Exciting series: these are the best thrillers
Shooting at the ceiling with jumpscares and ending the evening with ceiling duty? No, thank you. Horror has never really been my genre. Just give me a good thriller. Still that slightly elevated heart rate, but without the constant fear of being startled at any moment. Recognizable? Then we have the perfect list for you. These are the ten best thrillers, truly exciting series that won't let you go.
The Wire (HBO Max)
We start the list with an ‘oldie’; in the world of series, we can say that after 20 years. The HBO Max thriller ‘The Wire’ still makes an impression. According to the Volkskrant, it is even one of the best series ever made, and they are not the only ones who think so. The story takes place in Baltimore, where detective Jimmy McNulty (Dominic West) tries to dismantle a large drug organization. But due to political pressure and internal unrest within the police, that's no easy task. In the later seasons, the focus shifts increasingly to other main characters in the city. Not only the police but also politics, schools, and media have their own problems. It's a series you need to get into, but believe me: after that, you're completely hooked.
The Sinner (Netflix)
In crime thrillers, it often revolves around one question: who is the perpetrator? If you already know that from the start, the series is no longer exciting, right? Not with ‘The Sinner’. On a family day at the beach, Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel) is suddenly overwhelmed by rage, and in her outburst, she stabs a random man. With a beach full of witnesses, denying it makes no sense. The big question now is: why did she do this? Something Cora herself has no answer to. Together with detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman), she dives into her past in search of clarity. For Ambrose, it's a journey into an ever-growing web of lies and secrets. Each episode ends with new questions, and those must be answered.
Cross (Prime Video)
For those who are a bit familiar with crime thrillers, the name Alex Cross will surely ring a bell. The detective and forensic psychologist has already been central in 30 books and 3 films. So it was high time for a series, they thought at Prime Video. In ‘Cross’ we follow the detective (Aldis Hodge) as he investigates the murder of a political activist together with his partner John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa). Cross doesn't exactly color within the lines and has his own way of diving into the psyche of murderers and finding perpetrators. But no matter how brilliant he is, his trauma haunts him: after the murder of his wife, solving cases has become almost an obsession, causing him to go further than ever. With that mindset, it's still questionable whether he can keep his family safe in the criminal world. You binge the first season in no time, and according to rumors, we won't have to wait long for the sequel.
Killing Eve (Netflix)
Crime, espionage, a hefty dose of tension, and the necessary humor; sounds like a perfect recipe, right? You can find all of this in the series ‘Killing Eve’. Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh, hello ‘Grey's Anatomy’ fans) has a rather boring office job at the British security service. Secretly, she dreams of heavier work and especially more action; and sometimes dreams come true. Eve becomes involved in the investigation of the Russian assassin Villanelle (Jodie Comer). The more she delves into her, the more obsessed she becomes. And that obsession quickly becomes mutual. Pro tip: get your Shazam ready, because the soundtrack of this Netflix series is perfect for adding to your playlist.
Under the Bridge (Disney+)
A true crime thriller feels just a bit different than fiction. What for us is an exciting evening of binge-watching was once harsh reality for someone. That's exactly why the Disney+ series ‘Under the Bridge’ makes such an impression. 14-year-old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta) is often bullied and does everything to fit in. When she is finally invited to a party, she is happier than ever; but after that party, Reena never comes home again. Writer Rebecca Godfrey (Riley Keough) hears about the case and starts an investigation together with local officer Cam Bentland (Lily Gladstone). Soon, their sights are set on a group of girls; and they turn out to have a lot to hide.
The Åre Murders (Netflix)
A list of thrilling series is of course not complete without a Scandinavian title. Sweden and thrillers really remain a golden combination. One recommendation? ‘The Åre Murders’. When police officer Hanna Ahlander (Carla Sehn) is suspended, she leaves Stockholm and retreats to her sister's vacation home. The quiet town of Åre seems the perfect place to let everything go for a while. But little peace is found: 17-year-old Amanda (Freddie Mosten-Jacob) goes missing, and Hanna can't help but get involved in the case. Local officer Daniel Lindskog (Kardo Razzazi) is not looking forward to that; especially when he hears about her suspension. Yet he has little choice; Amanda's family is desperately searching for answers.
Homecoming (Prime Video)
The beauty of psychological thrillers? They create quite a chaos in your head. Just when you think you understand how it is, another twist comes. You just have to keep watching. The same goes for the Prime Video series ‘Homecoming’; you can't really do anything else. We follow Heidi Bergman (Julia Roberts), a former employee of the Homecoming Transitional Support Center. Her task? To guide veterans in their return to society. By now, Heidi works as a waitress and her time at Homecoming seems almost faded. Until the Department of Defense starts an investigation into her former employer. The deeper Heidi dives into her past, the more she discovers that her memories are not accurate. She has been misled all this time about the true purpose of Homecoming. But why? And what really happened there?
Ozark (Netflix)
Anyone searching Google for ‘most binge-worthy series’ is guaranteed to come across the Netflix hit ‘Ozark’ Not surprising, because with all the tension and intrigue, this is truly a must-watch. The series follows financial advisor Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman). When his business partner rips off a Mexican drug cartel, Byrde finds himself in trouble. His life is spared, but the Mexicans want money; a lot of money. Together with his family, Byrde moves from Chicago to the Ozarks in Missouri, where he must scrape together five hundred million in five years. That plan quickly attracts the attention of a local criminal, and the FBI doesn't trust the sudden move either. The creators enlisted the help of real FBI agents, which makes the series even more realistic; and thus also a bit more thrilling.
Homeland (Disney+)
There are very few series that achieve a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score of 100 percent. Yet the first season of the political thriller ‘Homeland’ managed that; and the later seven seasons continued to score high. The series follows CIA agent Carrie Mathison, who is transferred to the counter-terrorism department after a forbidden mission in Iraq. During her work, she receives information about Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), an American marine who has been missing for a long time. Brody is hailed as a hero, but Mathison doesn't trust him. During her earlier mission, she was warned about a defector, and she believes this is about Brody. She does everything to convince her superiors of the danger, but that proves to be anything but easy. It remains to be seen whether Mathison can convince them before it really goes wrong. Believe me, eight seasons long on the edge of your seat.
Liebes Kind (Netflix)
In Scandinavia, they are practically taught how to make good thrillers, but our eastern neighbors can do it too. The German miniseries ‘Liebes Kind’ is an absolute must-see for thriller fans. Lena (Kim Riedle) is held captive with her two children for years in a heavily secured house. Their life revolves around a strict routine: eating, sleeping, even going to the toilet happens according to a fixed schedule. After years of captivity, Lena manages to escape, but her freedom is short-lived when she gets involved in a car accident. In the hospital, it turns out that her identity is not what it seems. Lena becomes the key in a missing persons case that had been unsolved for thirteen years. The series is fiction, but drew inspiration from a real kidnapping case; and that gives it a bit more impact.
