The Åre Murderswas released onNetflixon Aug 13, 2025, and the Swedish crime series has quickly risen in popularity across the globe. The show follows two detectives who are called to a small ski town in Sweden to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. As the series progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that things are not what they seem as the investigation, and even one of the detectives, begin to be questioned, makingThe Åre Murdersone of thebest crime shows on Netflixright now.
Despite the lack of publicity around the series,The Åre Murdershas cemented itself as one of thebest shows on Netflixbased on its streaming ranking. TheNetflix detective seriesfalls into the growing Nordic noir genre that focuses on dark twisty mysteries and complex crimes that unravel slowly.The bleak tone of the genre can also be found in other types of crime showsthat delve into why individuals commit crimes and the wide-reaching ramifications — and Netflix has plenty of such shows to choose from.
WhileThe Åre Murdersis based on a fiction novel series,The Breakthroughfollows the real murder caseof a 56-year-old woman and a young boy who were murdered in broad daylight, but more than 15 years later, no suspects were charged. Finally, one investigator decides to attempt a new method of DNA testing that uses ancestral data to link the DNA at the scene to a specific lineage.
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Netflix’s crime thriller, The Breakthrough, features an investigation of one of Sweden’s biggest murders and concludes with the culprit being caught.
The Breakthroughis a fascinating series for crime fans because it is based on a non-fiction account, andit provides insight into how innovative new technologies can actually aid in crime-solving in unexpected ways.Viewers can also expect gripping performances from the series' leads. While the factual premise makes it slightly different fromThe Åre Murders, the tone is similarly dark and does bring attention to the gravity of the real events.
4Entrapped (2015-2021)
The Icelandic Murder Mystery Ran For 3 Seasons
The Icelandic seriesEntrapped(alternatively calledTrapped) first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015, and was so successful that it was renewed for a second and then third season.Entrappedtakes place in an isolated Icelandic town during a heavy snowstorm. The town is rocked when fishermen discover a body in the water, and the police must work to find the culprit. All the while, the show’s serious tone reminds viewers of the severity and the officers' disbelief that such a thing could happen in their area.
LikeThe Åre Murders, Entrappedfalls within the Nordic noir genre,so it is not too surprising that both series are well-made and demonstrate similar themes. The latter series' three seasons are enthralling and get into the gritty, secretive aspects of the small town and its inhabitants, who often know more than they are willing to let on.Entrappedis the perfect series for audiences who love the claustrophobic nature of murder mystery shows set in small, isolated locations.
Harlan Coben’s Netflix partnership has resulted in several showsover the past few years, andMissing Youis the newest addition to the bunch. Following the limited series premiere on June 09, 2025,Missing Youentered Netflix’s top 10 charts, proving how much audiences love Coben’s crime shows. WhileMissing Youhas a slightly less bleak tone thanThe Åre Murders, the series still deals with a lot of serious emotional matters. Additionally, it has a similarly complex story that will keep viewers guessing until the finale.
Missing Youcenters on Detective Kat Donovan, who continues to mourn her father 11 years after his death and the disappearance of her fiancé at the same time. However,Kat is completely shaken up when she unexpectedly matches with her former fiancé, Josh, on a dating app. This connection prompts Kat to reexamine everything she thought she knew about her relationship and the death of her father, as she learns that the events, along with other disappearances, are much more connected than she first thought.
The Forestis a dark crime show whose eerie location adds to the show’s tension. The French series takes place in the Ardennes region of France when a teenage girl disappears into the forest. As this is investigated, other disappearances begin to occur and shocking information about the town’s inhabitants is revealed. LikeThe Åre Murders,The Foresthas the same sense of a mysterious small town where bad things cause the townspeople to doubt everythingthey had previously known.
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It’s important for every mystery series to create a compelling atmosphere, and these TV shows create an undeniable air of apprehension.
And like many crime shows,The Forestcan get quite dark, but there is always a level of hope that keeps audiences waiting for the next reveal. Perhaps one of the most interesting aspects of the series is how well it weaves the past and present together, as the disappearance of Jennifer raises connections in the characters' minds to disappearances from years earlier. While there are many complexities to the plot,The Forestdoes a great job of tying all of them up neatly in the series' resolution.
The USA Network’s showThe Sinnerbegan as a miniseries in 2017, but its popularity prompted the network to renew the series for several more seasons. During its run,The Sinnerwas nominated for several major awards, reflecting how well-acted and made the series is.The Sinner’s cast is led by Bill Pullman as Harry Ambrose, a detective who investigates a different crime each season, along with other well-known actors for each new season.
Interestingly, rather than follow the traditional pattern for murder mystery shows,The Sinnerexamines cases where the murderer admits to the crime. Working from this point, Harry then attempts to uncover why the culprit committed the crime, giving an interesting insight into the motives and complex lives of the characters portrayed. WhileThe Åre Murders’five episodes are over in a flash, luckily,The Sinnerhas 4 seasons to keep audiences entertained.
