One of Netflix‘s buzziest fall titles premiered this past weekend in the form of “Monster: The Ed Gein Story,” the third installment of the crime-drama anthology series “Monster,” this time focused on the infamous convicted murderer and graverobber Ed Gein (Charlie Hunnam).
The anticipation of that Oct. 3 drop, however, was followed swiftly by a pretty abysmal critical response to the eight-part season: The serial killer drama has a deadly 20% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics panned the show’s excessive graphic violence, overly campy tone and prioritization of shock value over substantial storylines.
That’s sad news for fans of the true-crime genre, mystery thriller shows, detective dramas and more — but that’s where Tom’s Guide comes in. We’ve handily compiled three murderously good shows about serial killers to watch on streaming services if you were disappointed by Netflix’s latest, from a Jamie Dornan-led British thriller to a David Fincher-directed psychological drama. Here are three serial killer shows better than “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.”
“Mindhunter”
Spoiler alert: Ed Gein never shows up in “Mindhunter,” the 1970s-set Netflix crime thriller starring theater great Jonathan Groff and “The Waterfront” star Holt McCallany as two FBI agents whose work interviewing imprisoned serial killers served as the early foundations for criminal profiling. However, fellow real-life murderers like Edmund Kemper (played by Cameron Britton), Wayne Williams (Christopher Livingston), Dennis Rader a.k.a. BTK (Sonny Valicenti), Charles Manson (Damon Herriman), and the Son of Sam himself, David Berkowitz (Oliver Cooper), among others.
Though sadly, per the show’s executive producer and frequent director David Fincher, we won’t be getting more “Mindhunter” in the future, the two seasons we do have are among the best of the genre — the first season has 96% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the second a near-perfect 99% score.
Watch “Mindhunter” on Netflix now
“The Fall”
In this Northern Ireland-set RTÉ One series, Gillian Anderson stars as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, a senior investigating officer who is desperately hunting down an on-the-loose serial killer named Paul Spector (played by Jamie Dornan, who won the IFTA for his compelling performance), who has been attacking young professional women in the city of Belfast.
“The Fall,” which ran for three seasons from May 2013 to September 2016, received widespread critical acclaim during its terrifying and titillating tenure — on Rotten Tomatoes, where the drama holds a 85% approval rating, the site’s critical consensus reads: “Less sensationalistic and more provocative than most police procedurals, ‘The Fall’ is unapologetically sexy with pressure-building tension driven by plausible characters and motifs.”
Watch “The Fall” on Netflix now
‘Mr. Mercedes’
Based on Stephen King’s Bill Hodges novel trilogy, this three-season crime drama follows the titular retired detective (Brendan Gleeson) as he sets out on a dangerous and potentially criminal crusade when a serial killer begins tormenting him through a series of letters and emails. Stream all three seasons on Peacock.
Praised for its “tense, creepy narrative with quick-witted dialogue, strong characters, and terrifying surprises,” the thriller has a stellar 91% approval rating overall on Rotten Tomatoes, with the chilling second season in particular receiving a perfect 100% score.
Watch “Mr. Mercedes” on Peacock now
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