The 10 Best Crime Miniseries of All Time, Ranked

Published Sep 17, 2026, 7:12 PM EDT

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Miniseries have become more and more common lately, thanks in part to the proliferation of streaming platforms, and they can be a great way of telling a contained story with a designated endpoint, as opposed to continuing for season after season. And in a TV landscape where content is streamed and often enjoyed in one sitting, a miniseries can make for the ultimate binge-watch.

The format has proven to be a great way to tell crime stories, in particular, from horrifying crimes in suburbia to massive drug cartels, and indeed, some of the most compelling miniseries of recent years have been just that. Many of the best crime miniseries have been based on books, either nonfiction dives into large-scale crimes or fictional stories that blend characters' personal lives with the crimes they've become caught up in.

10 'The Cry' (2018)

Image via Synchronicity Films

In The Cry, as new mom Joanna (Jenna Coleman) is struggling to adjust to life with an infant, the child goes missing on a cross-country trip from Scotland to Australia. Her boyfriend and the baby’s father, Alistair (Ewan Leslie), fight for custody of his daughter from a previous marriage. On top of concern for her son, Joanna is forced to deal with public scrutiny of the situation. The Cry was based on the novel of the same name by Helen FitzGerald.

The Cry was a riveting series, with baby Noah’s fate and who was responsible remaining a mystery until the end through the show’s many twists and turns, all told through a nonlinear structure which constantly forced the audience to reconsider what information they had and what they were seeing play out. It was as much a psychological thriller as it was a crime drama, with multiple characters as possible suspects—Joanna was exhausted and overwhelmed, Alistair was cold and manipulative, and his ex-wife was hurt and vindictive.

Image via Hungry Jackal Productions

In Under the Banner of Heaven, devout Mormon Detective Jeb Pyre’s (Andrew Garfield) investigation of the brutal murder of a woman and her baby led him to uncover the dark, violent past of the Mormon religion and its effects on modern-day extremist Mormons. The series was a fictionalized account of real events and was based on the book of the same name by Jon Krakauer. Dustin Lance Black served as showrunner.

Under the Banner of Heaven was somewhat controversial for its portrayal of the Mormon religion, but it still presented a compelling story. The killing of mother and baby was horrific, but the series was also about faith—Pyre was questioning his faith just as two men committed a brutal murder in the name of theirs. The cast all impressed, including Rory Culkin in a small but memorable role as the brother of the victim’s husband.

8 'Dopesick' (2021)

Image via Saban Films

Dopesick is a fictionalized account of America’s opioid crisis from the perspectives of everyone involved, from Purdue Pharma’s dishonesty about the addictive nature of OxyContin down to their reps selling the drugs and even those who battled with addiction as a result, as well as regulators determined to hold the company accountable. It was based on the book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy.

Crime series usually take on subjects like homicides, but Dopesick was a compelling drama about the damage done by an entire pharmaceutical company. The star-studded cast all delivered impressive performances, especially Michael Keaton as the fictional Dr. Samuel Finnix, whose community was ravaged by addiction due to him prescribing the drug without knowing the truth about how addictive it was. Michael Stuhlbarg was unnerving and callous as Purdue president Richard Sackler.

7 'Unbelievable' (2019)

Image via Netflix

After a teenage girl, Marie (Kaitlyn Dever), reported being raped, she was pressured into recanting her story and, upon doing so, was charged with filing a false report in Unbelievable. Three years later, two female detectives investigated a series of assaults exactly like Marie’s and proved she was telling the truth, and could have been prevented if she had been believed. The series was a Netflix original and was based on actual events.

Unbelievable was critically acclaimed, and the harrowing, emotional story leaves an impression. Dever delivered one of her best performances as Marie. The story centered on Marie as a victim, from the initial assault to the ways the legal system and even those around her re-traumatized her, and addressed how people can be affected by trauma, how memory can be faulty, and how that can be weaponized.

6 'Candy' (2022)

Image via Hulu

Candy told the story of 1980s Texas homemaker and mother, Candy Montgomery (Jessica Biel), who had an affair with her neighbor’s husband, then violently murdered her with an axe, but claimed she acted in self-defense after she was attacked first when confronted about the affair after it ended. When Candy’s case was brought to trial, a jury believed her story, and she was acquitted. The series was based on a true story.

Biel was unsettling as Candy, alternately a warm, caring person and cold and calculating, in one of the best performances of her career. Melanie Lynskey also impressed as Candy’s neighbor and victim, Betty. Although it was a crime story, the series also dealt with the pressures women face as wives and mothers, particularly when perfection is expected, and addressed the mental state of Candy, particularly leading up to Betty’s death.

Collider Exclusive · Universe Personality Quiz Which Iconic Universe Do You Belong in the Most? Star Wars · Lord of the Rings · Harry Potter · Game of Thrones · Star Trek

Five legendary universes. Five completely different visions of what the world could be — or already was. One of them is the world your instincts, your values, and your particular way of existing were built for. Eight questions will tell you which one.

🚀Star Wars

💍Lord of the Rings

🧙Harry Potter

👑Game of Thrones

🖖Star Trek

FIND YOUR UNIVERSE →

01

What gives your life its deepest sense of meaning? Every universe is built around a different answer to this question.

ABeing part of something larger than myself — a cause, a rebellion, a fight for freedom that outlasts me. BThe journey itself — the places I'll go, the companions beside me, the world I'll discover on the way. CLearning — unlocking what I'm capable of, understanding the world's hidden mechanics, growing into something more. DLegacy — the name I leave behind, the power I build, the mark I make before the world moves on without me. EUnderstanding — exploring what exists beyond the horizon and asking what it means to be alive in a universe this vast.

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02

Which kind of world do you most want to inhabit? The environment shapes who you become. Choose carefully.

AA galaxy of planets, each with its own culture — connected by conflict, trade, and the Force. BAncient lands of breathtaking beauty, deep history, and a creeping darkness at the edges. CA world hidden inside our own — full of wonder, community, and magic waiting to be learned. DA brutal, beautiful continent where power is everything and every alliance is a calculation. EA future where humanity has reached the stars — and must decide what kind of species it wants to be.

NEXT QUESTION →

03

How do you prefer your conflicts resolved? The shape of a world's conflicts tells you everything about its soul.

AThrough sacrifice and courage — someone has to make the impossible choice so others don't have to. BThrough fellowship — the impossible becomes possible when the right people walk the same road. CThrough growth — confronting what you fear, understanding what you lack, and becoming equal to the challenge. DThrough strategy — outthinking, outmaneuvering, positioning yourself so the outcome was never in doubt. EThrough dialogue — finding the third option, the peaceful resolution, the answer that doesn't require a body count.

NEXT QUESTION →

04

Who do you want beside you when things get difficult? Your ideal companions reveal the world you were made for.

AA small crew — a pilot, a rogue, a warrior — each broken in their own way, unbeatable together. BA fellowship of different kinds of people, bound by purpose and deepened by the long road. CFriends who grew up alongside me — who knew me before I knew myself, and stayed anyway. DAllies whose loyalty I've earned — and tested — and whose ambitions align with mine, for now. EA crew of brilliant, curious, principled people from every corner of known space.

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05

What is your relationship with power? How you seek, wield, or resist power is the map of who you are.

AI want to use it to protect — and I'm terrified of what I might become if I'm not careful. BI distrust it. The most important power in this story is the courage to give it up. CI want to earn it — through knowledge, through effort, through becoming someone worthy of it. DI want to wield it. Preferably before someone else decides to wield it against me. EI want to understand it — its structures, its limits, its ethical dimensions. Power without accountability is the real threat.

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06

How does your universe treat good and evil? A world's moral architecture tells you more about it than any map.

AThere is a dark side and a light side — and the choice between them is always present, always personal. BEvil is real and ancient and patient — and goodness, however small, is the only thing that can undo it. CGood and evil are real, but they live inside people — and people are complicated, always capable of both. DGood and evil are mostly a matter of perspective and proximity. Power is the only honest currency. EEvil is usually the result of ignorance, fear, or broken systems — and understanding it is the first step to solving it.

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07

What role would you naturally fall into? Every universe has archetypes. Which one fits you without trying?

AThe reluctant hero — ordinary origins, extraordinary moment, changed forever by the choice to act. BThe unlikely carrier — the one nobody expected to matter most, quietly bearing the weight of everything. CThe student — not yet who I'll become, learning through every mistake, growing into something the world needs. DThe player — sharp enough to see the game for what it is, ambitious enough to try to win it. EThe explorer — drawn to the unknown, driven by curiosity, most alive when standing somewhere no one has stood before.

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08

What do you ultimately believe about the future? The answer to this is the clearest window into which universe already lives inside you.

AThat hope is real — that even in the darkest galaxy, a new hope is always possible. CThat even the smallest person can change the course of the future, if they have the courage to try. CThat love and friendship and doing what's right will matter in the end, even when everything says otherwise. DThat the wheel keeps turning — that power shifts, winters end, and what endures is those willing to fight for it. EThat humanity — or whatever we become — is capable of extraordinary things, if we choose to be.

REVEAL MY UNIVERSE →

Your Universe Has Been Chosen You Belong In…

Your answers point to the iconic universe your values, your instincts, and your particular way of seeing the world were built for. This is where you would find your people — and your purpose.

Star Wars

You believe in the cause — in the idea that freedom is worth fighting for even when the odds are impossible and the empire is vast.

• You are drawn to the moral clarity of a universe where hope itself is a form of resistance.
• You'd find your people in the Rebellion — a ragtag coalition of true believers held together by conviction more than resources.
• Star Wars is fundamentally a story about ordinary people choosing to matter in an extraordinary conflict — and that is exactly your kind of story.
• The Force may or may not be with you. But the will to use it for something larger than yourself certainly is.

Lord of the Rings

You understand, in the deepest part of yourself, that the journey matters as much as the destination — and that the world's beauty is worth protecting even at great cost.

• Middle-earth is a world of ancient wonder, deep friendship, and a darkness that only retreats when enough small acts of courage accumulate.
• You would thrive here because you value the fellowship more than the glory — the road more than the arrival.
• Tolkien's universe rewards patience, loyalty, and the willingness to carry something heavy across a very long distance.
• Those are not burdens to you. They are simply how you move through the world.

Harry Potter

You believe that love, loyalty, and doing what's right are not naive sentiments — they are the most powerful forces in any world, magical or otherwise.

• The Wizarding World is a place of wonder hidden in plain sight, where learning is transformative and the bonds you form at school follow you into every battle.
• You would flourish here because you take both the magic and the friendships seriously — and you understand that one without the other is incomplete.
• Harry Potter's universe ultimately rewards those who choose to stand for something even when standing is terrifying.
• That choice — made quietly, without guarantee — is something you understand completely.

Game of Thrones

You see the world clearly — its power structures, its hypocrisies, its brutal arithmetic — and you are not paralysed by that clarity. You use it.

• Westeros is a world that rewards intelligence, adaptability, and the willingness to understand that every alliance is also a negotiation.
• You would survive here — possibly thrive here — because you don't confuse the world as it is with the world as you'd like it to be.
• Game of Thrones is a story about what happens when the idealists and the realists collide. You are sharp enough to know which one lasts longer.
• Winter always comes. You are already prepared.

Star Trek

You believe the future is worth building — that curiosity, cooperation, and the expansion of understanding are not just ideals but the most practical path forward for any civilisation.

• Star Trek is a universe where the questions matter as much as the answers, and where encountering something utterly alien is cause for wonder rather than fear.
• You would belong here because you are fundamentally optimistic about what intelligence and decency can achieve — while being honest about how hard that achievement is.
• The Federation is the universe's most ambitious thought experiment: what if we actually got better?
• You don't just hope that's possible. You think it's the only thing worth working toward.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

5 'Griselda' (2024)

Image via Netflix

Colombian drug queenpin Griselda Blanco (Sofía Vergara) created one of the most profitable cartels in history, and the Netflix series Griselda was a fictionalized retelling of her story. The series charted Griselda’s success through the ‘70s and ‘80s, from the very beginnings of her business dealings as she fled Medellín for Miami with her three children through her work as she built her business and ultimately rose to success. The series was told partly through flashbacks, establishing why Griselda left her life in Medellín behind.

Griselda was a hit for Netflix and earned critical acclaim. It presented a fascinating story, and it addressed the theme of women proving themselves through both Griselda and police officer June Hawkins (Juliana Aidén Martinez). Vergara, who was best-known for her comedic role on the sitcom Modern Family, was almost unrecognizable and showed a completely different side as the titular character, known for her ruthlessness, and impressed with the best performance of her career.

4 'A Friend of the Family' (2022)

Image via Peacock

Friend of the Family tells the shocking story of a family whose young daughter, Jan, was abducted multiple times by a family friend during the 1970s—first when she was 12, then again two years later at 14. The series detailed the ways the family was manipulated into trusting him. The series was based on a true story, and the actual Jan Broberg served as co-producer, along with her mother, Mary Ann.

A Friend of the Family was a terrifying look at the lengths a person will go to when they’re targeting someone, and it served as a cautionary tale of not just how it could happen but that it could happen to anyone. Despite solid performances from the entire cast, Jake Lacy stood out as kidnapper Bob “B” Berchtold, playing him with a charm that shows how he was able to get close to the family while also managing to show what an alarming sociopath he was.

3 'Adolescence' (2025)

Image via Netflix

In Adolescence, 13-year-old Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper) is arrested for the murder of a girl from his school. His father, Eddie (Stephen Graham), struggles to process the accusation while Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe (Ashley Walters) investigates the case and psychologist Briony Ariston (Erin Doherty) attempts to understand Jamie’s state of mind. Created by Graham and Jack Thorne, the four-part Netflix limited series unfolds largely through the perspectives of those closest to the crime.

Each episode of Adolescence is filmed in one continuous take, creating an almost unbearable sense of immediacy. Cooper delivers a remarkable breakout performance, while Graham brings enormous emotional weight to a father forced to confront questions he never imagined asking. The series ultimately works as a disturbing examination of how violence can take root where you least expect it.

2 'Sharp Objects' (2018)

Image via HBO

In Sharp Objects, journalist Camille (Amy Adams) returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Her return also meant reuniting with her estranged family and dealing with her own demons, especially the death of her sister at a young age and her relationship with her mother. The series was based on Gillian Flynn’s debut novel of the same name, and she also served as a writer for the series.

Sharp Objects was largely faithful to the book, and it was a hit for HBO—though its dark subject-matter dealing with the secrets of small-town America meant it wouldn’t get a second season. Camille was a great yet troubled character, and Adams did a fantastic job at bringing her to life in one of the best performances of her career. But just as impressive was Patricia Clarkson as Camille’s cold mother, Adora.

1 'Mare of Easttown' (2021)

Image via HBO

In Mare of Easttown, a detective, Mare, in a small Pennsylvania town outside of Philadelphia, is tasked with investigating a murder after a body of a teen mother is found in a creek after a party. At the same time, she struggles with her personal life, as she mourns the loss of her son. She's also coming to terms with her ex-husband’s new engagement and pursuing a new relationship herself.

Mare of Easttown was critically acclaimed and a hit with audiences. While it did present a compelling crime, the series was also more than a police procedural, as it dealt with the themes of loss and regret. Kate Winslet delivered a stellar performance as detective Mare, a compelling character who experienced a lot of growth over the course of the series.

Mare of Easttown