The best murder mystery entertainment can be split between TV shows, movies, documentaries, podcasts, audio dramas, and novels . This guide is my top picks for each category, so you can quickly find something to watch, read or listen to.

I’ve been creating my own murder mystery content since 2023. I have a bunch of fun printable murder mystery case files and dinner party games that I love making, but in my spare time, I want to enjoy other people’s content. Detective dramas and anything mysterious are always my first stop. But when cleaning, I need good podcasts so I don’t have to look at a screen. If you’re anything like me, you’ll love the options I’ll show you, but if not, it’ll still be a great starting point to find things that better fit you.

TV, Movies and Documentaries Quick Reference

If you’re in the mood for…	Sub-genre	Where to start
Moody, character-driven storytelling	Detective drama	Top 10 Murder Mystery Detective TV Shows
Dark humor, eccentric characters	Comedy mystery (Wednesday style)	Top 5 Comedy Mystery Shows Like Wednesday
Light, funny, warm	Comedy mystery (High Potential style)	Top 5 Comedy Mystery Shows Like High Potential
Cozy whodunit mystery, smart writing	Comedy mystery (OMITB style)	5 TV Shows Like Only Murders in the Building
Fast-paced, sharp writing	Teen mystery	Top 5 Teen Mystery Shows
Science fiction + twists and turns	Sci-fi mystery	Top 5 Sci-Fi Mystery Shows
Genuine dread mixed with a mystery	Horror mystery	Top 5 Horror Mystery Shows
Non-linear story	Time-bending mystery	Top 5 Time-Bending Mystery Shows
High stakes, fast pacing	Action mystery	Top 5 Action Mystery Shows
Global conspiracies, covert operations	Spy and espionage mystery	Top 5 Spy and Espionage Mystery Shows
Movies that mess with your head	Thriller mystery	Top 10 Murder Mystery Movies
True crime mysteries	Non-fiction true crime	Top 10 Murder Mystery Documentaries

TV Shows

There are basically an unlimited number of TV shows available right now, on an ever-increasing number of streaming platforms. The mystery genre alone has enough content to keep you occupied for the rest of your life. Below I’ll also break down each sub-genre in the following paragraphs, so you know exactly what you’re getting.

Detective Dramas

Detective dramas are the bread and butter of genre. They’re the Sherlock Holmes-like shows that usually get you interested in the genre. They’re heavily character-driven shows with interesting investigations and usually a large mystery that takes a full season to explore. These are shows that I’ve either watched recently or are a little older but still hold a place in my memory. I’m certain you’ll find something to love here.

My top 10 murder mystery detective TV shows covers essential watching – including both US and UK options.

Comedy Mystery Shows

Comedy mystery got really big with shows like Only Murders in the Building, High Potential and Wednesday. It’s always been fun, but I feel like more studios have realized that there’s a massive fanbase that are looking for the next big show to watch. I’m certain that we’ll have countless new incredible shows to watch soon, but in the meantime, I want to share my favorite comedy mystery shows that are available right now.

There are three separate lists for this sub-genre and I’ll add more as new shows come out that I enjoy:

• If you liked Wednesday – dark, gothic, quirky humor mixed with a fun mystery – the top 5 comedy mystery shows like Wednesday has the closest alternatives.
• If you liked High Potential – lighter, funnier, with a charismatic female lead who solves crimes in unconventional ways – check out the top 5 comedy mystery shows like High Potential.
• If you liked Only Murders in the Building – cozy mystery vibes, slow-burn comedy, and a group of amateur detectives – check out the 5 mystery shows like Only Murders in the Building.

Teen Mystery Shows

I’m most definitely not a teen, but I have loved mystery shows my whole life. So, I’m going to share with you my favorite show from when I was growing up, as well as some amazing shows that I’ve watched recently that gave me similar vibes. You don’t need to be a teen to enjoy these shows, as they can stand against some of the best shows on TV.

My top 5 teen mystery shows to binge watch covers old and new shows that are must-watches.

Sci-Fi Mystery Shows

I love sci-fi TV shows and movies, but when there’s a big underlying mystery in it, it’s 100 times more interesting. I’m sure you’ve watched lots of science fiction mystery shows without even realizing it. Shows like Dr. Who have lots of sci-fi, but every season had some sort of mystery that the Doctor was trying to figure out. Even Star Trek had mystery elements in many episodes, and in full arcs.

My top 5 sci-fi mystery shows to binge watch covers a lot of newer shows that you might have missed.

Horror Mystery Shows

While I don’t watch as much horror as I did in my 20s, there’s a still a big place for it in my heart, and I’ll occasionally search for some interesting new shows to watch. These are all shows that I’ve watched recently and that I’m certain you’ll enjoy too.

My top 5 horror mystery shows list covers the best atmospheric horror and plot-driven supernatural mystery shows that I’ve seen this year.

Time-Bending Mystery Shows

What’s better than a time-bending mystery show? Absolutely nothing. Movies like Groundhog Day and shows like Sliders fascinated me as a child, and I’ll now watch anything that has a time travelling or parallel universe story in it.

For some of the most ambitious mystery shows right now, check out my picks for the top 5 time-bending mystery shows.

Action Mystery Shows

You can’t really go wrong with a good action mystery show. When I want to tune out and simply watch some fun car chases, explosions and secret agents of one sort or another, I’ll usually lean toward a fun action-packed mystery show.

Som here are my top 5 action mystery shows.

Spy and Espionage Mystery Shows

Action shows can have secret agents, but true spy shows will usually have a whole agency of these crazy people. Some are trying to save the world, and others are trying to make as much money as they can, no matter who gets hurt. These shows always have a lot of betrayal and big twists.

Check out my top 5 spy and espionage mystery shows.

Movies

I don’t watch as many movies as I used to, as I like my stories to be played out over at least 8 hours in order to get a full story in. TV shows and miniseries are able to accomplish a lot more than movies can, but there are some movies that do A LOT in very little time. Movies that use every minute to move the story forward without it feeling rushed. These are the types of mystery movies that I love watching.

Here’s my full list covering both classic titles and recent releases: my top 10 murder mystery movies.

Documentaries

I used to watch a lot of documentaries, but I get so much content from YouTube that I haven’t watched as many documentaries as before. However, there are some that I’ve watched that have stuck with me for years. These are the best of the best, and will have you discussing theories with your family after every episode.

Here are my top 10 murder mystery documentaries.

Podcast and Audio Drama Quick Reference

Type	What to expect	Best for	Where to start
True crime	Real cases, investigative journalism	Listeners who want to follow real investigations with new information	Best True Crime Murder Podcasts
Fiction	Scripted stories, full creative freedom, no real-world constraints	Listeners who want interesting stories that go further than true crime can	Top Fiction Murder Mystery Podcasts
Comedy	Lighter tone throughout	Listeners who enjoy mysteries, but want a lighter story	Top 5 Comedy Murder Mystery Podcasts
Full cast audio drama	Complete voice cast, sound design, music, production-quality storytelling	Listeners who want a show-quality experience in audio form	Top 5 Full Cast Audio Dramas

Podcasts

When I first learned about podcasts, I though it was all about people shouting their opinions at each other, like I see all over social media. I had no clue that there were epic stories that were Hollywood-level productions available for me to listen to for free. After listening to my first one, I’ve been hooked ever since. I only listen to them when cleaning or working out, never when driving or working, because the stories are so deep and interesting that they require my full attention.

I’ll now break down what each of the sub-categories are, so you know exactly what you’ll be getting.

True Crime Podcasts

True crime podcasts cover real cases – real victims, real investigations, and real outcomes (or the lack of them). They do original research: new interviews, unexplored angles, evidence that was never given proper attention, and look into how well the police investigated.

The quality gap between the best true crime podcasts and the worst is pretty big. A lot of podcasts in this space are just retellings of cases and sound like a true crime YouTube video. The ones worth your time are the ones that do real journalistic work. The best true crime murder podcasts list covers only podcasts with real original content.

Fiction Murder Mystery Podcasts

Fiction podcasts can take stories much further than true crime and can be placed in any universe and in any time period. They all have professional voice actors and great sound effects, so it feels like you’re watching it.

The top fiction murder mystery podcasts has the best fictional podcasts I’ve listened to in the mystery genre.

Comedy Murder Mystery Podcasts

These podcasts all have real investigations, but with a touch of humor added. You might think that murder mysteries shouldn’t have any comedic bits in them, but you’ll be very surprised and how good it is when it’s done right. I had my doubts about it going in, but after a few minutes of a single episode, I was hooked.

My top 5 comedy murder mystery podcasts are going to blow your socks off. Start with number 1, it’s my favorite.

Full Cast Murder Mystery Audio Dramas

Some audio dramas have a single narrator, or sometimes a couple, that will narrate the full story. Some people prefer this, my mom certainly does. She gets confused when there are too many voices coming from every direction. I, however, almost exclusively listen to full cast audio dramas with multiple voice actors taking part. Lying in bed with my eyes closed, I can see every part of the story playing out, and I’ve created imaginary versions of every character. So much so, that I often talk about full cast audio dramas as if they were TV shows I watched and only realized they were not when I Google them.

Here are my top 5 full cast murder mystery audio dramas that will get you hooked onto this format.

Reading Quick Reference

Type	What to expect	Best for	Where to start
Murder Mystery Novel	Deep stories, extremely well-written	Readers who want deep intriguing stories	Top 10 Murder Mystery Novels
True Crime Novels	Deep dives into serial killers and other awful people	Readers who want to experience true crime with all the extra details	Top 10 True Crime Murder Mystery Books
Comics and Graphic Novels	Lighter tone mysteries	Readers who want interesting stories and great art	Best Murder Mystery Comics and Graphic Novels
10-12 Year Old Books	Spooky mystery stories	Younger readers	3 Modern Goosebumps Alternatives

Books

Mystery novels are where the genre started, and the back catalog is enormous. Agatha Christie alone wrote 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections. The Golden Age of detective fiction produced dozens of writers of comparable quality. And the genre has continued to evolve through psychological thrillers, domestic noir, procedural crime fiction, and literary mystery. There’s something for everyone.

The advantage books have over all other formats in this guide is space. A mystery novel can develop a case over 400 pages, building atmosphere, adding character growth, and producing tension in ways that even a 10-episode TV season can’t.

Mystery Novels

Mystery novels cover a huge range of styles. You’ve got classic whodunits – a closed group of suspects vs. a savvy detective, you have psychological thrillers where you can’t tell what’s going to happen next, and you also have police procedurals, historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, and hard-boiled crime novels.

My top 10 murder mystery novels list covers a lot of these categories, so there’s something for everyone here.

True Crime Books

True crime books go deeper into real cases than any documentary or podcast can. They have real reporting, real interviews, and can take more time to go into more detail.

Some of the best true crime books investigate cases that were never properly resolved, using the book as an opportunity to revisit evidence and reframe how a case is understood. My top 10 true crime murder mystery books covers the best of the best for true crime lovers.

Comics and Graphic Novels

It’s strange to think that murder mystery stories can come in comic form, but it’s not as uncommon as you might think. The original Detective Comics, commonly knows as DC, originally hard-boiled detective stories before shifting to Batman. There are still many amazing comics out there with beautiful artwork and fun stories.

Here are the best murder mystery comics and graphic novels that you have to check out.

For Younger Readers

Mystery is a great genre to get kids more interested in reading. Books with short chapters, fast pacing, and a spooky story are hard to put down. For me, Goosebumps were the books that got me into reading and I read every single one that my library had in stock. For younger readers who missed out on the Goosebumps craze, here are 3 modern Goosebumps alternatives that will get them excited to read.

What If You Want to Solve the Mystery Yourself?

Everything on this page is about consuming a mystery story – watching, listening, or reading. But there’s another option that doesn’t involve being a passive audience member. If you want to actually work through the evidence yourself, instead of following along with the main character, murder mystery case files are where it’s at.

A murder mystery case file is a printable detective game for 1-4 players. You work through realistic evidence – witness statements, autopsy reports, suspect profiles, maps, phone records, financial documents, etc. and figure out who committed the murder. There are between 3 and 7 objectives that you’ll need to complete, so it’s hours of entertainment.

So, if watching mystery shows makes you want to do it yourself, our complete guide to murder mystery case files explains how they work, what formats are available, and what to look for when choosing one. We make some of the best cases in the world, so we know what we’re talking about.