10 Best TV Shows Like Apple TV+'s Lady In The Lake

There are several great psychological dramas and whodunnit murder mysteries to check out after Apple’s limited series Lady in the Lake. Based on the 2019 bestselling novel by Laura Lippman, Lady in the Lake stars Oscar winner Natalie Portman in her first-ever leading role in a television series. Portman leads an exceptional cast in Lady in the Lake which also includes rising star actress Moses Ingram, future Superman David Corenswet, and Mikey Madison, the star of this year’s Palme d’Or winner Anora by Sean Baker. Lady in the Lake has opened to positive reviews, earning a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The first two episodes of Lady in the Lake introduce Ingram’s character Cleo Johnson, a mother and hard-working model and bartender who leaves her political aspirations behind to work for the ambiguous club owner Shell Gordon full-time. This is before her ultimate death, which is depicted in the opening scenes of the series. Cleo’s death becomes a point of fascination for amateur investigative journalist Maddie Schwartz (Portman) who leaves her tepid family life as a housewife and works at the Baltimore Star newspaper.

Lady in the Lake episode 4 picks up where Lady in the Lake episode 3 left off, depicting Stephan’s escape from prison and Cleo’s apparent murder. Lady in the Lake episode 5 finds Maddie deeply entrenched in her pursuit of finding Cleo Johnson’s true killer. More of Maddie’s backstory with Hal Durst is revealed and provides additional context for Maddie’s struggle with post-traumatic stress. The biggest twists of the series are revealed in Lady in the Lake episode 6 as Maddie recovers from her stab wound, going in and out of consciousness as the truth about Cleo Johnson finally comes to the surface. In the end, both Maddie and Cleo’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined in the series finale.

10 True Detective

2014–

Season 1 of True Detective is widely considered to be one of the greatest cop dramas and murder mysteries ever made, although the recent True Detective: Night Country is also considered to be a very strong entry in the anthology series. The celebrated first season features Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey in hard-boiled police detective roles trying to solve a series of gruesome deaths.

Night Country takes the series where it has never gone before by introducing major themes of the supernatural. Jodie Foster is as exceptional as ever as Officer Liz Danvers whose reluctant but no-nonsense partner Evangeline Navarro (Kai Reis) acts as a great counterpart and teammate. Night Country was released in January 2024 and runs for six episodes, acting like its own miniseries until season 2 eventually comes out.

9 Mare of Easttown

2021

Kate Winslet stars in one of the best whodunnit cop dramas in recent years, HBO’s Mare of Easttown. At seven episodes around 1 hour each in length, Mare of Easttown is structurally similar to Lady in the Lake and has similar themes and narrative points that center around a woman’s determination to investigate the death of a young mother.

Winslet plays Detective Sergeant Mare Sheehan who returns to her hometown of Easttown to look into the case herself after becoming a highly skilled investigator. While Lady in the Lake is based on two real-life murders and Natalie Portman is great, Mare of Easttown is praised for its gritty realism and outstanding lead performance by Winslet, making it must-see TV.

8 Under the Bridge

2024

Led by the star performances of Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone, Under the Bridge received mostly positive reviews, earning a critic score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2024 true crime limited series premiered on April 17, 2024, with its first two episodes before the finale of Under the Bridge on May 29, 2024. Under the Bridge chronicles the true story of the Reena Virk case.

Virk was a 14-year-old Canadian girl who was beaten and killed by a group of teenagers in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The limited series depicts the eight teenage suspects based on the tragic and unsettling true story from 1997. The series was developed for television by Quin Shephard (Blame, Not Okay) based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey. The acclaimed series is available exclusively on Hulu.

7 Top of the Lake

2013–2017

For those looking for a lengthier series to sink their teeth into after watching Lady in the Lake, the similarly titled Top of the Lake is a great option. Featuring outstanding performances by Elizabeth Moss, Gwendoline Christie, Nicole Kidman, and more, Top of the Lake follows Moss’s detective protagonist Robin Grifin who becomes obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl in New Zealand.

Top of the Lake runs for a total of 13 episodes across two seasons, both of which are currently available to stream on Hulu. The series was created by Jane Campion, the celebrated Oscar-winning director of The Power of the Dog (2021) and Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Piano (1993).

6 Big Little Lies

2017–2025

Nothing quite compares to the extraordinary female ensemble in Big Little Lies, which features performances by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, and Laura Dern. Big Little Lies takes place in the idyllic landscape of Monterey, California where a group of mothers and wives must work together to cover up a murder in their quant beach town.

Big Little Lies is highly immersive and full of tension while also impressively carrying notes of dark humor and elitist satire. The acclaimed series won 8 Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series in 2017. The first two seasons of Big Little Lies are available to stream on Max, with the third season currently in development and slated for a highly-anticipated 2025 release.

5 Sharp Objects

2018

Another outstanding psychological drama series from HBO is Sharp Objects, based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name. Sharp Objects has a similar premise to Mare of Easttown in ways, as Amy Adams’ crime reporter protagonist Camille Preaker must return to her hometown to confront her dark past and look into the murder of two young girls. Adams is exceptional as usual in Sharp Objects, which also features great performances by Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Sophia Lillis, Violet Brinson, and Matt Craven. Sharp Objects is a slow burn but like Lady in the Lake delivers in its finale. It’s available to stream now on Max.

4 Love & Death

2023

Based on a true story, Love & Death chronicles the real-life affair between Candy Montgomery and Allan Gore and the subsequent murder of his wife Betty. The event made national headlines and followed Candace Lynn “Candy” Montgomery’s story all the way through her very public trail that shocked the nation. The series, which is based on the book “Evidence of Love” by James Atkinson and John Bloom, takes place in a small town in Texas and has a great ensemble cast.

Candy (Elizabeth Olsen), unsatisfied by her boyish and dispassionate husband Pat (Patrick Fugit), chooses Allan (Jesse Plemons) to suddenly have an affair with after he accidentally knocks her over in a volleyball game. Allan can’t resist Candy’s advances and the two plan out a detailed strategy of how to successfully pull off the affair. This leads to a shocking true-story outcome that has to be seen to be believed.

3 A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

2024 –

Netflix has delivered another celebrated show starring Emma Myers, one of the stars of the massively popular series Wednesday starring Jenna Ortega. While A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is essentially a teen drama series and doesn’t share as many of the more mature themes and tones of Lady in the Lake, it’s still a solid whodunnit mystery with positive ratings. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder currently has a Certified Fresh critic score of 83% which is higher than Wednesday season 1’s Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 73%. At six episodes in total all ranging in length from 41 to 49 minutes, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder can be a quick and entertaining watch.

2 Poker Face

2023–

Poker Face is completely different from Lady in the Lake in its style and tone but very similar in its whodunnit premise and high-stakes plot. Natasha Lyonne is a tour-de-force of comedic brilliance in Poker Face, which was created by the acclaimed writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Knives Out). Apart from being hilarious throughout its 10-episode first season, Lyonne leads an outstanding cast that includes Ron Perlman, Adrien Brody, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hong Chau, Chloë Sevigny, and Nick Nolte. Viewers who are looking for a different and more lighthearted take on the crime murder mystery series after Lady in the Lake would do well to check out Poker Face, which is currently streaming on Peacock.

1 The Sinner

2017–2021

Bill Pullman stars in this chilling crime drama series that introduces new characters and stories with each season. With a total of 32 episodes across four seasons, each one acts as its own installment in a similar style to True Detective, although Pullman’s Harry Ambrose is the lead protagonist throughout. Season 1 features performances from Jessica Biel and Christopher Abbott, while season 2 introduced characters played by Carrie Coon and Natalie Paul, and Matt Bomer starred in season 3. The first season of The Sinner is arguably the best and is worth checking out after finishing Apple’s Lady in the Lake.