Entertainment
12 Crime Shows That’ll Keep ‘Sharp Objects’ Fans On Their Toes
In the days of marathon TV streaming, it can be pretty jarring to have to wait an entire week between doses of drama. And yet, such is the case when it comes HBO's Sharp Objects, a moody, character-driven crime thriller. The series, which airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET, stars Amy Adams as Camille, a journalist from a small Missouri town, who moved to the city to get away from her past. At her editor's insistence, she returns to her hometown of Wind Gap in order to investigate a series of murders of teenage girls taking place there. Unfortunately, going home brings up a lifetime of repressed conflict with her old-fashioned mother, not to mention overwhelming memories of a traumatic childhood. If you're dying of boredom in between weekly doses of Wind Gap, don't worry. Below are 12 crime shows to watch if you love Sharp Objects, which you can stream to your hearts content during the interim, and long after the limited series ends.
(Or, if you're really that impatient, you can always skip forward to the end by reading the book version of Sharp Objects, from Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn. There's no knowing for sure whether the show will stick to the book 100 percent, but it's a pretty safe bet at this point.)
1'The Assassination of Gianni Versace: An American Crime Story'
If you like your crime stories steeped in external controversy, then look no further than The Assassination of Gianni Versace: An American Crime Story. The follow up to The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, this series is based on the non-fiction book written by Maureen Orth that delves into the details behind the mysterious murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace in 1997. However, the Versace family itself refused to approve the series, and hence has dubbed it "a work of fiction," per their statement to Deadline.
Streaming on Amazon
2'Broadchurch'
Like Sharp Objects, Broadchurch examines the way a mysterious child murder wreaks havoc on a small town — this, a coastal British one. The series stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman as the two local detectives that are assigned to get to the bottom of the case, but the media frenzy that ensues threatens to jeopardize their whole investigation. Broadchurch ended after Season 3, but you can watch the whole thing on Netflix now.
Streaming on Netflix and Amazon
3'Damages'
Top lawyers Patty Hewes (Glenn Close) and her protégée Ellen Parsons (Rose Byrne) have a tough-as-nails mentor/mentee relationship akin to Miranda Priestly and Andy Sachs from The Devil Wears Prada, but like, if Miranda was even meaner and occasionally bent the rules of the law to her advantage. The relationship between the two women is what makes all five seasons of Damages worth catching up on.
Streaming on Amazon
4'Dark'
Dark, Netflix's first original German series, is set in a fictionalized town of Winden. At the onset of the story, a young boy goes missing, and the hunt to find him starts to unravel more mysteries than anyone could have imagined. There's only one season out so far, but Netflix did announce back in December that Dark Season 2 has been confirmed.
Streaming on Netflix
5'Fargo'
An anthology series based loosely on the 1996 film of the same name, each season of Fargo unravels a new set of crime-related mysteries with a dark sense of humor. While the primary cast and characters vary from season to season, Fargo has consistently snagged multiple major television awards each year. Season 4 is already on track to film in 2019 with a 2020 release.
Streaming on Hulu and Amazon
6'How to Get Away with Murder'
If you prefer your crime dramas with a hint of Grey's Anatomy-esque human intrigue, then look no further than How to Get Away with Murder. From the television juggernaut Shondaland comes the story of one senior law professor (Viola Davis) that becomes entangled in a grisly murder, along with five of her students. And don't worry about running out of episodes — HTGAWM already has four seasons under its belt and is gearing up for a Season 5.
Streaming on Netflix
7'Mindhunter'
Mindhunter isn't based on a true story exactly, but that doesn't mean it doesn't take strong cues from real life. The series, which is set in the late '70s and stars Jonathan Groff (Frozen) and Holt McCallany (Lights Out), is based on the book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit, which was co-authored by Mark Olshaker and former FBI operative John Douglas. In the book, Douglas reflects on his experience interviewing real-life serial killers such as Charles Manson and John Wayne Gacy. So if you're interested in peering inside the mind of hardened criminals, this series might be as close as you're going to get.
Streaming on Netflix
8'Top of the Lake'
Can't get enough of Mad Men and The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss? Well you'd better add Top of the Lake to the top of your list. Season 1 is set in New Zealand, and follows Detective Robin Griffin (Moss) as she investigates the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl. Season 2 swaps the setting to Bondi Beach and adds Nicole Kidman to the cast, and Season 3 could possibly be underway.
Streaming on Amazon
9'Twin Peaks'
This can't be the first you're hearing of Mark Frost and David Lynch's cult classic mystery series from the '90s, but if you haven't started watching it yet, there's no time like the present. It's a mystery, sure, but it's also highly stylized horror with a tinge of soap opera. The show was progressive for its time and defining for its decade, and it even got revived in 2017 with an all new season, featuring much of the original cast.
Streaming on Amazon
10'Shetland'
What if Sharp Objects were set against the same Scottish backdrop as Outlander? Enter Shetland, a BBC murder mystery series that premiered in 2013 and takes place in the modern-day Shetland Isles, a beautiful rural area of Scotland. After his daughter leaves home, Shetland-native DI Jimmy Perez finds himself confronted with a shocking case that will force him to make some tough decisions about his own life. The series has already been ordered for a Season 5, according to The Express.
Streaming on Amazon
11'The Sinner'
The Sinner might not be a true story, but it is based on the novel by Petra Hammesfahr. This USA crime drama premiered in August 2017 and stars Jessica Biel as main character Cora, a clearly troubled young woman who violently stabs a man to death in the opening season. The rest of the series jumps into unpacking the reasoning behind the crime and the painful scars in Cora's past. Season 2 will premiere on Aug. 1, although Jessica Biel isn't slated to be back as a series regular. She's still on board as a producer.
Streaming on Netflix and Amazon
12'A Very English Scandal'
This mini-series from BBC one stars Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe, the leader of the Liberal Party in the UK between 1967 and 1976. Thorpe had a relationship with model Norman Scott, and over a decade after that relationship ended, Scott accused Thorpe of plotting to have him murdered, and the ensuing trials rocked the nation. It sounds deathly serious, and it was, but the whole series still holds onto that wry sense of humor that only the Brits can pull off. The first series is only three episodes, so you could probably finish the whole thing before next week's Sharp Objects even airs, and will definitely catch up before Season 2 is finished.
Streaming on Amazon
It's going to be a little while longer yet before viewers find out how things turn out for Camille and her troubled town. But whether or not Sharp Objects returns for Season 2, it's hardly going to be the last creepy crime drama of its kind.
