Sayak Basu
‘Black Spot’, a French-Belgian thriller, is created by Mathieu Missoffe. The series first premiered on the French television network France 2, but its popularity soon spread to other parts of the world with its rights being bought by Amazon Prime to air season 1 in other parts of the world. The story of the show is set in a town called Villefranche. The leading character of the series, Captain Laurène Weiss, visits this town to solve a murder case, but quickly realizes that the murder rate of this town is abnormally high. Meanwhile, a prosecutor named Franck Siriani also arrives in Villefranche in order to understand the reason why murders are committed at such a high rate in the town. As the mystery deepens, we begin to understand that Captain Laurène Weiss has a few skeletons under her closet as well.
The show received praise for its suspenseful drama, great cinematography, and superb performances by the cast members. If you have already watched the show and loved it, then we’ve got a few more titles that are thematically and stylistically similar to this one. Here’s the list of best shows similar to ‘Black Spot’ that are our recommendations. You can watch several of these series like ‘Black Spot’ on Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime.
9. Murder In Suburbia (2004-2005)
‘Murder In Suburbia’ is a murder mystery series based on the adventures of two characters — DS Emma Scribbins (Lisa Faulkner) and DI Kate Ashurst (Caroline Catz). They are sent to the quiet English town of Middleford to join their murder squad. Scribbins and Ashurst tackle a number of strange and complicated murder cases in Middleford. Each episode of this series is a standalone story and deals with a new murder case. ‘Murder In Suburbia’ received praise from critics during its run.
8. Foyle’s War (2002-2015)
The story of ‘Foyle’s War’ is set during World War II. The leading character of the series is Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle. Foyle is an accomplished investigator who has found success in many cases. However, his quiet demeanor causes Foyle to be underestimated by the people he works with. Most of Foyle’s cases have the effects of the war, and involve cases of black marketing and murder. Along with his two unofficial assistants, driver Samantha “Sam” Stewart (Honeysuckle Weeks), and Detective Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell), Foyle solves some of the most extraordinary cases. The first six seasons of the show are set during the war. From Season 7 onwards, Foyle retires from the police force and begins a new career with the secret service.
7. Prime Suspect (1991-2006)
Legendary English actress Hellen Mirren plays the leading character in this TV series. Her character, Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison, is a strong policewoman who shows her worth in a profession where the number of women is noticeably small. The series begins when Tennison gets involved in a case involving the murder of a prostitute named Delia Mornay. The case proves difficult to solve as there is not much concrete evidence to put the main suspect behind bars. Shockingly enough, Tennison discovers that certain people among her colleagues are trying to shut down the case and divert her attention elsewhere. This naturally triggers her to find the actual truth behind the case. Socially relevant topics like sexism, child abuse, and prostitution are dealt with in the show. The series won numerous BAFTA and Emmy Awards during its run.
6. The Killing (2011-2014)
A Danish police series called ‘Forbrydelsen’ is the inspiration behind this murder mystery show. The central character of the show is Sarah Linden. She is a detective with the Seattle police and is extremely competent in her job. Linden gets involved in a case where a local teenage girl has gone missing. Upon further investigation, it is Linden who figures out that the girl has been murdered and thrown into a lake nearby. The police manage to bring up a car where they find the girl’s dead body in the trunk. Despite finding the body, the criminal behind this notorious case becomes increasingly difficult to catch. Linden becomes more involved when a number of clues the police find do not lead her to the murderer. The series was well-received by critics, though some pointed out that it has similarities with the iconic David Lynch show, ‘Twin Peaks’.
5. Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996)
What we have generally seen in detective stories is that the detective sometimes has a friend or an assistant who works with him and documents the interesting cases he works on. However, ‘Murder, She Wrote’ introduces us to a new detective altogether. Here, the leading character Jessica Fletcher is both a detective as well as a mystery story writer.
Fletcher is a retired school teacher who lives in the small coastal town called Cabot Cove. In each episode, a murder happens in the quiet town which Jessica helps in solving. She always proves to be a much better investigator than the policemen who are investigating the case in question. Not all officers take to her warmly, as some consider the involvement of an old lady in such crime cases unnecessary. However, with her sharp intelligence and growing reputation, Jessica manages to make friends among the police as well. The actress who plays the role of Jessica in the show, Angela Lansbury, holds the record for the highest number of Golden Globe nominations and wins for a single TV show character.
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4. Midsomer Murders (1997-)
The fictional county called Midsomer is the place where this series is set. There are two central characters in the show, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby, followed by John Barnaby. The DCI comes to this county which, though beautiful, is deadly. There are murders that happen here frequently. The setting of such violent and murderous tales in a quaint town like ‘Midsomer’ adds to the shock factor of the show. Moreover, the sense of humor that the writers use in the series is quite surprising and unorthodox in nature. All of the stories that we see in ‘Midsomer Murders’ are inspired by the book series written by Caroline Graham based on DCI Barnaby.
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3. Witse (2004-2012)
‘Witse’ is a Dutch crime drama series starring Hubert Damen as the eponymous character. He works for the Belgian police, and unlike most of his colleagues, Witse goes out of his way in order to bring criminals to justice. The series begins when Witse’s relationship with his wife comes to an end and he leaves Brussels in order to join the police department in Halle. He solves a number of gruesome crimes, including murders, and slowly begins to build his reputation as a revered detective. The series became extremely popular in the Netherlands but received mixed critical acclaim in general.
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2. La Zona (2017)
While most of the shows that we have mentioned on this list happen in a particular town or city, the setting of this series is the most unique aspect of it. The story of ‘La Zona’ is set in an area hit by nuclear radiation. It is in such a place that the leading character of the series, Police inspector Héctor Uría, goes to the area affected by radiation to investigate the gory murder of a man. We come to know that the area has been affected by such high doses of radiation because a nuclear power plant has melted, causing an entire town to be evacuated. The murdered body is found only three years after the event when the former residents of the area were preparing for a commemoration ceremony.
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1. Marcella (2016-)
London Metropolitan Police Service’s detective Marcella Backland is the central character of this show. She is an expert detective, and despite going through a personal crisis, dives herself into a gruesome murder case. However, there has been multiple murders committed with a similar modus operandi, and thus the police are sure that this is the work of a serial killer. The series depicts how Marcella manages to carry on her investigations despite being unwell. She has sudden bouts of blackout where she cannot remember anything. In the second season, Marcella gets involved in another serial killing case. But, this time the killer has chosen children as his/her victims. She must put in all she has to catch this pedophile serial killer before it is too late. The series received critical acclaim for its stories and the performances delivered by the actors.
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