8 Epic Replacement Shows For Fans Of True Detective

Published Sep 21, 2026, 3:45 PM EDT Adrienne Tyler is a movies & TV features writer, with a focus on horror. She has written for Netflix, FanSided, & more. She was a regular guest on the Netfreaks podcast and was a YouTuber at some point. Guillermo del Toro said “hi” to her once. True Detective is one of the best detective TV shows of all time, and there are other equally good or better shows for those who enjoyed the hit HBO show. The genre of crime is hugely popular on TV, with many titles from it ranking among the best TV shows of all time. Crime shows can be quite versatile, as seen in shows like Breaking Bad, Peaky Blinders, and The Sopranos, but the most popular ones are detective shows. The Wire, Sherlock, and Elementary are some of the most notable examples of great detective shows, and in the last decade, one of the best has been True Detective. Created by Nic Pizzolatto, True Detective is an anthology series, and as such, every season covers a new case with a new cast. At the time of writing, True Detective is preparing for its fifth season, with a projected release date of 2027. In the meantime, and while a True Detective rewatch is always a good idea, there are other shows that will surely appeal to True Detective’s audience. These shows have a similar vibe, structure, or cast as True Detective, but without feeling like a copy. All of them cover different stories, and most of them accompany True Detective among the best crime shows of all time. Luther One of the best but most underrated detective shows is the BBC’s Luther. Created by Neil Cross, Luther centers on Detective Chief Inspector John Luther (Idris Elba), who has just returned to active duty after going through a mental breakdown after a disastrous encounter with a serial killer. On his first day back, Luther is assigned to investigate a double homicide, where the murdered couple’s daughter, Alice (Ruth Wilson), is the prime suspect. However, Luther and Alice end up developing a complex relationship, with her being both an antagonist and an ally to him. On top of that, Luther hasn’t changed his ways during his time off, and he still uses unorthodox and borderline illegal methods and continues to be quite impulsive, which often gets him in trouble. Luther is a brilliant detective but a morally gray character at the same time, in a bleak setting and in stories that follow both the cases he’s working on and his personal struggles, just like in True Detective. Fargo Fargo is a black comedy crime anthology TV show created by Noah Hawley and based on Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1996 movie of the same name. Although each season of Fargo tells a different story, they are set in the same continuity, as well as that of the movie. The basis of every season of Fargo is following people in the American Midwest as they find themselves in the middle of chaos, violence, and crime as a result of bad choices or random coincidences. Fargo was a huge critical success, winning different awards throughout its five seasons. Fargo and True Detective share an anthology format, themes, and both rely on their regional backdrops, but have completely different tones, with Fargo leaning more towards absurdist humor, while True Detective is a lot more serious. The Killing Based on the Danish TV series Forbrydelsen, The Killing aired on AMC and Netflix from 2011 to 2014 for four seasons. The Killing follows homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman), with every season seeing a new case. Seasons 1 and 2 of The Killing cover the investigation of the murder of teenager Rosie Larsen, season 3 is all about murders connected to past cases, and season 4 covers the murder of a family. The Killing and True Detective share a dark tone, an interesting dynamic between their main characters, flawed and complex characters, and morally ambiguous stories, which adds a touch of realism to both shows. Broadchurch Broadchurch is a British crime drama series created by Chris Chibnall. Set in the fictional English town of Broadchurch, the series follows Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) as they investigate different crimes in town. Season 1 is all about the murder of 11-year-old Danny Latimer, season 2 follows the trial of Danny’s killer (with some unexpected turns), and season 3 is the case of a woman who was sexually assaulted at a birthday party. Broadchurch ran for three seasons from 2013 to 2017, and despite what it might seem, the show wasn’t canceled and, instead, it was planned as a trilogy. Like True Detective, Broadchurch covers complex and serious crimes while also exploring the personal struggles and secrets of the main characters and those of the town’s community. Both shows have emotional depth, but that also means that some stories can be hard to watch. The Outsider The Outsider is a miniseries developed by Richard Price and based on Stephen King’s 2018 novel of the same name. The Outsider follows Detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn), who is recovering from alcohol use disorder while also coping with the loss of his son, which has had a direct impact on how he approaches the cases he’s assigned to. Anderson investigates the murder of a young boy, with his Little League coach being the prime suspect. Anderson is aided by Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo), a private detective with impressive memory and other skills, as the case gets increasingly complicated. The Outsider is one of the best crime drama TV shows of the decade, and a worthy competitor to True Detective. Mare of Easttown Created by Brad Ingelsby, Mare of Easttown is a crime drama miniseries that aired on HBO in 2021. Mare of Easttown takes viewers to the fictional suburb of Easttown, Pennsylvania, to meet Marianne “Mare” Sheehan (Kate Winslet), a police detective who was once a local hero after winning a high school basketball game many years ago. These days, the community doubts her detective skills after she failed to solve the case of a missing girl. Now, Mare is investigating the murder of a teenage mother, while she struggles with personal problems, such as a divorce and a son who killed himself. Mare of Easttown has been praised for its performances (especially that of Wisnlet), writing, tone, and pacing, making it a must-watch for fans of crime dramas and detective shows. Mare of Easttown shares a gritty atmosphere with True Detective, as well as a small-town setting and a main character struggling with her personal demons. Mindhunter Mindhunter is a psychological crime thriller series created by Joe Penhall and based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. Mindhunter takes the audience back to the late 1970s to meet FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), and psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), who launch a research project to interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology, hoping it will help them solve other cases. Mindhunter is one of the best TV shows of all time, and it ran for three seasons on Netflix. Despite its success with critics and general audiences, Mindhunter was put on indefinite hold after three seasons, with no hope for another season. Mindhunter is complex, dark, and heavy, even more than True Detective, making it a perfect companion to it. Brothers Brothers is the odd one out on this list as it’s not a detective show, but it has a huge connection to True Detective that earned it its place on this list: its main actors. Brothers is a comedy series created by Woody Harrelson, Matthew McConaughey, Lee Eisenberg, and David West Read, and premiering on Apple TV on September 23, 2026. Brothers, then, follows fictionalized versions of Harrelson and McConaughey, who put their friendship to the test as they decide to live together with their families at the McConaugheys’ ranch in Texas. However, during this time, Harrelson and McConaughey uncover a family secret that could completely change their lives and friendship: they might be brothers. The show is based on McConaughey’s mother claiming she was intimate with Harrelson’s father, and the timeline makes it possible for them to be half-siblings, though no DNA test has been done to confirm or debunk this. Release Date January 12, 2014 Network HBO Max Showrunner Nic Pizzolatto Directors Cary Fukunaga Writers Nic Pizzolatto Creator(s) Issa López, Nic Pizzolatto