THINGS TO WATCH LIKE ‘A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER’
One of the darker mysteries that is airing today, there is also a unique coziness to the Netflix drama A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, which inspires out usual things to watch if you too enjoy this show. I’m not sure how many titles I’ll think of or find in my research, but we have to push on and see what we can find.
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THINGS TO WATCH LIKE ‘A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER.’ Watch these similar #AGGGTM shows. How many have you seen? Share on XBased on the novels by Holly Jackson, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder centers on a high school student who sets out to solve the mystery of Andie Bell. She’s a girl who has been missing for too long for any continued hope, and connected to this suspicion is Sal S who is also gone. As she investigates, Pip starts a podcast chronicling her investigation and uncovers things that scare not just her, but rattle the people closest to her. Dark secrets and obsessions come out as she pieces all of this together.
So, let’s see what titles we can find that fits this watchalike list.
THINGS to WATCH like A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE to MURDER
AGATHA CHRISTIE’S SEVEN DIALS, miniseries
Like Pip, another opinionated and sassy heroine leads this series. In this Lady Elaine aka Bundle Brent sets out to solve the terrible murder of a man who meant a great deal to her. The story has Bundle doggedly determined to find truth and set things right even at the cost of her own safety.
Synopsis: England. 1925. At a lavish country house party, a practical joke appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong. It will be up to the unlikeliest of sleuths – the fizzingly inquisitive Lady Eileen ‘Bundle’ Brent – to unravel a chilling plot that will change her life, cracking wide open the country house mystery. – via Netflix
Stream, at publication, this series exclusively with Netflix
CODE of SILENCE
Another different drama, this one follows a deaf woman who ends up helping the police solve cases. She’s a very interesting and human character who we sympathize with and want only the best for. The show is award-winning and also is supposed to earn a second season.
Synopsis: A police detective superintendent calls upon a deaf catering worker who is struggling to make ends meet to lip-read the conversations of criminals. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with BritBox
CROOKED HOUSE
An Agatha Chrisie adaptation, this film is dark but well-made and features a solid cast. A private detective heads to an ancestral estate where his ex-girlfriend lives and wants his help on a mysterious death.
Synopsis: In post-WWII England, private detective Charles Hayward is hired by his former lover Sophia to solve the murder of her wealthy grandfather. But when he heads to the deceased’s mansion, he realizes that everyone is a suspect – including Sophia herself.– via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Tubi; or digitally purchase on places like Prime Video
ELEMENTARY
A modern former CBS procedural that follows Sherlock Holmes, only in this version, Holmes lives in New York where he ends up training Watson, Dr. Joan Watson in this version, to become his investigative partner.
Running for seven seasons, this show built a really solid friendship between its lead characters, and we love them all the more.
Synopsis: In the first season of Elementary, Sherlock Holmes escapes to Manhattan where his wealthy father forces him to live with his worst nightmare – a sober companion, Dr. Watson. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, the show with Prime Video or Hulu
ENOLA HOLMES, films
A sassy and clever heroine, Enola is fabulous. She’s a savvy investigator who does her work well and her viewpoint on life, which was drummed into her by her mother, is challenged by the arrival of a handsome lord. Of course, the duo, along with her brothers Mycroft and Sherlock, end up solving the most interesting cases, which makes everything including the friendships, love and stories develop. Needless to say, I’m eager to see what movie three brings for our intrepid investigators.
Synopsis: England, 1884 – a world on the brink of change. On the morning of her 16th birthday, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) wakes to find that her mother (Helena Bonham Carter) has disappeared, leaving behind an odd assortment of gifts but no apparent clue as to where she’s gone or why. After a free-spirited childhood, Enola suddenly finds herself under the care of her brothers Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), both set on sending her away to a finishing school for “proper” young ladies. Refusing to follow their wishes, Enola escapes to search for her mother in London. – via Netflix
Stream, at publication, movies one and two exclusively with Netflix; watch for the third film dropping in July
HARRY WILD
This is an Acorn TV title, and it’s really quite fun. It has Jane Seymour playing the titular character, a retired professor who ends up forming a private detective agency with her unlikely partner, a young teen named Fergus. This is one I thoroughly enjoy and cannot wait to see more of with a fifth season set to drop soon.
Synopsis: Literature professor Harriet “Harry” Wild (Jane Seymour) is adjusting to retirement when she’s mugged. While recovering at the home of her son (Kevin Ryan), a detective in the Dublin police, Harry gleans a clue for his current case. But when she’s rebuffed, Harry decides to solve the crime herself. Recruiting an unlikely young sidekick (Rohan Nedd), she finds a new path as a private investigator. – via Acorn TV
Stream, at publication, the show with Acorn TV
MURDER in a SMALL TOWN
This is one of those cozy small down dramas that tells the story of former big-city cop who moves to the small town to take over the top cop position. The story manages cozy story elements while also being darker at times. It also has a wonderfully delightful romance between Karl and the local librarian, Cassandra.
Synopsis: Karl Alberg moves to the idyllic coastal town of Gibsons to become the new police chief and soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. Unfortunately, the gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets… – via Prime Video
Digitally purchase the show, at publication, on places like Prime Video; or find the show streaming on Hulu
NANCY DREW, 2019 show
I didn’t watch much of this, but I think I did see an episode or two. It was gritty if I remember right. The show ran from 2019 through 2023. Kennedy McMann plays the iconic sleuth in a story that I am sure is loosely inspired by the iconic Carolyn Keene novels.
Synopsis: Nancy Drew is a brilliant teen detective whose sense of self had come from solving mysteries in her hometown of Horseshoe Bay, Maine — until her mother’s untimely death derails Nancy’s college plans.– via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with Hulu or HBO Max; or you can digitally purchase the series on places like Prime Video
PATIENCE
An Eagle Eye Limited drama airing on PBS, Patience is a wonderful drama that follows a neurodivergent woman who works in the criminal records department and ends up helping a team of detectives work through some of their most difficult cases.
The show is quite good and, in my opinion, quite underrated. The cast is good and the second season, which just dropped on streaming (and will begin its second season broadcast debut on PBS June 14), is stretching Patience in wonderful ways. The show ends well and has been renewed for a third season meaning we should eventually see it too debut on PBS in the US.
Synopsis: Witness Patience’s powerful deduction skills as she helps the York Police solve crimes. – via PBS
Stream, at publication, seasons one and two with the PBS Passport app or with the PBS Masterpiece add on through Prime Video; you can also watch the second season starting June 14 on PBS.
SCARPETTA
Nicole Kidman stars in this, an eight-part series, which is not just dark, but also very adult, that tells the story of Kay Scarpetta, a talented medical examiner who must solve a cold case that makes her question her life’s work and skills. The complications of secretive family matters and obsessions also factor in the story. The characters fight and blame each other for various things, but honestly, I think they are all at fault for the reasons why things are spinning.
In one way I think this is a well-produced show, but in others, I thin it’s a little too “messy,” even for this type of genre and show, to be good storytelling. I’ve watched more episodes since reviewing this and it’s really just too much. There are too many threads going on though I understand the shows do this to help us see the characters as more human.
Note; This one also has graphic death scenes including scenes with a totally nude body and autopsies with nude shots.
Synopsis: Renowned forensic pathologist Dr. Kay Scarpetta returns to her position as Virginia’s Chief Medical Examiner, where she investigates a haunting murder with eerie reminders from her first big case decades ago. In 1998, Scarpetta works alongside Detective Pete Marino and FBI Agent Benton Wesley as they investigate a series of brutal stranglings. Based on the best-selling novels by Patricia Cornwell.– via Prime Video
TRUE JUSTICE, films
These are Hallmark titles, so like others on this list, lighthearted is the bigger picture story, and is more “fun” than biting or serious. But the concept is the same and follows a group of young adults determined to find truth and do good in the world. The stories are fun and they flirt (in a very Hallmark way) with romance between its characters.
Synopsis: A law school student and her friends, set out to prove her brother’s innocence but the only way to clear his name is by finding the real killer. – True Justice: Family Ties (film one) via Hallmark+
Stream, at publication and exclusively, the first two films with Hallmark+
VERONICA MARS
This show initially had a three-season run and was quite entertaining. Sadly though, its fourth season (which came around many years after the finale) was a great disappointment to fans. The first three seasons ran from 2004 – 2006 and then in 2024, an extremely entertaining film was released before than final 2019 season arrived.
The show was one of the first big roles of Kristen Bell and had her playing the daughter of a private detective. As a result, she forms her own sense of investigative skills, solving various different puzzles. The show gets a little dark in places first following Veronica as a high school student who uncovers all kinds of dark secrets from her peers.
Synopsis: In the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, California, the rich and powerful make the rules. Unfortunately for them, there’s Veronica Mars, a smart, fearless 17-year-old apprentice private investigator dedicated to solving the town’s toughest mysteries. – via Prime Video
Digitally purchase seasons one – three on places like Prime Video; or stream on Hulu or Netflix (the 2014 film is also on Netflix). Check Plex also for streaming availability.
WE WERE LIARS
A very twisty drama based on the novel by E. Lockhart, this follows a group of teenagers who have spent multiple summers together. Then one year, upon her return to the summer family estate, Cady Sinclair fights to remember what happened last summer, and unable to, she looks to friends and family, who are silent, for answers to what really happened.
Synopsis: One year after a mysterious accident left her with amnesia, 17-year-old Cadence returns to Beechwood, an island off Martha’s Vineyard, seeking answers. As three generations of the distinguished Sinclair family gather at their private summer utopia, no one will talk about the accident – neither her childhood friends “The Liars” nor her first love Gat, forcing her to uncover the truth herself.– via Prime Video
WHY DIDN’T THEY ASK EVANS?
Fun and all kinds of entertaining, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is a good time and like A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, this one has a witty and smart heroine in the lead. Lady Frances “Frankie” Derwent is the delightful and spunky heroine solving cases in this four-part 2022 miniseries. In this role is also Lucy Boynton, whose early role was as Marianne Dashwood from the 2008 BBC series Sense and Sensibility.
Synopsis: The mysterious death of a stranger prompts amateur detectives Bobby Jones (Will Poulter) and Frankie Derwent (Lucy Boynton) to set out to find the meaning behind the man’s enigmatic last words. – via Prime Video
Stream, at publication, with BritBox
YOU’RE KILLING ME
This is a very lighthearted tale by comparison to A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, but it’s still fun and fitting because it’s got a character with a podcast and even though lighter in tone, it does still solve mysteries. Brooke Shields features in this playing a woman who reluctantly teams with a podcaster to solve the murder of a friend. Of course, there is a generation gap and of course, plenty of fun puzzles for our intrepid investigators to solve.
Synopsis: In the quaint New England town of Founders’ Cove, a bestselling novelist (Brooke Shields, When Calls the Heart), forms an unlikely alliance with an aspiring writer and true crime podcaster (Amalia Williamson, Sullivan’s Crossing), to find the killer of a close friend. As more murders pile up, the pair of amateur sleuths clash with a local police detective (Tom Cavanagh, The Flash). – via Acorn TV
Stream, at publication, with Acorn TV
Stream, at publication, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder exclusively with Netflix
Photos: Alamy | Acorn TV (Harry Wild; You’re Killing Me) | Hallmark Media (True Justice) | Eagle Eye Drama (Patience)
MORE to consider
- BOOKISH, series
- BLACKSHORE, series
- GRANTCHESTER, series
- INVITATION to a MURDER, film
- LUDWIG, series
- SEVEN DIALS, 1980s miniseries
- SCOOP, film
- SHERLOCK, bbc series
- SHERLOCK and DAUGHTER, show
- THE WOMAN in CABIN 10, film
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