Top 250 Tv Shows Like Based On A True Story

A list of the best tv shows similar to Based on a True Story. If you liked Based on a True Story then you may also like: Black Mirror, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, 30 Rock, 13 Reasons Why, Agatha Christie's Poirot and many more great tv shows featured on this list.

Delphine is the author of an autobiographical novel that has become a bestseller. Exhausted by the promotional tour, just when she feels out of place, paralyzed by the idea of having to start writing again, she meets Elle, a young, attractive, intelligent, intuitive woman who seems to understand her better than anyone.

Based on a True Story

Black Mirror

Over the last ten years, technology has transformed almost every aspect of our lives before we've had time to stop and question it. In every home; on every desk; in every palm - a plasma screen; a monitor; a smartphone - a black mirror of our 21st Century existence.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

30 Rock

Liz Lemon, the head writer for a late-night TV variety show in New York, tries to juggle all the egos around her while chasing her own dream.

13 Reasons Why

After a teenage girl's perplexing suicide, a classmate receives a series of tapes that unravel the mystery of her tragic choice.

Agatha Christie's Poirot

From England to Egypt, accompanied by his elegant and trustworthy sidekicks, the intelligent yet eccentrically-refined Belgian detective Hercule Poirot pits his wits against a collection of first class deceptions.

Agatha Christie's Marple

The adventures of Miss Jane Marple, an elderly spinster living in the quiet little village of St Mary Mead. During her many visits to friends and relatives in other villages, Miss Marple often stumbles upon mysterious murders which she helps solve. Although the police are sometimes reluctant to accept Miss Marple's help, her reputation and unparalleled powers of observation eventually win them over.

Big Brother Brasil

Brazilian version of the reality game show in which a group of houseguests live together 24 hours a day, isolated from the outside world but under constant surveillance with no privacy. Each week a guest is voted out of the house until only the winner remains.

Big Little Lies

The tale of three mothers of first graders whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.

Bonding

A New York City grad student moonlighting as a dominatrix enlists her gay BFF from high school to be her assistant.

Bored to Death

Jonathan Ames, a young Brooklyn writer, is feeling lost. He's just gone through a painful break-up, thanks in part to his drinking, can't write his second novel, and carouses too much with his magazine editor. Rather than face reality, Jonathan turns instead to his fantasies — moonlighting as a private detective — because he wants to be a hero and a man of action.

Castlevania

A dark medieval fantasy following the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Vlad Dracula Tepe himself. Inspired by the classic video game series.

David Copperfield

Charles Dickens' haunting semi-autobiographical tale of a boy who is sent away by his stepfather after his mother dies but manages to triumph over incredible adversities.

Dead to Me

A hotheaded widow searching for the hit-and-run driver who mowed down her husband befriends an eccentric optimist who isn't quite what she seems.

Desperate Housewives

Looking down on her friends and family isn't a way of life for Mary Alice Young... it's a way of death. One day, in her perfect house, in the loveliest of suburbs, Mary Alice ended it all. Now she's taking us into the lives of her family, friends and neighbors, commenting from her elevated P.O.V.

Dexter

Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter pattern analyst for the Miami Metro Police also leads a secret life as a serial killer, hunting down criminals who have slipped through the cracks of justice.

The Exorcist

Follow the lives of two very different priests tackling one family’s case of terrifying demonic possession.

The Flight Attendant

Flight attendant Cassandra Bowden wakes in her hotel room hungover from the night before in Dubai with a dead body lying next to her. Afraid to call the police, she continues her morning as if nothing happened. In New York, she is met by FBI agents who question her about her recent layover in Bangkok. Still unable to piece the night together, she begins to wonder if she could be the killer.

Fleabag

Meet Fleabag. She's not talking to all of us; she's talking to YOU. So why don't you pop your top off and come right in? A window into the mind of a dry-witted, sexual, angry, porn-watching, grief-riddled woman, trying to make sense of the world.

Gossip Girl

Eight years after the original website went dark, a new generation of New York private school teens are introduced to the social surveillance of Gossip Girl.

Hot in Cleveland

Three fabulous, eccentric, LA best friends of a certain age have their lives changed forever when their plane unexpectedly lands in Cleveland and they soon rediscover themselves in this new "promised land."

House of Cards

Frustrated at a new moderate Conservative government and deprived of a promotion to a senior position, chief whip Francis Urquhart prepares a meticulous plot to bring down the Prime Minister then to take his place.

How to Get Away with Murder

A sexy, suspense-driven legal thriller about a group of ambitious law students and their brilliant, mysterious criminal defense professor. They become entangled in a murder plot and will shake the entire university and change the course of their lives.

Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life

The series sheds a completely different light on Ke$ha as she works through all the drama and adventures in both her personal and professional life over the course of two years. Filmed by her journalist brother Lagan Serbert, and filmmaker Steven Greenstreet, it also encompasses the artist as she creates her newest album, Warrior, and travels to various countries.

Killing Eve

A security consultant hunts for a ruthless assassin. Equally obsessed with each other, they go head to head in an epic game of cat-and-mouse.

MINDHUNTER

An agent in the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit develops profiling techniques as he pursues notorious serial killers and rapists.

Murder, She Wrote

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

New Girl

Jessica Day is an offbeat and adorable girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys. Goofy, positive, vulnerable and honest to a fault, Jess has faith in people, even when she shouldn't. Although she's dorky and awkward, she's comfortable in her own skin. More prone to friendships with women, she's not used to hanging with the boys—especially at home.

Only Murders in the Building

Three strangers share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one.

Pretty Little Liars

Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.

Prime Suspect

Highly skilled Detective Inspector Jane Tennison battles to prove herself in a male dominated world.

Scream: The TV Series

What starts as a YouTube video going viral, soon leads to problems for the teenagers of Lakewood and serves as the catalyst for a murder that opens up a window to the town's troubled past. Everyone has secrets. Everyone tells lies. Everyone is fair game.

Scream Queens

The super-charged comedy-horror series is a modern take on the classic whodunit with a killer cast. 

Sex and the City

Based on the bestselling book by Candace Bushnell, Sex and the City tells the story of four best friends, all single and in their late thirties, as they pursue their careers and talk about their sex lives, all while trying to survive the New York social scene. 

Shadowhunters

When Clary Fray's mother has disappeared, Clary joins a band of Shadowhunters; demon killing hunters, and gets caught up in a plan to save the world.

Castle

After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of New York City to tag along with an NYPD homicide investigation team for research purposes.

Girls On Top

Four girls share a flat together in London. Having nothing in common aside from their gender, they barely manage to co-exist.

Blake and Mortimer

Blake and Mortimer is an animated television series, based on the Blake and Mortimer comic book by Edgar Pierre Jacobs. The series was directed by Stéphane Bernasconi, and produced by Ellipse, and shown in 1997. The first nine stories were used in this series, as well as four brand new stories, devised by the creators: The Viking's Bequest, The Secret of Easter Island, The Alchemist's Will, and The Druid. New writers, mostly connected to the production company as writers, dialogists or translators, were asked to come up with original plotlines which used the characters of Jacobs' stories, respected the magical/scientific Universe, but rang interesting changes.

The L Word

A group of lesbian friends struggle with romance and careers in Los Angeles.

Inspector Morse

Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, as well as a large cast of notable actors and actresses.

Bob & Rose

Bob Gossage is a thirtysomething teacher who has been gay all his life. Now, however, he quite unexpectedly finds himself falling in love with a woman, Rose Cooper. Various confusions and misunderstandings ensue, with Rose's heartbroken ex-boyfriend Andy, Bob's jealous colleague Holly, and his gay-rights campaigning mother Monica all getting caught up in the mix.

Mr. Rhodes

Mr. Rhodes is an American television situation comedy which was aired by NBC as part of its 1996-97 lineup. Mr. Rhodes starred comedian Tom Rhodes as an eponymous character who taught at a small-town preparatory school after having failed as a novelist. He found that his high school fantasy girl, Nikki was on the staff as a guidance counselor, and began a relationship with her. Like the title character's writing career, Mr. Rhodes' appearance on network television was a brief one; the program was not picked up for another season and last broadcast in March 1997.

Murdoch Mysteries

A Victorian-era Toronto detective uses then-cutting edge forensic techniques to solve crimes, with the assistance of a female coroner who is also struggling for recognition in the face of tradition, based on the books by Maureen Jennings.

Mr. & Mrs. North

Mr. & Mrs. North is an American comedy/mystery television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1952 to May 25, 1954. The series centers on Jerry North, a mystery magazine publisher who thinks he is a good amateur detective, and his wife, Pamela, as they solve crimes in New York City.

Revenge

When Emily Thorne moves to the Hamptons, everyone wonders about the new girl, but she knows everything about them, including what they did to her family. Years ago, they took everything from her. Now, one by one, she's going to make them pay.

Perception

Dr. Daniel Pierce, a neuroscientist and professor, is recruited to help the federal government crack difficult cases. His intimate knowledge of human behavior and masterful understanding of the mind give him an extraordinary ability to read people, but his eccentric view of the world and less-than-stellar social skills can often interfere with his work.

Hannibal

Both a gift and a curse, Graham has the extraordinary ability to think like his prey—he sees what they see, feels what they feel. But while Graham is pursuing an especially troubling, cannibalistic murderer, Special Agent Jack Crawford teams him with a highly respected psychiatrist – a man with a taste for the criminal minded – Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Portrait of a Marriage

The remarkable true story of Edwardian writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson.

Halt and Catch Fire

During the rise of the PC era in the early 1980s, an unlikely trio - a visionary, an engineer and a prodigy - take personal and professional risks in the race to build a computer that will change the world as they know it.

Aquarius

In the late 1960s, a Los Angeles police sergeant with a complicated personal life starts tracking a small-time criminal and budding cult leader seeking out vulnerable women to join his “cause.” The name of that man is Charles Manson.

Happy Valley

Happy Valley is a dark, funny, multi-layered thriller revolving around the personal and professional life of Catherine, a dedicated, experienced, hard-working copper. She is also a bereaved mother who looks after her orphaned grandchild.

Maigret

The pragmatic, reserved and refined Maigret investigates murders in his singular unhurried manner and inevitably discovers the truth.

The Ice Cream Girls

In the summer of 1995, two vulnerable teenage girls are accused of murdering their schoolteacher. For seventeen years, the two girls go their separate ways, Poppy having been charged with the murder. Fast-forward to modern day. Happily married mother Serena is now back in the same seaside town for the first time as she cares for her dying mother Rachel. Poppy is living in quite different circumstances. Having served seventeen years for a crime she still insists she didn’t commit, she has only one thing on her mind… the truth. And if she didn’t kill Marcus, then who did?

The Staircase

Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. The series is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.

The Sculptress

When author Rosalind Leigh is assigned to write a book about the life of Olive Martin, a woman sentenced to life in prison for killing her mother and sister, she develops a relationship with Olive and is soon convinced of her innocence. With the help of restaurant owner and former policeman Hal Hawksley, she sets out to prove it and undo what she sees as a miscarriage of justice.

Arthur & George

Arthur & George is a three-part adaptation of Julian Barnes' novel about Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle as played by actor Martin Clunes. Set in 1906 in Staffordshire, Hampshire and London the drama follows Sir Arthur and his trusted secretary, Alfred ‘Woodie’ Wood as they investigate the case of George Edalji, a young Anglo-Indian solicitor who was imprisoned for allegedly mutilating animals and writing obscene letters.

Out on a Limb

An intense, clandestine love affair with a prominent politician sparks Shirley MacLaine's quest of self-discovery. From Stockholm to Hawaii, to the mountainous vastness of Peru, from disbelief to radiant affirmation, she discovers the roots of her very existence... and the infinite possibilities of life.

The Tube: Going Underground

Carrying nearly five million passengers per day, the London Tube is one of the world's oldest and busiest metro systems in the world. Today the Tube is undergoing a complete overhaul that is long overdue. Take a behind the scenes look into the daily lives of drivers, emergency personnel, operations managers, and many others among the near twenty thousand employees of this massive rail system, as they navigate the evolution of the London Tube.

Strike

A war veteran turned private detective operates out of a tiny office in London’s Denmark Street. Although wounded both physically and psychologically, his unique insight and background as a military police investigator prove crucial in solving complex crimes that have baffled the police. Based on the bestselling novels written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

The Witness for the Prosecution

The hunt is on to find the murderer of a wealthy glamorous heiress who is found dead in her London townhouse. Based on the short story by Agatha Christie.

The Handmaid's Tale

Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship. A TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's novel.

Paula

A chemistry teacher's life is turned upside down after a one-night stand with James. They become locked in a dance of destruction. Only one can survive.

The Alienist

New York, 1896. Police commissioner Theodore Roosevelt brings together criminal psychologist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, newspaper illustrator John Moore and secretary Sara Howard to investigate several murders of male prostitutes.

Instinct

Dr. Dylan Reinhart, a gifted author, university professor and former CIA operative is lured back to his old life by tenacious top NYPD Detective Lizzie Needham. Though Dylan and Lizzie initially clash, when it comes to catching killers, they make an ideal team.

Temple

Talented and successful surgeon Daniel Milton has his world shattered when his wife Beth develops a fatal degenerative disease. After conventional treatment options run out, Daniel partners with the lonely yet resourceful Lee to start a literal Underground clinic in the vast network of tunnels beneath Temple Tube Station in London.

Coroner

Jenny Cooper investigates unexplained or sudden deaths in the city of Toronto. Fierce and quick-witted, Jenny is a newly-widowed single mother with secrets of her own to unearth.

Girls from Ipanema

A 1950s housewife goes to Rio de Janeiro to meet up with her husband, only to learn he's deserted her, but decides to stay and open a bossa nova club.

Marianne

When a novelist realizes her terrifying stories are coming true, she returns to her hometown to face the demons from her past that inspire her writing.

Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn has finally broken things off once and for all with the Joker and attempts to make it on her own as the criminal Queenpin of Gotham City.

Mare of Easttown

A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.

High Fidelity

Rob Brooks, a female record store owner in the rapidly gentrified neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn revisit past relationships through music and pop culture, while trying to get over her one true love.

Mapleworth Murders

A hilarious whodunnit featuring Abigail Mapleworth, a mystery writer who solves crimes in her quaint hometown of New Woodstream, along with a “who’s who” of guest suspects and victims. It all leads to a bigger question: why the hell are there so many murderers in one town?

The Pale Horse

After a list of names is found in the shoe of a dead woman, one of the named people begins investigating and is drawn to the The Pale Horse, the home of a trio of rumored witches living in a small village. Word has it that the witches can do away with wealthy relatives using dark arts.

Little Fires Everywhere

The intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and an enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. Explore the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, the ferocious pull of motherhood – and the danger in believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

Nine Perfect Strangers

At a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation, nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort's director, Masha, a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine "perfect" strangers have no idea what is about to hit them.

Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich

Stories from survivors fuel this docuseries examining how convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used his wealth and power to carry out his abuses.

Behind Her Eyes

A single mother enters a world of twisted mind games when she begins an affair with her psychiatrist boss while secretly befriending his mysterious wife.

The Midnight Club

At a manor with a mysterious history, the 8 members of the Midnight Club meet each night at midnight to tell sinister stories – and to look for signs of the supernatural from the beyond.

Pivoting

In a small, middle-class town in Long Island, NY, three women – and close-knit childhood friends – cope with the death of the fourth member of their group. When faced with the reality that life is short, these women pivot, and alter their current paths, by way of a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions. These pivots will strengthen their bond and prove it’s never too late to screw up your life in the pursuit of happiness.

Avocado Toast

Ever wondered about your parents' sex life? Neither did Molly and Elle until coming out and divorce forced them to learn about their parents' new sex-capades. After a lifetime of dating men, Molly (31, a grade eight teacher) surprises herself when she falls in love with a woman for the first time. When she finds the courage to come out as bisexual to her suburban parents, they empathetically reveal their own admission - they're swingers and throw sex parties.

Tiny Pretty Things

When an attack brings down the star student at an elite ballet school, her replacement enters a world of lies, betrayal -- and cutthroat competition.

The Langoliers

A jet leaves on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Boston. But early in the flight, ten passengers awaken to a startling realization: All of the other passengers have vanished.

Dangerous Liaisons

Updated adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' classic 18th Century tale of seduction, betrayal and revenge set in the modern 1960s world of Parisian high society. The beautiful Madame de Merteuil seeks vengeance against her ex-lover Gercourt when he becomes engaged to her young goddaughter, Cécile.

Irma Vep

Mira is an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as “Irma Vep” in a remake of the French silent film classic, “Les Vampires.” Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge.

Heartstopper

Teens Charlie and Nick discover their unlikely friendship might be something more as they navigate school and young love in this coming-of-age series.

Miss Marple: Nemesis

Mr. Jason Rafiel asks Miss Marple to solve a crime but, he does gives her any details. In fact, he can't be sure that a crime was committed at all.

Further Tales of the City

Residents of 28 Barbary Lane continue to navigate human life, flawed love, and blind hope in 1980's San Francisco.

The Watcher

A family moves into their suburban dream home, only to discover they've inherited a nightmare.

Murder Island

Murder mystery with a twist - the investigators are members of the public, competing to find the killer and pocket themselves £50,000. The body of Charly Hendricks has been found at an old run-down property she was renting from the local pub landlord. It's up to four pairs of amateur sleuths to search the scene and unpick the clues, hoping to find a motive for the crime.

Magpie Murders

An editor gets drawn into a web of intrigue and murder when she receives an unfinished manuscript.

Dalgliesh

A recent widower and acclaimed poet, enigmatic Inspector Adam Dalgliesh employs his exceptional empathy and insight to plumb the darker depths of the human psyche while investigating complex crimes in 1970s England.

The Fall of the House of Usher

Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.

Miss Marple: The Body in the Library

Amateur detective Miss Jane Marple investigates the murder of a young woman whose body is found in the library at Gossington Hall, home of Colonel and Mrs. Arthur Bantry.

Reboot

When Hulu reboots an early 2000s family sitcom, its dysfunctional cast is forced back together and now must deal with their unresolved issues in today’s fast-changing world.

Dead End: Paranormal Park

Two teens and a talking pug team up to battle demons at a haunted theme park — and maybe even save the world from a supernatural apocalypse.

Caught in the Net

Gripping true stories of investigators entering the digital world to solve a brutal murder. In each case, detectives are up against a lack of physical clues, but digital trails left behind help lead them to the killers.

Miss Marple: The Moving Finger

The residents of a quiet English village begin to receive nasty, threatening letters. The wife of the local vicar calls in her friend Miss Marple to investigate.

Bodies

One victim, found dead on a London street. Four detectives, in four different time periods, must solve the mystery to protect Britain's future.

Icon of French Cinema

Returning to Paris after exile from Hollywood, Judith is intent of making a comeback with a new movie. However, her 16-year-old daughter falls in love with her much older dance teacher and Judith is forced to deal with personal ambition, maternal anxiety and the demons of her past with humor and disillusion.

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