Hannibal to Asur, five series that crime buffs cannot miss

Pondering and trailing the motive of a cruel psychopath as it commits one crime after another, leaving a trail of gore for the detective to solve, is what gives crime buffs goosebumps. And if you are a seasoned fan of crime dramas then these five series must be ticked off your watchlist immediately.

Dexter

This crime drama series aired from 2006 to 2013 on Showtime and was adapted from Jeff Lindsay’s Darkly Dreaming Dexter and its subsequent series of novels. The two-time Golden Globe-winning series traces the story of orphaned, traumatized and sociopathic Dexter, who channels his personal homicidal tendencies into vigilantism. A blood spatter pattern expert for Miami police by day, Dexter only murders heinous criminals who have given the judicial system a slip. It is currently available for streaming on Prime Video.

The Irregulars

This British crime drama is loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories on his Baker Street Irregulars, street kids who aided Sherlock Holmes solve his case by serving as his ‘little birds’ (as Game of Thrones’ Lord Varys would say). It aired on Netflix in 2021 and featured eight episodes filled with supernatural crimes that a group of street teens must solve, in order to find Sherlock Holmes.

Hannibal

Based off Thomas Harris’ renowned psychological-serial killer novel series protagonist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, the eponymous series focuses on the complicated yet iconic relationship which blossoms between FBI special investigator Will Graham and forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, as they solve various gruesome crimes together. At this point, before proceeding, it should be understood that Dr. Lecter also specializes in serial killing and cannibalistic culinary delights, as well as toying with his co-worker cum nemesis Will. The series can be streamed on Prime Video.

Asur

This two-season Indian psychological crime thriller, that also dabbles in serial killing, mythology, and life philosophy, aired first in 2020. It features a stellar cast comprising of Arshad Warshi, Barun Sobti, Anupriya Goenka, Riddhi Dogra, Amey Wagh, Sharib Hashmi, Meiyang Chang, and Abhishek Chauhan. The series traces the triangular conflict between a genius turned vigilante serial killer, and two CBI investigators who investigate his ‘designer’ murder scenes. The former considers himself the incarnation of the asura Kali and is here to invoke the day of reckoning and must be stopped at all costs to save millions of lives. The series is available for streaming on Jio Cinema.

Only Murders in the building

This comedy crime series is a unique refresher in its genre, tracing the story of three true-crime podcast lovers, Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, who are otherwise socially unhappy and awkward. The catch? The first two are retired oldies who can barely send an email while Mabel is a mysterious, late bloomer in life. As they solve murders that are only committed in their own building and start their own podcast based on them, in a mise en abyme manner, they garner unwanted attention of the killer(s) and must depend on one another’s wits to get through. It is available to watch on Disney+hotstar.