10 Mystery Shows That Prove Slow Burns Are Always Worth It

Image via Freeform Published Oct 3, 2026, 9:03 PM EDT Kareem is a veteran editor and writer with over 15 years of experience covering all forms of entertainment, from music to movies. He serves as a High Trending List Writer for Collider, covering all things TV. His work has been seen in numerous online publications such as FanSided, AXS, Examiner, Narcity, HuffPost, and ScreenRant. He first began his professional writing career in 2011 writing political columns for HubPages, gradualaly building his portfolio until he was rewarded with his first paid writing position with News Headquarters in 2013. Since then, Kareem has covered everything imaginable, from writing political news columns for Examiner, reviewing the latest albums for AXS.com, and giving a unique take on sports, food, and the entertainment industry for Fansided.com. He had another online stop at Narcity, covering travel and things to do in his native Florida, before finally bringing his uniquely immense writing talent and voice to Valnet in 2020, first as a List Writer for ScreenRant before taking his talents to Collider in 2021. During his time at Collider, Kareem has showcased his talented writing style on a number of beats, trailer previews (DOTA: Dragon's Blood) to season premiers (Abbott Elementary), to Lists ranking everything from 80s Sitcoms (which holds a special place in his heart), to classic Disney Channel shows. When he's not working, you can catch him bing-watching classic horror movies (he's a huge fan of Friday the 13th), hitting bike trails, and playing UNO (and losing) during game nights with friends. He calls Orlando, FL home. Sign in to your Collider account Slow-burn mystery shows often get a bad rap for making the viewing audience do something that television wasn't invented to do: make you think. TV is often regarded as comfort food, something that you can turn to if you want to cut your brain off for a while. But that's not the case for mystery slow burns. These shows are experts at making you put your thinking cap on to solve the pieces of a slowly involving puzzle. While some people may not see the value in that, slow-burn mystery shows have tremendous value, and if you stick around, the payoff at the end is usually satisfying. So, to try to convince you that slow burns are absolutely worth it, here are the mystery shows that are experts at making slow burns truly exciting. 'Elementary' (2012–2019) Image via CBS Sherlock Holmes doesn't do anything quick. Every mystery that he's found himself embroiled in has been a slow burn, requiring the viewer to take their time and help him unravel mysteries. That was the case for the CBS series Elementary, a modern-day take on the famous British detective with a slight twist. Here, Holmes (Jonny Lee MIller), is recovering from drug addiction, and seeks out his sober companion, Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) to help him solve cases while also kicking his demon to the curb. Elementary doesn't start out fast. It uses a slow and prodding pace to build suspense. However, at the end of each episode, you will be rewarded with a satisfying payoff. That's what great mysteries do, and why Elementary is definitely in that category. 'The Mentalist' (2008–2015) Image via CBS What would you do if you were "blessed" with the skill to read people's minds? You would probably do what Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) did and go work for the California Bureau of Investigation to help solve murder cases. That was the central premise of The Mentalist, coming out at a time when TV, especially CBS, was really getting into the mystery genre with gusto. This procedural drama took a different twist on the standard mystery procedural, and brought in psychic techniques to help solve crimes that befuddled the California CBI. In truth, Jane wasn't a psychic — he just had out-of-this-world observational skills, which is what makes The Mentalist pay off even more, even if it ruined its series finale. 'Columbo' (1968–2003) Image via NBC While Dragnet may have kicked off the crime drama procedural, it was NBC's Columbo that pushed it into the mainstream. Starring Peter Falk as the titular Lieutenant Columbo, the show may be a crime drama technically, but, in spirit, it can also serve as a great mystery series, since it deals with putting the pieces together to solve crimes. Columbo wasn't a heavy action show like its crime companions would take on in subsequent years. That wasn't the show's style. No, this show was the very definition of a slow burn, using mystery to put the facts together to solve big cases. While this may bore some, trust me when I say, it actually works in Columbo's favor. The series expertly used slow burn tactics to keep its audience engaged, and it will keep you engaged as well. 'Mare of Easttown' (2021) I will admit something to you. When I first saw HBO's Mare of Easttown, I thought it was pretty boring. Maybe my love for slow burn shows may have worn out, I thought, as I struggled to get through the first couple of episodes. Then, the third episode came along, and I was hooked on this mystery like peanut butter is to jelly on a sandwich. Mare of Easttown stars Kate Winslet in a truly spectacular performance. She portrayed Mare Sheehan, a detective who is investigating the murder of a teen mom while trying to piece her own life back together. Nothing here comes fast, and it's a slow burn all the way to the ending. And, to be honest, that's Mare of Easttown's strongest suit. The slow-moving nature of the series allows you to get a grasp of what Sheehan is struggling with, and helps you understand why this case is so important to her. I'm so glad I didn't quit this show, as I would have missed a truly satisfying ending. Collider Exclusive · Villain Personality Quiz Which Criminal Mastermind Would Be Your Nemesis? Lecter · Joker · Moriarty · Chigurh Four of the finest criminal minds ever put on screen. One of them would look at you and see something worth their time. Eight questions decide which one comes for you, why they picked you, and what they would want when they arrived. 🍷Lecter 🃏Joker ♟️Moriarty 🪙Chigurh MEET YOUR NEMESIS → 01 What would a criminal mastermind notice about you first? Great villains choose their opponents carefully. Something about you got their attention. AMy manners, and everything I am careful not to say. BThat I still believe people are basically decent. CThat I am clever, and quietly enjoy proving it. DThat I handle things myself, and always have. NEXT QUESTION → 02 How do they make first contact? The introduction tells you everything about what is coming next. AA polite letter. Beautiful handwriting. Quietly wrong. BSomething on fire, with a message left beside it. CA puzzle, left where only I would look. DNo contact. Just the aftermath, and a coin. NEXT QUESTION → 03 What do you actually believe about right and wrong? Every nemesis is really an argument about the thing you believe most. AThere are lines. Mine are private and absolute. BRules are the only thing keeping us from being animals. CMorality is a system, and systems can be solved. DThings happen. Most of it was never up to me. NEXT QUESTION → 04 What finally gets under your skin? Everybody has a pressure point. Finding yours is the whole plan. ABeing seen clearly by somebody I cannot read. BWatching good people do something ugly. CLosing to someone who was simply better prepared. DHaving no move left that changes anything. NEXT QUESTION → 05 They have made their move. How do you fight back? This is the part of the film where the audience finds out who you are. ACarefully, and never where they expect to be touched. BLoudly. I would rather lose than play their game. CWith a better plan. I can out-think this. DDirectly, once, with whatever is closest to hand. NEXT QUESTION → 06 What would they use against you? A good villain never brings a weapon you have not already handed them. AMy privacy. I have kept far too much to myself. BMy conscience. I will not cross the line they want. CMy ego. I cannot resist a worthy opponent. DMy certainty that I can handle it alone. NEXT QUESTION → 07 What do they actually want from you? The money is never the point. Something else always is. ATo understand me better than anyone ever has. BTo prove I am no better than they are. CTo finally be beaten by someone worth the trouble. DNothing at all. I stepped into the wrong path. NEXT QUESTION → 08 How does it end between the two of you? Eight questions in, this is the one that decides who comes for you. AA conversation I will be replaying for years. BA choice forced on me that has no clean answer. COne final move, and the better mind wins. DA coin in the air, and nothing I can say. REVEAL MY NEMESIS → The Case File Is Complete Your Nemesis Is…Four criminal masterminds. One of them was always going to be yours. Here is who comes for you, why they picked you out of everyone available, and what they want from the encounter. Hannibal LecterYour nemesis does not want to beat you. He wants to know you completely, and he is patient enough to wait for it. The frightening part is how good the conversation is. Lecter is the most dangerous kind of opponent: the one who finds you interesting. He never raises his voice, because he has never needed to. You keep a great deal to yourself and you are careful about what you show. That reserve is exactly the door he would knock on. The films understood something other thrillers missed. The horror is not the violence. It is being perfectly understood by the wrong person. He would be unfailingly polite about all of it. That is the worst part. The JokerYour nemesis is not after money, territory or revenge. He is after a demonstration, and you are the person he has chosen to prove his point on. The Joker only picks opponents who believe in something. Your decency is not a defence against him. It is the entire reason he showed up. He has no plan you can predict and nothing you can take away, which removes every tool you would normally reach for. His whole argument is that you are one bad day away from being him, and you would spend the rest of your life proving him wrong. He would call it a magic trick. You would call it the worst night of your life. MoriartyYour nemesis respects you, which sounds flattering until you work out what it means. He chose you because nobody else was worth his time. Moriarty is the original criminal mastermind, the template every later one borrows from: a mind the equal of the hero's, pointed the wrong way. You enjoy being the cleverest person in the room. He is counting on exactly that, and he has already built the room. This is the rare nemesis who would be genuinely disappointed if you lost badly. He needs the game to be worth playing. It ends the way these things always end. Two people, one problem, and only one way down. Anton ChigurhYour nemesis has no personal interest in you whatsoever, and that is precisely what makes him unsurvivable. You are not a rival. You are a stop on the way. Chigurh does not negotiate, gloat or explain. He arrives, he asks one question, and the answer was decided long before you opened your mouth. You trust yourself to handle things. He is the one problem in the world that has no interest in how capable you are. No Country for Old Men rewrote the screen villain by removing the thing audiences quietly rely on: the sense that talking might work. Call it. He will wait. ↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ 'Only Murders in the Building' (2021–Present) Image via Hulu We've now arrived at the mystery show that does have a bit of action to it, but it takes a while for it to get there. The beauty of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, is not within its comical mysterious oh no. What sets Only Murders in the Building apart from its peers is the layers of background that play a big part of the mystery our true crime podcasters are trying to solve. There are a lot of intricacies that weave their way into the bigger picture, and while each season starts off pretty slowly, this acclaimed mystery series always sticks the landing in the end. 'Big Little Lies' (2017–Present) Image via HBO What started out as a miniseries has quickly morphed into one of HBO's best shows. That's what happens when you give slow-burn Big Little Lies a chance to prove that being patient and waiting for the payoff is always the best bet. Starring Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies follows a group of women who get wrapped up in a homicide investigation. Again, this show isn't for those who like their shows to get to the interesting part. It takes a bit of time for Big Little Lies to gather steam; but, once it does, get ready for a wild ride that rivals any modern-day mystery show. If you haven't checked out Big Little Lies yet, this is your sign to do so, and pronto. 'The Blacklist' (2013–2023) Image via NBC I feel like this show has slid into the category of underrated shows in recent years. That's a shame, because The Blacklist was one of my favorite shows during the 2010s, and one of NBC's biggest hits. Created by Jon Bokenkamp and starring the legendary James Spader, The Blacklist will have you on the edge of your seat in each episode. Here, we follow Raymond Reddington (Spader), a career international criminal and fugitive who, in exchange for immunity from prosecution, decides to help the FBI track down and find other most wanted fugitives on his "blacklist." Spader does a remarkable job here as the cunning Reddington, bringing a slice of charisma to a role that seemed tailor-made for him. The Blacklist, itself, is a very interesting show, a slow burn that takes off once you see the mystery unfold. 'Yellowjackets' (2021–Present) Image via Kailey Schwerman/Paramount+ with SHOWTIME. Yes, Yellowjackets is technically a psychological horror drama. However, let me take a moment to explain why this show can also be categorized as a slow burn. First, some short context for those who haven't watched the show yet. Created by Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson, Showtime's Yellowjackets follows two storylines: one in which a group of teens tries to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash in the mid-'90s, while the second looks at how the survivors of that crash try to move on with life in the present day. Even from that short synopsis, you can tell that there is a lot that goes on Yellowjackets. However, it takes a while to get to the true psychological horror nature of the series, which means that this show is also a slow burn. For a show like Yellowjackets, which has a lot of moving parts, starting out slow works in its favor if you give it a chance, which you absolutely should. 'Pretty Little Liars' (2010–2017) Image via Freeform I cannot tell you how much this show had a chokehold on me in the 2010s. In other words, I was, and still is, a huge fan of Pretty Little Liars, the teen mystery drama developed by I. Marline King. The series follows four girls — Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, Troian Bellisario, and Ashley Benson — who are mysteriously threatened by "A" after their leader, Allison DiLaurentis (Sasha Pieterse), disappears. The show is spent following the girls, nicknamed "The Liars," as they try to solve the mysterious "A" and the disappearance of their friend. Much like Yellowjackets, there is a lot that goes on in Pretty Little Liars, but you don't get there right away. Most of the first half of Season 1 is a slow burn, as with the other subsequent seasons. But, this is a show that forces you to pay attention to even the most mundane of things, because everything ties together at the end to reveal who is torturing the Liars. That's the beauty of this show, and eight years after it went off the air, I am still hooked on the mystery, and so will you. 'True Detective' (2014–Present) Image via HBO While I was busy trying to find out who "A" was in Pretty Little Liars, another crime mystery had my complete attention for a different reason. For HBO's True Detective, it wasn’t so much as trying to solve the mystery of who was trying to blackmail a group of high school teenagers. In this show, the mystery is the star of the show, and it will make you break out your inner Sherlock Holmes to try to help the detectives solve some of the most perplexing crimes on modern television. Each season of True Detective is different, and offers its own flavor that will keep you on your toes. Whether it's a pair of Louisiana State Police detectives trying to find an occult serial killer, or Alaskan detectives trying to find missing men in the dead of a polar night, you'll be wrapped up in the mystery of each season. It's one of the best slow burn mystery shows on TV, and if this show doesn't make you believe that slow burners are worth it, I don't know what to tell you. True Detective Release Date January 12, 2014 Network HBO Max Anthology series in which police investigations unearth the personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within and outside the law. Showrunner Nic Pizzolatto Directors Cary Fukunaga Writers Nic Pizzolatto Main Genre Drama Seasons 4 Creator(s) Issa López, Nic Pizzolatto Story By NIC PIZZOLATTO Streaming Service(s) Hulu, MAX Where To Watch M