The third movie in the Knives Out film series, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, has already become a streaming hit for Netflix. Starring Josh O’Connor, Glenn Close, Josh Brolin,and the return of Daniel Craig, the mystery film brought the master detective to the church for the latest crime. The black comedy thriller was filled with everything you loved from the first two films, yet changed the imagery tone ever so slightly to become a fantastic standalone film.
If you’ve already breezed through Benoit Blanc’s latest mystery, chances are you’re seeking more mystery in your life. Since the Rian Johnson film brings comedy to the mystery, you’re likely longing for some comically-tinged mystery series to fill the void his film left. From one-season wonders to shows that were canceled too soon, these mystery series are perfect if you loved Wake Up Dead Man.
1
‘Monk’ (2002–2009)
Perhaps not the title you thought you might have expected on this list, but the Tony Shalhoub–led hit is a tried and true classic. For eight triumphant seasons, Monk followed Adrian Monk (Shalhoub), a private detective with obsessive–compulsive disorder and multiple phobias following the unsolved murder of his wife. Monk works as a police consultant while trying to solve her case and manage his condition with the help of his assistants Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram) and Natalie Teeger (Traylor Howard). The quirky investigative show found success thanks to the unique, meticulous perspective on the characters’ traits, seen both as a blessing and a curse.
The often humorous series has been adored for its soft, comforting approach and its mystery-of-the-week format. The series was well-received during its run, very much due to Shalhoub’s career-defining performance. The series was a wonderful blend of comedy and mystery with an engaging premise in a time when comedically complex characters weren’t as celebrated as they are today. There truly hasn’t been another detective quite as keenly observant as Adrian Monk.
2
‘Murderville’ (2022)
There are certain actors who are so over-the-top that it’s the only genre of comedy you can see them in. After making a name for himself on Arrested Development, seeing Will Arnett do anything but ridiculous and silly is near impossible to take. Thankfully, the short-lived absurdist comedy Murderville proved that there was truly only one man for the job. Based on the BBC Three comedy Murder in Successville, the Netflix series followed Arnett as Senior Detective Terry Seattle, a clumsy senior detective who is going through divorce proceedings with Rhonda (Haneefah Wood), the chief of police, as every day he has a new murder to solve alongside a new celebrity guest star partner. Assisting Terry clue by clue, the catch of the series is the guest star is given no script. The improvised series forces the celebrity alone to name the killer.
Law & Order meets Whose Line Is It Anyway?, the Arnett-led comedy featured a brilliant lineup of guest stars, including Jason Bateman, Annie Murphy, Conan O’Brien, Ken Jeong, Kumail Nanjiani, Marshawn Lynch, and Sharon Stone. As long as you don’t mind moments of uncomfortable improv, this murder mystery comedy is truly unlike anything you’ve ever seen before or likely ever to see again. The series comes to life thanks in part to Arnett’s willingness to play and keep the ball afloat.Call it bottled chaos that’s about to explode.
3
‘A Man on the Inside’ (2024–)
If you love the dynamic that Michael Schur and Ted Danson have, they’ve reunited for a flashy and fun Netflix mystery series, A Man on the Inside. Now two seasons deep, the series, based on The Mole Agent by Maite Alberdi,follows bored and restless Charles Nieuwendyk, a widower and retired engineering professor, who takes an investigative assistant job under PI Julie Kovalenko (Lilah Richcreek Estrada) as he goes undercover as an amateur PI at Pacific View Retirement Community. Filled with quirky characters and a light, charming universe, A Man on the Inside gives you a chance to see Danson do his best Benoit Blanc.
Though the setting is a retirement home for individuals who may have been put out to pasture, the energy is still bright and jovial. An extra Easter egg for those mystery fans, each episode title is inspired by a classic mystery, including Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Postman Always Rings Twice, and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. This is similar to how Rian Johnson titled each of his Knives Out films after a classic rock song.
4
‘Deadloch’ (2023–)
A hilarious comedy straight from the land Down Under, Deadloch is probably the show you never heard of but are required to watch immediately. In the uproarious comedy, the beguilingly sleepy settlement of Deadloch, on Tasmania’s coastline, is shaken when the body of a local man turns up dead on the beach. Two female detectives, the fastidious Senior Sergeant Dulcie Collins (Kate Box), and the brash and reckless Detective Eddie Redcliffe (Madeleine Sami) from Darwin, reluctantly take on the case, though neither care to work together due to their drastically different tactics and investigation styles. Of course, chaos ensues, and friendships form as they discover secrets hidden in a town struggling to conceal the deep rift that’s slowly splitting it and the lives of its residents.
A brilliant, unique dark comedy that proves you don’t need superstars to lead a series, Deadloch is sharp, clever, and worth multiple watches. Rarely do shows make you literally laugh out loud. Deadloch achieves that mission. With a cheeky take on social commentary, Deadloch can approach deep topics with a campy undertone. Its smart use of comedy inside the crime genre provides for a satisfying and tightly crafted series. Luckily for everyone, Season 2 will arrive on Prime Video in early 2026. If you haven’t checked out the first season, no better time than now.
5
‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window’ (2022)
We all adore psychological thrillers, but if we truly analyzed the shows we watch, well, they raise occasional plausibility questions. If you’ve ever wanted to laugh along with the genre you love, look no further than The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window.A parody of the genre, the series stars Kristen Bell as Anna Whitaker, a grieving, wine-drinking, agoraphobic painter who takes a break from her career to mourn the death of her daughter, who spends her time reading books with titles like The Woman Across the Lake and The Girl on the Cruise. When she believes she witnessed a murder across the street, a complex case becomes wide open that involves her new neighbor, Neil (Tom Riley), his daughter Emma (Samsara Yett), and a scammer named Lisa (Shelley Hennig).
Satirical from start to finish, The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window makes you truly wonder why we let these shows get away with murder. Oh, that’s right. It’s because we love them. Mocking the tropes and characters that litter the genre, the Netflix series is stuffed with the best and worst, from the utterly ludicrous to the absurdly disturbing. Bell gets to stretch her comedy bones as a delightfully ridiculous leading lady who you can’t help but want to slap the silly out of. If you have an affinity for the Scary Movie era of parody, this series is the psychological thriller equivalent.
6
‘Bad Sisters’ (2022–)
If there’s one family you should probably stay away from, it’s the sisters of Bad Sisters because death really does follow them everywhere they go. Inspired by the Belgian series Clan, the Irish dark comedy follows the close-knit but dysfunctional Garvey sisters in Dublin who conspire to kill repulsive brother-in-law John Paul (Claes Bang), the abusive husband of their sister Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), because of his cruel control over her and past wrongs against the family. But their plan does not go off as expected, as wires get crossed while they engage in a wild cat-and-mouse game with insurance investigators and dark secrets bubbling to the surface. Across two seasons, Bad Sisters proves that blood is absolutely thicker than water.
Created by the brilliant Sharon Horgan, Bad Sisters soars thanks to the exceptional cast. The sisters, played by Horgan, Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, and Eve Hewson, bring a stellar dynamic that keeps the action thriving. Each sister has their own rich backstory and objective that bleeds effortlessly into the overall story. It’s a refreshing series that is easy to breeze through, though some of the themes may be a bit weighty for a non-stop watch. The series’ setup is simply absurd but wonderfully executed.
7
‘The Residence’ (2025)
As we still try to solve the mystery as to why Netflix cancelled this show as well as Boots when the charts called them hits, we are here to celebrate one of the best shows of 2025: The Residence. Brought to Netflix by Shonda Rhimes, The Residence follows private eye and avid birder Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba), who is called into the White House to investigate the mysterious murder of White House Chief Usher A.B. Wynter (Giancarlo Esposito). Paired with her quick mind and deduction skills, Cordelia makes everyone a suspect as she susses out the culprit. The fictional White House murder mystery thriller combines dry humor, colorful characters, and endless twists and turns to bring an engaging story to mystery lovers.
The witty, whipsmart series inspired by Kate Andersen Brower‘s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House stuffed the story with political conspiracies that were accessible and plausible, yet it avoided the darker tones seen in other Shondaland series like Scandal. Led by a career-best Aduba, the entire ensemble meshed exceptionally well. Whether slightly eccentric and over-the-top or grounded in their position, the array of characters helped to build upon the exceptional universe in this single-night thriller. And can we talk about what a trooper Kylie Minogue was? If only they got her to perform “Padam Padam.” Nevertheless, The Residence was near flawless and must be remembered as a show that should never have been cancelled.
8
‘Only Murders in the Building’ (2021–)
One of the greatest gifts for entertainment lovers over the past five years has been the return of Steve Martin and Martin Short together on screen. Adding in Selena Gomez as the unofficial third amigo, television’s newest favorite trio have solidly carried the comedic mystery genre with the Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building. Having recently completed a triumphant fifth season, the series plays on the true-crime podcast fad as Charles-Haden Savage, Oliver Putnam, and Mabel Mora continue to solve shocking murders within the Arconia.
The campy love letter to New York City has been a steadfast, consistent series that has maintained an aura of lightness and comfort, even with dead bodies seemingly following them around more than a normal person should experience. Though the action has remained at the titular locale for five seasons, the next season is set to cross the pond for a murder mystery set in London involving one-time rival Cinda Canning (Tina Fey). Whether you binge one season or all five, expect a cavalcade of famous faces as guest stars, including Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep, Melissa McCarthy, Logan Lerman, and Renée Zellweger.
9
‘The Afterparty’ (2022–2023)
If you’re sensing a trend, streamers have been fond of cancelling exceptional comedy mystery series way before they should expire. Just look at Apple TV’s two-season hit The Afterparty. The brilliantly unique murder-mystery comedy centers on a murder, with each episode told from a different character’s perspective. With that, each episode takes a different genre to stylize that perspective. With a different ensemble and a different murder in each season, the series centers on mainstays Aniq Adjaye (Sam Richardson), an escape room designer and prime suspect in the Season 1 death of Xavier (Dave Franco), and Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish), the police detective investigating both cases. Season 1 takes place at a high school reunion, while Season 2 shifts to the murder of Edgar (Zach Woods) during his wedding to Grace (Poppy Liu).
A masterclass of comedy from two seasons of extraordinary ensembles, The Afterparty features a sold mystery that is perfect puzzles for viewers to piece together, keeping you on your toes until the very end. In Season 1, the cast included Dave Franco and Ike Barinholtz, while Season 2 featured John Cho and Ken Jeong. Though there were only two quick seasons, it’s safe to say that there was certainly more in store for Detective Danner and Aniq. Perhaps the cancellation is yet another true vision mystery to uncover.
10
‘Poker Face’ (2023–2025)
Before we begin, we must mourn the cancellation of one of the most brilliant modern case-of-the-week series in recent memory. Though there may be hope that the Knives Out creator can resurrect it with Peter Dinklage somewhere else, we’re here to discuss the two seasons of perfect mystery comedy. Led by Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face follows Charlie Cale, a woman with an innate ability to detect when people are lying. As she races around the country trying to save her own life, she finds herself entangled in solving murders everywhere she goes. Call her a murder magnet, but when Charlie is around, the mystery is destined to be solved.
The Rian Johnson series was one of the brightest, paying homage to mystery shows of the past while still forging its own path. Call it the Murder, She Wrote of the 21st century. Aside from self-contained stories, each episode featured dynamite guest stars that brought immediate intrigue to the screen. The revolving door of guest stars included brilliant actors like Cynthia Erivo, Hong Chau, Jason Ritter, Margo Martindale, and Orange Is the New Black alums Dascha Polanco, Adrienne C. Moore, and Taylor Schilling. Thanks to the drop-in at anytime style, Poker Face is perfect to watch in pieces or in a single binge.
