10 Tv Shows Like The Innocent Thereviewgeek Recommends

10 More Not-So-Innocent Thrillers

The Innocent is the latest Harlan Coben thriller and boy is it a twisty-turny thrill-ride! If you’ve finished watching this one and are looking for alternatives – fret not! We’ve combed through the archives and saved you the hassle with our top 10 picks for alternate viewing. To keep things simple for skim-readers we’ve added what similarities these have. Of course for all the shows we’ve reviewed, we’ve also added a handy link so you can check out our full thoughts on that series and see if it’s something you want to invest your time with. So without further ado, we present 10 TV shows that should whet the appetite when you’ve finished streaming The Innocent.

The Stranger

Similarities – Mystery & Harlan Coben

What would you do if a stranger told you your whole life was a lie? Harlan Coben’s The Stranger aims to answers this very question. The story itself revolves around family man Adam. During his son’s football match, a strange woman arrives and tells him his wife Corinne lied about her pregnancy and miscarriage. Adam is rattled to his core and as secrets are exposed and Corinne goes missing, what follows is a quest for the truth that takes plenty of turns along the way. Only, the truth is far more shocking and ugly than first meets the eye. With Richard Armitage and Paul Kaye both firing on all cylinders, the series is let down slightly by some incredulous character motivations. Still, if you can get invested in the mystery, and excuse some of these shortfalls, this thriller delivers a compelling and binge-worthy journey worth taking. You can read our thoughts on The Stranger in our full season review here!

Dare Me

Similarities – Mystery & Dark Female Issues

Dare Me is an interesting cheerleading drama that takes elements of Gossip Girl and other melodramas of its kind and blends them up into a 10 episode series driven by some dark, central themes around murder, rape and jealousy. Based on the best-selling 2004 novel of the same name, Dare Me is a tale that predominantly revolves around three females. Addy and Beth are best friends; inseparable teenage girls reveling in the heady world of alcohol, drugs and parties. When new cheer-leading coach Colette arrives to shake things up, what follows is a story that starts to drive a wedge in Beth and Addy’s friendship, while dark secrets blanket the trio. The “whodunit” mystery here is pretty strong and it’s backed up by some good character development too. You can read our thoughts on Dare Me in our full season review here!

Tabula Rasa

Similarities – Slow Burn Mystery

If you’re in the mood for slow burn thrillers, look no further than Belgium’s Tabula Rasa. With an intriguing premise, some solid characters and an itching mystery that compels you to see it through to its conclusion, this crime drama is certainly worth your time. The psychological thriller revolves around an amnesia-stricken young woman called Mie, who’s locked up in a secure psychiatric hospital. When she receives a visit from Detective Wolkers, he claims to be the last person seen with Thomas Spectre, who has vanished. As a witness and prime suspect in the case, Mie is forced to remember what happened that night before she can even think about being released. In order to fight for the truth, Mie is forced into reconstructing her lost memories. The more she remembers though, the more Mie starts to distrust those around her. Moody, ambitious and really well written, Tabula Rasa is a solid series to check out.

Sky Rojo

Similarities: Hookers & Secrets

What do you get when you mix Euphoria, Killing Eve and Harlan Coben? Probably something close to Netflix’s intoxicating Spanish thriller. Created by Alex Pina, the brainchild behind La Casa De Papel, Sky Rojo is an exciting, dramatic and absolutely thrilling series. Set on the sunny isle of Tenerife, Sky Rojo dives deep into the shadowy world of pimps and hookers. Specifically, we center on three girls who work at Las Novias Club. After a slick montage to start us off, the girls quickly find themselves in over their heads after a nasty accident involving their pimp, Romeo. On the run and fighting to escape their indebted lives, Gina, Wendy and Coral wrestle with the mental trauma that comes with their work whilst evading their captors. Well written and incredibly enjoyable, Netflix’s latest thriller is a sure-fire winner. You can read our thoughts on Sky Rojo in our full season review here!

Quicksand

Similarities – Slow-Burn Thriller

Based on the Swedish novel ‘Störst av allt’ by Malin Persson Giolito, Quicksand is a surprisingly well written, absorbing series, one that does an excellent job adapting the novel into one of the best dramas of the year. With two timelines separated through Maja’s flashbacks and one school shooting anchoring everything into place, Quicksand is an easy show to binge and a tough one to put down. Blood spattered across school tables and the ground set the tone for the series, as this opening sees the aftermath of a shooting. A shell-shocked 18 year old Maja sits with the murder weapon by her side. As police grab her and take her into custody, across the six episodes we learn of the events leading up to that day. The slow build around all of this paves way for a really satisfying conclusion where Maja’s fate is revealed. You can read our thoughts on Quicksand in our full season review here!

Unbelievable

Similarities – Abuse Victims & Investigative Drama

Shocking, methodically paced and really well written, Unbelievable is a poignant and important reminder that sexual assault has far broader psychological effects than the despicable act itself. Inspired by real events, Unbelievable is, at its core, a rape case procedural. Young, distraught Marie reports a rape to the police in 2008 and after being forced to repeat her story numerous times to different officers, finds herself on the wrong end of the law, as her hazy memory and inconsistent story leads her into a false report that sees her facing arrest and possible jail time. While the series is a little slow at times, especially early on, Unbelievable is worth sticking with to see the dramatic way this one closes out. Netflix’s police procedural is certainly one of the better offerings on the platform. You can read our thoughts on Unbelievable in our full season review here!

Big Little Lies

Similarities – Trauma & Relationship Issues

While the needless second season does dampen the experience somewhat, the first season of Big Little Lies is damn near perfect storytelling. With incredible acting, a slow burn mystery and some great reveals across the 7 episodes, Big Little Lies is one of the best miniseries to release in quite some time. The story predominantly follows three Mums and their families. Boisterous Madeline struggles with her children growing up and not needing her anymore whilst simultaneously dealing with conflicted emotions toward current husband Ed. There’s also some ensuing tension between Nathan and his new wife Bonnie, while Jane struggles after moving to town and finding her son Ziggy accused of biting Renata’s daughter at school. Their feud is the glue that holds everything together but there’s a much darker central mystery at work here. That comes in form of Celeste who appears to have the perfect life with her twin sons and good looking husband Perry. Unfortunately under this sickly veil of smiles and laughter is a volatile relationship built on violence and fear. This one is a must watch. You can read our thoughts on Big Little Lies in our full season reviews here!

The Missing

Similarities – Mystery

The Missing, unsurprisingly, is a series about a missing child. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare and the way The Missing captures this in its rawest essence is partly why the show works as well as it does. Our protagonists here are Tony and Emily Hughes, who travel to France with their 5-year-old son Oliver. Their family holiday turns into a nightmare when Oliver disappears from a large celebrating crowd in Northern France. Suspenseful, gripping and split across two seasons, The Missing really hits that character-driven essence of what makes this scenario so frightening. It also makes for quite the engrossing watch that we highly recommend checking out.

The Woods

Similarities – Whodunit & Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben has a knack for creating page-turning books that seem to translate incredibly well to the small screen. After the success of both Safe and The Stranger, the prolific American author teams up with Netflix once more. Our tale begins in 1994 where four kids go missing in the woods during a summer camp; two of the kids turn up dead and the other two vanish without a trace. One of the missing kids happens to be our main protagonist Pawel’s sister and from here, this past timeline sees Pawel set out to try and discover what happened to Kamile. With jumps back and forth through time, The Woods layers this mystery with some nice reveals. However, it’s also arguably the weakest Harlan Coben adaptation. You can read our thoughts on The Woods in our full season review here!

Beyond Evil

Similarities – Small Town Mystery

Beyond Evil is a great example of how to take a simple concept and absolutely run with it. Between the exemplary acting, tight writing and numerous twists and turns along the way, this Korean drama is easily one of the best shows of the year. It’s hardly surprising then that it’s been nominated for 7 Baeksang Awards. At its core, Beyond Evil plays out as a simple murder mystery. Police detective Dong-Sik is haunted by the death of his sister Yu-Yeon 20 years prior. With the case still unresolved, a string of new murders seem to be connected with her death. It also coincides with the arrival of junior detective Joo-Won. He suspects Dong-Sik killed Yu-Yeon and sets to work piecing together evidence to incriminate him. Only, as he soon comes to learn, those at Manyang substation are a tight-knit family and watch out for one another. Beyond the killings, Beyond Evil is a tale of forgiveness, healing, and respect. There’s no big romance or montage sequences, there’s just 16 episodes of crime investigating and character development. Beyond Evil completely exceeds expectations, solidifying itself as one of the best Korean dramas of all time. You can read our thoughts on Beyond Evil in our full season review here! So there we have it, our 10 TV show alternatives to watch when you’re finished with The Innocent on Netflix. What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!