Top 250 Tv Shows Like The Stranger Within

A list of the best tv shows similar to The Stranger Within. If you liked The Stranger Within then you may also like: Fool Me Once, Law & Order, Stranger Things, Criminal Minds, Fargo and many more great tv shows featured on this list.

A troubled young man mysteriously appears in a rural Minnesota town from which he claims he was abducted 16 years ago.

Fool Me Once

When ex-soldier Maya sees her murdered husband on a secret nanny cam, she uncovers a deadly conspiracy that stretches deep into the past.

Law & Order

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.

Stranger Things

When a young boy vanishes, a small town uncovers a mystery involving secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one strange little girl.

Criminal Minds

An elite team of FBI profilers analyze the country's most twisted criminal minds, anticipating their next moves before they strike again. The Behavioral Analysis Unit's most experienced agent is David Rossi, a founding member of the BAU who returns to help the team solve new cases.

Fargo

A close-knit anthology series dealing with stories involving malice, violence and murder based in and around Minnesota.

True Detective

An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.

American Gothic

A prominent Boston family attempts to redefine itself in the wake of a chilling discovery that links their recently deceased patriarch to a string of murders spanning decades — amid the mounting suspicion that one of them may have been his accomplice.

Angie Tribeca

Lone-wolf detective Angie Tribeca and a squad of committed LAPD detectives investigate the most serious cases, from the murder of a ventriloquist to a rash of baker suicides.

Big Little Lies

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

Big Love

The story of Bill Henrickson and his life in suburban Salt Lake City, balancing the needs of his three wives -- Barb, Nicki and Margene-- their seven kids, three new houses and the opening of his newest hardware store. When disturbing news arrives about Bill's father, he is forced to reconnect with his polygamist parents who live on a fundamentalist compound in rural Utah.

Blood & Oil

Billy and Cody LeFever dream of a new life and move to "The Bakken" in North Dakota, booming after the biggest oil discovery in American history. They’re soon pitted against a ruthless tycoon who forces them to put everything on the line, including their marriage.

Broadchurch

The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.

Columbo

Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

A Las Vegas team of forensic investigators are trained to solve criminal cases by scouring the crime scene, collecting irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that solve the mystery.

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 Glades

This Crime series follows Matt Passmore as Jim, a Chicago cop who gets kicked off the force after being shot and wrongfully accused by his ex-captain of having an affair with his wife. After receiving his payout, Jim decides to moves to a small Florida town to join the state police.

Luther

A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.

The Mentalist

Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic medium, uses his razor sharp skills of observation and expertise at "reading" people to solve serious crimes with the California Bureau of Investigation.

Mike & Molly

A comedy about a working class Chicago couple who find love at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting.

Millennium

A retired FBI serial-profiler joins the mysterious Millennium Group, a team of underground ex-law enforcement experts dedicated to fighting against the ever-growing forces of evil and darkness in the world.

MINDHUNTER

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

Person of Interest

John Reese, former CIA paramilitary operative, is presumed dead and teams up with reclusive billionaire Finch to prevent violent crimes in New York City by initiating their own type of justice. With the special training that Reese has had in Covert Operations and Finch's genius software inventing mind, the two are a perfect match for the job that they have to complete. With the help of surveillance equipment, they work "outside the law" and get the right criminal behind bars. 

Petticoat Junction

The Bradley family are proud owners of the Shady Rest Hotel. Kate and her three young daughters do the job of running the hotel.

Prime Suspect

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

Profiler

Profiler is an American crime drama that aired on NBC from 1996 to 2000. The series follows the exploits of a criminal profiler working with the FBI's fictional Violent Crimes Task Force based in Atlanta, Georgia. Ally Walker starred as profiler Dr. Samantha Waters during the first three seasons, and was later replaced by Jamie Luner as profiler Dr. Rachel Burke during the show's final season. Robert Davi, Roma Maffia, Peter Frechette, Erica Gimpel and Julian McMahon co-starred throughout the show's run. Caitlin Wachs played Dr. Waters daughter for the first two seasons, a role taken over by Evan Rachel Wood in 1998. Profiler shares a similar lead character and premise with the Fox Network series Millennium, created by Chris Carter. Both shows premiered at the beginning of the 1996–97 television season.

Profit

Jim Profit is a newly promoted junior-executive at a multinational conglomerate, who uses ruthless methods to climb the corporate ladder. He is not above using blackmail, bribery, extortion, or worse to take down one rival after another.

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.

Shades of Blue

Sexy New York detective and single mother Harlee Santos fell in with a tight-knit group of dirty cops, taking bribes and protection money that she uses to provide the best life for her honest, talented daughter. But when she's trapped by the FBI and forced to inform on her own "brothers," she'll have to walk the fine line between love, loyalty, honor and betrayal, and try to keep it together for her daughter's future.

Sharp Objects

Reporter Camille Preaker confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to investigate the murders of two young girls.

Twin Peaks

The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate her strange demise only to uncover a web of mystery that ultimately leads him deep into the heart of the surrounding woodland and his very own soul.

Wire in the Blood

Clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill's uncanny ability to see into the minds of murderers means he finds it difficult to distance himself from disturbing cases.

As Time Goes By

Two lovers are reunited after decades apart following a mutual misunderstanding.

Renegade

Framed for murder, Detective Reno Raines becomes a fugitive bounty hunter who fights crime while trying to clear his name. His troubles began after he testified about police corruption, leading Lt. Donald Dixon to set him up.

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.

Invasion

In the aftermath of a hurricane the Florida Park Ranger and his family deal with strange occurrences, including luminescent creatures in the water. People in the town start to act different, who can you trust?

Hill Street Blues

A realistic glimpse into the daily lives of the officers and detectives at an urban police station.

Haunted

Haunted is an American television program first aired in September 2002 on UPN. The program, which was filmed in Vancouver, was canceled in November 2002 due to low ratings. As a result, only seven of the completed episodes were aired. However, all eleven filmed episodes have subsequently been shown in international airings of the show. In August 2007, the series aired on HDNet. The series then began airing on Sci Fi in September 2007 and January 2008. In 2009, Chiller began airing this program as part of their daily marathon line-up. It plays there sporadically. A marathon of the entire series ran all day on October 31, 2010 on Universal HD.

Storm of the Century

When a blizzard hits an isolated island town it brings with it a mysterious stranger intent on terrorizing the people for a sinister purpose.

Harper's Island

A group of family and friends travels to a secluded island for a destination wedding. They've come to laugh... to love... and, though they don't know it... to die. As the wedding festivities begin, friendships are tested and secrets exposed as a murderer claims victims, one by one, transforming the wedding week of fun and celebration into a terrifying struggle for survival.

Blind Justice

Blind Justice is an American television series created by Steven Bochco about a blind New York City police detective. It was introduced mid-season in March 8, 2005 to fill the time slot left by Bochco's highly successful NYPD Blue, which had just aired its final episode after a 12-year run. The show ran for only one season, with 13 episodes broadcast.

Messiah

Crime drama series following the investigations of DCI Red Metcalfe.

Funland

Funland is a comedy thriller serial, produced by the BBC, about a detective who arrives in Blackpool to find the killer of his mother with only the flimsiest of clues to go on. It was first screened from 23 October 2005 to 7 November 2005, on the digital channel BBC Three. Created by Jeremy Dyson and Simon Ashdown, the series consists of a fifty-minute opening episode followed by ten half-hour installments.

In Cold Blood

At the end of the 1950s, in a more innocent America, the brutal, meaningless slaying of a Midwestern family horrified the nation. This film is based on Truman Capote's hauntingly detailed, psychologically penetrating nonfiction novel. While in prison, Dick Hickock, 20, hears a cell-mate's story about $10,000 in cash kept in a home safe by a prosperous rancher. When he's paroled, Dick persuades ex-con Perry Smith, also 20, to join him in going after the stash. On a November night in 1959, Dick and Perry break into the Holcomb, Kansas, house of Herb Clutter. Enraged at finding no safe, they wake the sleeping family and brutally kill them all. The bodies are found by two friends who come by before Sunday church. The murders shock the small Great Plains town, where doors are routinely left unlocked. Detective Alvin Dewey of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation heads the case, but there are no clues, no apparent motive and no suspects...

Haven

FBI agent Audrey Parker arrives in the small town of Haven, Maine to solve a murder and soon discovers the town's many secrets—which also hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of her lost past.

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.

Banshee

Banshee is an American drama television series set in a small town in Pennsylvania Amish country and features an enigmatic ex-con posing as a murdered sheriff who imposes his own brand of justice while also cooking up plans that serve his own interests.

Appropriate Adult

The extraordinary story of Gloucester housewife Janet Leach who played a key role in the uncovering of the crimes of Fred and Rosemary West.

A Touch of Cloth

Hannah plays DI Jack Cloth, who is called in to investigate an apparent series of serial killings alongside his new partner, DC Anne Oldman, described as a "plucky, no-nonsense sidekick". Playing with the cliches and conventions of British police dramas, subplots include Cloth dealing with visions of his dead wife and the bisexual DC Oldman coming to grips with her feelings for both her female fiancee and Cloth.

Rogue

Grace, a morally and emotionally-conflicted undercover detective, is tormented by the possibility that her own actions contributed to her son’s death. Grace’s search for the truth is further complicated by her forbidden relationship with Jimmy, the crime boss who may have played a hand in the crime.

Hostages

A high-octane suspense drama that centers on Dr. Ellen Sanders, a premier surgeon thrust into a chilling political conspiracy when she and her family are held captive in their home by rogue FBI Agent Duncan Carlisle, a desperate man doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, who orders Dr. Sanders to assassinate the President when she operates on him.

Bosch

Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling novels, these are the stories of relentless LAPD homicide Detective Harry Bosch who pursues justice at all costs. But behind his tireless momentum is a man who is haunted by his past and struggles to remain loyal to his personal code: “Everybody counts or nobody counts.”

Hinterland

Tom Mathias comes to Aberystwyth having abandoned his life in London. He's a brilliant but troubled man. Despite his faults he is an excellent detective, who knows that the key to solving the crime lies not in where you look for truth, but how you look.

Taxi Brooklyn

Caitlin "Cat" Sullivan is an NYPD detective working in Brooklyn. After her driving privileges are suspended, she relies on Leo Romba, a highly skilled Brooklyn cab driver from France. Leo becomes Cat's driver and a consultant on her cases. While solving crimes with Leo, Cat is also running her own unauthorized investigation into the death of her father, an NYPD detective thought to have been executed by the Capella crime family. In doing so, she clashes with her boss, Captain Baker, and her ex-husband Gregg, who has picked up the case for the FBI.

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.

WPC 56

Drama following WPC Gina Dawson, the first Woman Police Constable to join Brinford Constabulary, a fictional police force in the West Midlands, in 1956. The show focuses on WPC Gina Dawson's struggle to gain acceptance in the male-dominated police station whilst having to deal with the sexist attitudes that were commonplace at the time.

Undeniable

Nearly a quarter of a century after she witnessed the murder of her mother, Jane Fielding is married and has a daughter of her own, but the traumatic events of that day still haunt her. She constantly aware that the murderer is still at large. While on a routine visit to hospital, she locks eyes with the man believes killed her mother.

Into the Badlands

In a land controlled by feudal barons, a great warrior and a young boy embark on a journey across a dangerous land to find enlightenment. A genre-bending martial arts series very loosely based on the classic Chinese tale Journey to the West.

Marcella

Marcella is shocked to the core of her being when her husband Jason leaves her unexpectedly, confessing he no longer loves her. Heartbroken, Marcella returns to the Met’s Murder Squad. Ten years ago Marcella gave up her fast-tracked police career to marry and devote her life to her family. With the abrupt end to her marriage and isolated from her 13 year old daughter and 10 year old son, Marcella throws herself into work to stop herself from falling apart.

Act of Will

Act of Will is a 1989 mini-series directed by Don Sharp. It the third mini series based on a Barbara Taylor Bradford novel he had directed and was an early lead role for Elizabeth Hurley.

Innocent

In a peaceful, rustic town, a retired officer and his family are mired in a murder mystery riddled with shocking, buried secrets.

The Loch

The search for a serial killer becomes a matter of life and death for detective Annie Redford, who is trying to cope with her first murder case.

In the Dark

DI Helen Weeks grapples with pregnancy as she undertakes a very personal abduction case.

Mystery Road

When there is a mysterious disappearance on an outback cattle station, Detective Jay Swan is assigned to investigate. Working with local cop Emma James, Jay’s investigation uncovers a past injustice that threatens the fabric of the whole community.

I Am the Night

Fauna Hodel, who was given away by her teenage birth mother, begins to investigate the secrets to her past, following a sinister trail that swirls ever closer to an infamous Hollywood gynecologist connected to the legendary Black Dahlia murder.

Bitter Lands

The love story of Zuleyha, ​​who grew up without a father and works with Yilmaz as an auxiliary weaver in order to earn money for her brother, a gambler. The lives of these two young people blinded by the love of one ordinary night will turn into a dark nightmare. This nightmare will take them first from Istanbul and far away, and later to the estate of the Yaman family. In the first episode of the series, Yilmaz and Zuleyha set out to work on the Yaman estate. However, because of one of Zuleyha's lies - the lives of all of them will change radically.

Prodigal Son

The son of a notorious serial killer becomes an acclaimed criminal psychologist who uses his unique insight into how killers think to help the NYPD.

Wisting

Empathetic, meticulous and relentless - the only thing to escape Larvik detective William Wisting in his hunt for Norway's most notorious criminals is a happy family life. And when two mysterious deaths interrupt Wisting's Christmas, it is the beginning of a showdown with the deadliest killer of them all.

Murder by the Sea

Presented by journalist and true crime author Geoffrey Wansell, Murder by the Sea examines strange murders recorded at famous seaside resorts in the United Kingdom.

Mark of a Killer

All serial killers commit murder to satisfy their grand fantasies, but the murderers featured in this true-crime docuseries take it one step further, committing heinous acts that allow them to extend their fantasies and relive the excitement of their crimes again and again.

Deep Water

Follow three women as they each make life-changing mistakes regarding their children and husbands, which lead to unpredictable criminal consequences. Based on Paula Daly's best selling novel, Windermere.

Mare of Easttown

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

Defending Jacob

A family's lives are irreparably disrupted when the 14-year-old son is accused of murdering a fellow classmate.

The Wall

Fermont: A remote mining colony in the endless frozen hell that is Canada's far North. The body of a young exotic dancer is found and the Quebec City police sends one of their toughest, most experienced detectives to investigate. Céline sure is always up for a challenge. Being cooped up in the massive structure that is the colony – the inhabitants simply call it “The Wall” – soon presents her with some challenges that exceed her investigative efforts.

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.

The Stranger

An unassuming young rideshare driver is thrown into her worst nightmare when a mysterious Hollywood Hills passenger enters her car. Her terrifying, heart-stopping ride with the stranger unfolds over 12 hours as she navigates the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles in a chilling game of cat and mouse.

The Pembrokeshire Murders

Detective superintendent reopens two unsolved murder cases from the 1980s. Forensic methods link the crimes to a string of burglaries. Steve's team has to find more evidence before the perpetrator is released from prison.

Flower of Evil

Hiding a twisted past, a man maintains his facade as the perfect husband to his detective wife — until she begins investigating a series of murders.

The Beast Must Die

Following the death of her son in a hit and run, all Frances Cairnes wants is to hunt down and kill the man she believes is responsible. When she finally tracks him down, she tricks her way into his house and plots his murder from within.

Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin

Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in the present day, a group of disparate teen girls finds themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin their parents committed two decades ago, as well as their own.

Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

This series examines the gruesome and horrific true crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer and the systemic failures that enabled one of America’s most notorious serial killers to continue his murderous spree in plain sight for over a decade.

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

Beneath the sunlit glamour of 1985 L.A. lurks a relentlessly evil serial killer. In this true-crime story, two detectives won't rest until they catch him.

For Heaven's Sake

While mixing the comedy and documentary formats we follow the search for Harold Heaven, who mysteriously disappeared from his remote cabin in Ontario, Canada, in the winter of 1934. Local police searched the nearby woods and dredged the adjacent lake, but Harold was never found nor heard from again. 85 years later, his great-great-nephew, Mike, attempts to solve this coldest of cold cases, with the help of his extended family and true-crime-obsessed best friend, Jackson.

Karen Pirie

When a 25-year-old murder in St Andrews becomes the subject of a provocative true-crime podcast, DS Karen Pirie is tasked with heading up a review. Digging up the past, Karen uncovers fresh evidence and a potential perpetrator. But when suspects start coming under attack, the cold case turns into an active investigation. Can Karen find the killer before it’s too late?

Intruder

An affluent couple living in a small seaside town are targeted by two local teenagers looking to make a quick buck. However, the break-in takes a dark turn when one of the youths winds up dead and an elaborate cover-up is staged to make the killing appear to be self-defence.

The Tower

A veteran beat cop and teenage girl fall to their deaths from a tower block in south-east London, leaving a five-year-old boy and rookie police officer Lizzie Griffiths on the roof, only for them to go missing. Detective Sergeant Sarah Collins is drafted in to investigate, working to find Lizzie before she comes to serious harm, but also to uncover the truth behind the grisly tower block deaths.

Love & Death

Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gore — two churchgoing couples — enjoy their small town Texas life… until an extramarital affair leads somebody to pick up an axe.

Dexter: New Blood

10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, we find him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.

The Patient

A psychotherapist finds himself held prisoner by a serial killer with an unusual request: curb his homicidal urges.

Stay Close

When Carlton Flynn vanishes 17 years to the night after Stewart Green did, it sets off a chain reaction in the lives of people connected to both men.

Anni: The Honeymoon Murder

In November 2010, British millionaire Shrien Dewani and his new Swedish wife Anni travelled to Cape Town for their honeymoon trip of a lifetime that soon turned into horror. The newly-wed couple were hijacked at gunpoint during a taxi journey back to their hotel from dinner and the next morning the 28-year-old bride was found dead, having been shot. The murder of Anni quickly became one of the world’s most talked-about headlines. For years, the truth about who was responsible for her death remained unclear, with the public constantly torn between the Dewani family, whose representatives maintained their son Shrien’s innocence, and Anni’s family, desperate to find out what happened that night and why Anni had to die.

Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer

In 1970s NYC, the “Torso Killer” preys on women to fulfill his grotesque fantasies while eluding police. A docuseries dive into crime’s darkest places.

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: A Murder Is Announced

An advertisement announcing the time and place of a forthcoming murder appears among the ads of the paper in the small village of Chipping Cleghorn.

First Blood

“First Blood" examines some of America’s most notorious serial killers through the prism of their first known kills to reveal what drove them to the moment when violent fantasy and curiosity became a devastating reality.

Big Little Crimes

Minor incidents - huge impact. The gob-smacking stories of ordinary coppers who stumbled upon key pieces of evidence and helped take down major criminals.

The Spencer Sisters

Former police officer Darby Spencer and her mystery novelist mother Victoria Spencer have opposite personalities but still embark on the unlikeliest of ventures: becoming partners in a private detective agency. They are mistaken as sisters as they tackle puzzling cases in Alder Bluffs.

Steeltown Murders

The hunt to catch the killer of three young women in the Port Talbot area in 1973 and the remarkable story of how - in the first case of its kind - the mystery was solved almost 30 years later using pioneering DNA evidence. Contrasting the policing methods of the 1970s with the forensic breakthroughs of the early 2000s, the series portrays a town dealing with the repercussions of an unsolved case three decades on, and asks if justice can ever truly be found.

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