Whether your Self-Quarantine and Social Distancing is out of necessity or choice, there’s no doubt that mystery fans will be looking for the next thing to keep them gripped mentally while waiting out the pandemic, COVID-19. Take your mind off coronavirus, pour a cup of your favourite drink and hunker down to binge-watch some seriously awesome mysteries. Here are our top recommendations for mystery series’ to keep you entertained during your quarantine!
1. The Chalet
This little goodie on Netflix doesn’t get a lot of play, and we think the reason why is because it’s French with subtitles. Regardless, in the grand tradition of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, The Chalet brings our victims together to wipe them out one-by-one. It runs two timelines at the same time, so once you figure out how to tell the difference, you will be hooked. The past comes back to haunt those in a small town in the French Alps in the most spectacular fashion. Warning: we can’t guarantee you won’t be cheering for the killer in the end. This is one of the best-plotted mystery stories we have seen in an long time – a who-dun-it told in a fascinating way you won’t forget. Bonus: Watch for the increase of blood running through the streets of the tiny model town during the starting of each episode. Try to get that creepy intro song out of your head… it’s impossible!
2. Broadchurch
This heart-breaking and yet captivating mystery is fantastically plotted, and the acting is so strong you forget you are watching a show. David Tennant and Olivia Coleman turn in amazing performances, and your theory of who the killer is will change right up until the moment the killer is revealed.
3. Murder She Wrote
Since we are talking classics (with Hitchcock’s Rear Window being our movie recommendation for today), we thought we would throw down a little classic murder mystery series on the TV side of things too. When Jessica Fletcher isn’t writing murder mystery novels at her home of Cabot Cove, she’s solving them in a variety of locations. Embrace the cheesy scripts and the fact that the one constant thing about ALL of these murders is, of course, Jessica Fletcher was there and just enjoy the throw-back. What’s even better – Amazon Prime seems to have all the seasons! Watch from the very start as the clothing and hairstyles get more and more 1980s as you progress.
4. Locke & Key
I JUST finished this one late last night! When I saw that Carlton Cuse was on the project (I’m a total LOST nerd here), I decided to give it a go. Based off the graphic novel, at first I thought it was a family-type mystery. Yeah no. There’s a LOT going on and most of it is not family friendly in any way. The mystery is captivating, and while it had the chance to be a bit corny with magic keys and flying kids, I personally think they did a fantastic job with it. The backstory of the murder of their father is haunting, and the story of the previous generation of kids that led up to what these kids were going through was quite interesting.
5. Sherlock
Sherlock – Good. Watson – Good. Irene Adler – Good. Moriarty – Gooooooood. Everything about this reboot, set in modern day, was done with utmost respect for the franchise, but instead of just re-telling the classic tales, they have put a spin on them that is like crack for mystery nerds (like us at SHOT). What’s even better – they are all on Netflix for your bingeing pleasure. I am Sherlocked.
6. Midsomer Murders
This is one of my go-to series when I need a glass of wine at the end of my day and a complete checkout from reality. This show spans a whopping TWENTY ONE seasons (as of this moment) and is still going strong, pandemic-willing, of course.
Because the show spans such a huge amount of time, the topics, styles and even clothing varies greatly from the first episode to the more recent. The side-kicks change (Jones lover here!!) and even head detective switched from Tom Barnaby to John Barnaby (the former’s cousin) but the backwoods country charm remains the same. Our personal favourites are back-to-back – Small Mercies and The Creeper!
