Netflix’s crime series Mindhunter just dropped its second season, and fans are already eating up all the new content from David Fincher. The series is a fascinating one, blending real-life murder cases and killers with a fictional take on the start of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit. The show is a stark procedural, and one that’s attracted quite a fanbase.
There’s certainly an appetite for this kind of show, so to satiate your needs, we put together a quick list of five other shows like Mindhunter that you can stream online right now–along with one bonus show available for purchase.
Aquarius
Charles Manson is a subject of intense fascination these days, thanks in large part to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time.. in Hollywood and season 2 of Mindhunter, which both star Damon Herriman as the infamous cult leader. If you’re interested in another take on Manson, check out this two-season miniseries that follows a detective (Duchovny) who investigates the case of a missing teenage girl, which brings him face-to-face with Manson and his Family.
Where to stream: Netflix
True Detective
Nic Pizzolatto’s anthology crime series True Detective became an immediate sensation after the release of its first season, which starred Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as a pair of quarreling Louisiana detectives who follow a murder case across three decades. The second season was less well-received, but the third was a return to form, blending Pizzolatto’s mystical fascination with death with impressively layered storytelling. The show is a much-watch for any fans of the genre, a unique spin on what a crime series should look and deal like.
Where to stream: HBO Now
The Following
Like Aquarius, this series also has a veteran actor (in this case, Kevin Bacon) on the trail of a teenage girl-luring cult. Bacon plays FBI agent Ryan Hardy, who is trying to track down and recapture a notorious serial killer, cult leader, and kidnapper named Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). Another cult enters the picture in season 2, and Hardy’s obsession with the case–which comes at a personal cost, as these things tend to do–is reminiscent of Mindhunter.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime
Hannibal
Like Mindhunter, this series–based on the novels by Thomas Harris, and featuring the notorious Hannibal Lecter who also appears in The Silence of the Lambs–follows an FBI agent who uses the advice of a serial killer to solve other serial killers’ crimes. Only, in this case, the agent (Hugh Dancy) isn’t aware just yet that the psychiatrist who gives him the advice, Dr. Lecter himself (Mads Mikkelsen) is also a murderer–and an artistically prolific one at that. The series is beautiful, bloody, and byzantine, one of the most impressively singular shows of all time, and always worthy of new fans.
Where to stream: Amazon Prime
The Alienist
The of The Alienist as turn-of-the-century Mindhunter. The series follows a team of professionals–a psychologist, an NYPD officer, a newspaper illustrator–who team up to investigate a serial killer murdering street children. Together, they use a series of unique approaches to crack the case, and are interested in more than justice, but in the psychology of the crimes. If you’re a Mindhunter fan, that probably sounds familiar.
Where to stream: Netflix
Bonus: Fringe
This one isn’t available to stream, but if you’re a big Mindhunter fan, then Fringe is an absolute must watch. First of all, it stars two notable Mindhunter cast members: Anna Torv, who plays Wendy Carr, and Michael Cerveris, who plays the new head of the Behavioral Science Unit in season two. On Fringe, Torv is also a member of the FBI, agent Olivia Dunham, who also heads up a secretive division of the bureau, known as the Fringe Division. Along with a mad scientist played by John Noble, his criminal son played by Joshua Jackson, and a junior agent played by Jasika Nicole, she helps explore strange, otherworldly cases that don’t fit into the traditional mold of investigation. Cerveris plays a character called September, who’s an “Observer”– a race of man with mysterious intentions. The show is fantastic, extremely underrated, and–given the parallels to Mindhunter–probably a favorite of David Fincher’s.
Buy it on: Amazon, iTunes, Google Play
Header Image Credit: NBC
