10 Thrilling Shows Like Marcella! Bingeworthy Detective Series!

Have you always been intrigued by a detective’s work? If yes, explore shows like Marcella to get that I-am-a-detective feels!

Marcella is a Scandinavian noir detective thriller series that follows a tormented police officer, Marcella, played by Anna Friel, struggling with a debilitating mental illness along with her hard-bitten job. She suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder and has violent blackouts.

For Marcella, things aren’t in her favor on the personal front either. She lost her daughter to cot death, and her husband of 15 years left her for another woman.

Despite all the odds and an 11-year break, Detective Sergeant Marcella Backland returns to the police force to work on an open case about a serial killer who has become active again.

10 Riveting Shows Like Marcella | Especially For Fans Of Who-Dunnit!

Does the above description stir the inner Sherlock Holmes in you? If the answer is yes, here are ten series like Marcella you would love to watch! Read the article to load up your watching list with some enthralling shows!

#1 Broadchurch (2013- 2017) 

Created by Chris Chibnall, Broadchurch (2013-2017)  is a mystery crime drama TV series. Set in Broadchurch, a fictional English town on the coast of Dorset, the show follows detectives DI Alec Hardy and DS Ellie Miller as they investigate the death of 11-year-old Daniel Latimer.

Initially, Danny’s death was thought to be an accident, but later it was discovered to be a murder. The town quickly becomes obsessed with finding the killer, and Danny’s mother battles to cope. However, the main suspects include Danny’s family members.

Apart from nominations, Broadchurch has won several BAFTA awards, Freesat Awards, and TV Choice Awards, among various others.

#2 The Defeated (2020- )

Set in the late 20th century, The Defeated  (2020- ) is for lovers of Period Dramas. The show follows an American cop in war-riddled Germany as he desperately searches for his missing brother. In his endeavor, he helps a German policewoman who fights to keep the violent crimes in the city at bay.

But with tensions growing stronger and the clock ticking, both he and his brother may be running out of time. Within a week of its release, this TV show like Marcella, climbed to Netflix’s Top Ten trending list. This should serve as proof of just how incredible the series is.

#3 The Bay (2019-) 

The Bay narrates the story of Detective Sergeant Lisa Armstrong, a single mother, as she investigates the missing case of teenage twins, Holly and Dylan. Lisa is appointed as the family’s liaison officer. However, Lisa happens to have had s*x with the twins’ stepfather the very night the twins went missing. To add to the twistedness, her children are connected with the disappearance. 

So, we witness a policewoman make peculiar professional choices out of her motives. The Bay covers a lot of ground without doing anything groundbreaking. Yet, the strong performances and a few surprises promise to keep the viewers wanting to know more.

#4 Unforgotten (2015- ) 

Unforgotten (2015- ) is a British crime television series that follows a team of London detectives as they solve cold cases of disappearances and murders. The cases that initially seem unrelated are gradually revealed to be interconnected. As the show unfolds, we also get to see the prolonged effects of the crime on the lives of those affected.

Unforgotten has won nominations for the British Screenwriters Awards, RTS awards, and BPS awards and has won several BAFTA awards.

#5 True Detective (2014-2019) 

True Detective (2014-2019) is an American Anthology crime series that premiered in January 2014.

In the show, we see Louisiana State Police Detectives Rust Cohle and Martin Hart revisit a homicide case in 2012 that they worked on in 1995. Revisiting the old case, the investigators reopen unhealed wounds and come to question their method of solving the grotesque murder in 1995. Through their suspensive ritual, the two detectives fall back into the time they thought to be left behind.

The show was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards and won five of them. Besides that, the show has three Golden Globe, TCA Awards, BAFTA award nominations, and wins to its credit.

#6 The Killing (2011-2014)

The Killing (2011-2014) is an American crime drama series based on the Danish TV series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, the show follows homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder as they investigate 17-year-old Rosie Larsen’s murder. Rosie’s body was found locked in the trunk of a submerged vehicle registered to a new politician’s campaign.

In the show, we witness three prolonged consequences of the murder, the actual investigations, political scenarios that impact the case, and the family’s attempt to move on.

Through the meticulous efforts work of Detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder, several painful situations find closure, for example, the disappearance of a teenage girl, the murders of runaway children, and the massacre of a wealthy family. 

The show won nominations for several Emmy awards and has won the 38th Saturn Awards and the Director’s Guild of America Award.

#7 The Valhalla Murders (2019- )

The Valhalla Murders (2019 – ) is a Nordic noir thriller series based on a real-life incident. In the series, we follow the journey of Police Profiler Arnar, sent to his native place Iceland to investigate the country’s first serial killer case. 

The investigation is conjoined by the local senior cop Kata. In the beginning, the victims of the murder seem unrelated, but later the investigation leads them to a deserted boy’s home Valhalla, where some grotesque events had happened in the past.

#8 Happy Valley (2014- )

Happy Valley (2014- ) is a finely spun show that revolves around the adventures of Sergeant Catherine Cawood, leader of a police team in Yorkshire. Catherine lost her teenage daughter to suicide. 

Despite suffering from the loss, she remains headstrong. We see her solving inexplicable cases across various seasons of the show. 

Happy Valley has won several BAFTA awards and was nominated for AMPS awards.

#9 Deadwind (2018)

In Deadwind (2018), a Nordic noir series, we follow detective Sofia Karppi as she returns to work months after a tragic loss.

Soon, she gets occupied in a case of a murdered woman with ties to a Helsinki construction company. The case sets in motion a chain of events that can put her life in jeopardy of destruction again.

#10 The Fall (2013-2016)

Filmed and set in Northern Ireland, The Fall (2013-2016) narrates the story of a senior officer Stella Gibson who supervises a murder investigation.

The murder investigation has remained active for over 28 days, and it becomes apparent that they are dealing with a serial killer.

The local detectives tirelessly work with Stella to find, capture and build a case against the killer. But in their journey, they meet with complications inside and outside of PSNI. The Fall has won several Irish Film and Television awards.

Final Words

I’m sure that the above-mentioned series similar to Marcella will manage to satiate your inner investigators! Go and watch them. Let me know if I missed any, and also tell me how you liked the shows! 

Happy (binge) watching!