as inspiration during a 2020 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I was trying for ‘The Shining,'” he said. “[There’s] a certain kind of horror that exists in some of Stephen King’s stories, and then there’s a certain kind of dread that exists in others.”
“The Outsider” grew in popularity enough for producers to shapeshift their miniseries plans and sketch out a second season centering Holly’s character. According to Deadline, viewership jumped 90% between the show’s premiere episode (1.2 million) and the finale (2.2 million). Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. After producers shopped “The Outsider” to other networks, they didn’t receive any offers to pick it up, and the show was canceled.
Bodyguard
This 2018 BBC and Netflix political thriller stars Richard Madden in a Golden Globe-winning role as London Police Sergeant David Budd. Still experiencing trauma from his military service, David gets assigned to protect controversial Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes), with whom David disagrees. Though he’s anchored by his sense of duty and professionalism, it gets tested when a terrorist attack and conspiracy plot occurs.
In what’s certainly Madden’s highest-profile role since “Game of Thrones,” he snatches this leading man role and (literally) runs with it through all six episodes. In a 2018 interview with Variety, Madden discussed finding ways to even out David’s emotional weight. “Trying to get the physicality right of someone who’s a professional bodyguard and has been in the army for many years…is a completely different challenge,” he said. “[Also,] it was a great relief playing the more emotional scenes because this character spends so much time covering his emotions or holding them in.”
In addition to its awards attention, “Bodyguard” was praised for its notably progressive portrayal of PTSD on television. “We were particularly impressed with how the drama showed not just the impact of David Budd’s PTSD on his own life but how it affected his family and colleagues as well,” said Dr. Manveer Kaur, senior clinical psychologist at Combat Stress, during an interview with Metro.
