When Mare of Easttown landed on HBO in 2021, it brought Oscar winner Kate Winslet to the small screen as a cop named Mare trying to figure out how a young mother in town turned up dead. She’s exhausted, grieving, terrible at apologizing, and has a strained relationship with her family... not exactly your picture-perfect portrait of a hero. But fans and critics alike went feral for Mare. The miniseries was a roller coaster ride from beginning to end, ultimately pulling 16 Emmy nominations. It was so good that even now, years later, fans are hopeful we’ll somehow get another season.
And while it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen, we have kind of gotten the next best thing. Creator Brad Ingelsby went back to Delaware County for the HBO series Task, which actually takes place in the same world as Mare. So, more on that in a minute! In the meantime, here are a whole bunch of shows that scratch the same itch: complicated (you might even say messy) women, gritty small towns, and crime mysteries that get under your skin.
Shows Like Mare of Easttown
1. Task (2025)
This is about as close to a sequel as we’ll probably get! It’s written by Ingelsby, set in the same Delco backroads, and has that same Wawa-and-scrapple specificity that made Mare feel like a real place. Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom Brandis, who gets assigned to a task force chasing a string of violent home invasions led by Tom Pelphrey’s sympathetic thief. It’s bleak but tender, and Season 2 brings an actual Mare crossover with Julianne Nicholson’s Lori Ross. Stream on HBO Max.
2. Long Bright River (2025)
Here, Amanda Seyfried plays Mickey Fitzpatrick, a single mom serving as a Philly patrol officer during the opioid crisis. When women in the neighborhood start turning up dead, she fears the case could reach her own family: her troubled sister, Kacey, is missing. Based on Liz Moore’s bestseller, it’s a no-brainer eight-episode binge. Stream on Peacock.
3. Under the Bridge (2024)
Oof, this one will stick with you! Based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book, Under the Bridge is about the 1997 murder of a 14-year-old girl named Reena Virk from a small British Columbia town. Riley Keough steps into the role of Godfrey, who returns home to write about the case. Lily Gladstone is so, so good as Cam Bentland, the local cop investigating the crime. Stream on Hulu.
4. Dept. Q (2025)
Matthew Goode is essentially the male version of Mare as Carl Morck, an Edinburgh detective who’s sort of insufferable to everyone (including himself). After a shooting that killed a young officer and paralyzed his partner, he was exiled to a basement cold-case unit. There, he nd his team of misfits reopen a years-old case involving the disappearance of a prosecutor. Stream on Netflix.
5. The Beast in Me (2025)
In this riveting Netflix series, Claire Danes plays Aggie Wiggs, a novelist who stopped writing (and pretty much living) after the death of her young son. But when a real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance (played impeccably by Matthew Rhys) moves in next door, Aggie starts to see a story worth pursuing. If what you responded to most in Mare was a woman metabolizing the loss of a child by throwing herself into a different kind of tragedy, this is for you. Stream on Netflix.
6. All Her Fault (2025)
The premise alone here will hook you from the get-go: Sarah Snook’s Marissa Irvine goes to pick up her young son from a playdate... only for the woman who opens the door to have no idea who she is. Cue a suburban unraveling! Suspicion teems, shame goes viral, and everybody’s secrets start to surface as they frantically try to figure out who has Marissa’s son. Stream on Peacock.
7. Unbelievable (2019)
Based on a true story, Unbelievable tells the story of a young woman named Marie (Kaitlyn Dever) who claims she was sexually assaulted. But as the detectives on the case — played by the always incredible Toni Collette and Merritt Wever — start digging into what happened, the truth begins to surface. Marie doesn't know what to do, the detectives don't know what to do, and everything falls apart at her unbelievable story. Stream on Netflix.
8. Big Little Lies (2017-2019)
Like Mare of Easttown, Big Little Lies is big on mystery. In the show, everyone is hiding something. Celeste (Nicole Kidman) doesn't have the idyllic life that everyone thinks she does, Madeline (Reese Witherspoon) can't keep her nose out of everyone's business, and Jane (Shailene Woodley) is running from something that she doesn't want to open up about. Lies, deceit, and even death are at the center of this thrilling series. Stream on HBO Max.
9. The Flight Attendant (2020-2022 )
In The Flight Attendant, we're working backward after discovering Alex (Michiel Huisman) has turned up dead and Cassie (Kaley Cuoco) has no idea what happened... despite sleeping with him the night before. Thanks to her drinking, Cassie's memories aren't quite intact, and she's trying to evade the police, who think she had something to do with his death. Unfortunately, she can't remember if she was involved, though she's pretty sure she wasn't. She has to figure out the mystery, all while Alex’s spirit or ghost or essence is whispering in her ear the whole time, much like how Mare has to figure out her own cases in Mare of Easttown. Stream on HBO Max.
10. The Undoing (2020)
Nicole Kidman is, yet again, playing a role where her life isn't nearly as pristine as it looks from the outside. Her husband, played by Hugh Grant, is absolutely not who he seems. And when a young woman who recently came into their lives turns up dead, the whole mystery comes together. How did she die? How is she actually connected to everyone else? Why isn't anyone who they say they are? Who will even figure all of this out? Stream on HBO Max.
11. True Detective (2014-2019)
If you'd rather focus on the cop aspect of Mare of Easttown, True Detective does just that. You'll be immersed in the lives of a group of detectives as they track down criminals and solve crimes. But you'll also be taken outside the precinct and into their personal lives, keeping them human, much like Mare of Easttown does. Stream on HBO Max.
12. Sharp Objects (2018)
Amy Adams stars in Sharp Objects as Camille, a reporter trying to figure out unsolved crimes in her hometown. Much like Mare, Camille is on the case, trying to get to the bottom of the mysterious murders that have plagued the town. Camille also re-engages with her estranged family, bringing an added layer of extra-complicated drama into the fold. Stream on HBO Max.
13. Defending Jacob (2020)
After an assistant district attorney’s teenage son is charged with murder, the family's entire life is turned upside down. The father, played by Chris Evans, wrestles with the decision to be a good man who believes in the law or a good father who believes in his son. He and his wife are targeted because of the case, and everything they once thought about their town and family implodes. Defending Jacob is an exciting thriller that keeps you guessing until the end. Stream on Apple TV.
Similar Shows to Add to Your Watch List
- Happy Valley (2014-2023)
- Broadchurch (2013-2017)
- Tell Me Your Secrets (2021)
- The Stranger (2020)
- Collateral (2018)
- The Fall (2013-2016)
- Seven Seconds (2018)
- How to Get Away With Murder (2014-2020)
- Unforgotten (2015- )
- Top of the Lake (2013-2017)
- The Killing (2011-2014)
- The Cry (2018)
- The White Lotus (2021- )
- The Sinner (2017-2021)
- The Closer (2005-2012)
- Marcella (2016-2021)
- Scandal (2012-2018)
We recommend starting with Task and working your way through the list. Who knows? Maybe by the time you finish, we’ll actually get a second season of Mare.
source https://www.scarymommy.com/entertainment/shows-like-mare-of-easttown
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