10 TV Shows Like ‘DTF St. Louis’ You Should Watch Next
Each series from writer, creator, and director Steven Conrad is distinctive, unsettling, and seemingly unconventional. “The Patriot , ” “Everlasting Grace, Ltd.” , and the hard-to-stream “Ultra City Smiths” each possess a style and tone that sets them apart from everything else on television, as well as from each other. All have also struggled to break into the crowded streaming market, though that may be changing: just a few episodes into Conrad’s new HBO series , “DTF St. Louis,” it’s already gaining popularity.
The series follows Floyd Smernich (David Harbour from Stranger Things), a married sign language interpreter with a fading sex life and a weird penis (a plot device), who saves the life of local meteorologist and cyclist Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman). They become friends, and Clark introduces Floyd to a dating app for married people looking for an affair. They both sign up, but a few weeks later, Floyd is found dead, and the police investigate it as a homicide (no spoilers: this all happens in the first act of the first episode). Linda Cardellini plays Carol, Floyd’s wife, who is also cheating on him with Clark.
To DTF’s credit, I’m not sure there’s another series quite like it, but all 10 I’ve highlighted below skillfully blend a smart, quirky, and slightly surreal tone, unraveling plots full of secrets and lies in unexpected places. Watch DTF St. Louis on HBO Max , and catch up on other series between episodes.
Patriot (2015–2018)
Infused with elements of dark humor that could easily be found in a Coen brothers film, The Patriot is the story of a jaded intelligence officer on a losing streak. Michael Dorman plays John Tavner, tasked with preventing Iran’s leading presidential candidate from winning. His elaborate plan to support the more moderate rival candidate involves having him adopt an unofficial identity and plant a job at a Milwaukee pipe manufacturing firm. After failing the interview, he must eliminate his hapless rival and then borrow urine for a drug test, which ultimately leads to extortion, and from there, things spiral out of control. As setbacks mount, John’s situation becomes increasingly precarious (and darkly funny—his musical talent means much of the narrative is presented in the form of highly specific folk songs he performs at open mics under yet another assumed name). The series was created by Steven Conrad, the creator of DTF St. Louis , so while the genre isn’t exactly the same, the tone is certainly similar. Watch “The Patriot” on Prime Video .
Deadlock (2023 – )
This Australian series, a blend of twisted crime drama and brilliant genre satire, tells the story of Dulcie Collins (Kate Box), a meticulous senior police sergeant in the fictional town of Dedlock. When a body is discovered on the beach, Dulcie is joined by Eddie Radcliffe (Madeleine Sami), a gruff and generally unpleasant detective who is brought in to investigate. Their unraveling of the web of secrets in the tiny Tasmanian town is gripping, and as an added bonus, the series mercilessly mocks typical police thriller clichés throughout. A new season is coming soon. Watch Dedlock on Prime Video .
Chair Manufacturing Company (2025 – )
Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin followed up their Netflix sketch show , I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, with this… awkward comedy/thriller? Somehow, this surreal, genre-defying caper broke records at HBO Max, and deservedly so. Robinson plays Ron Trosper, a mid-level manager in charge of building a new shopping mall. A broken chair during a public presentation sends Ron on a quest to uncover a vast conspiracy—convinced that the broken chair is just the first rung in a ladder of sabotage. The show takes us along with him on a darkly funny, sometimes terrifying, rabbit hole that nonetheless still feels like a reflection of contemporary American work culture, no less insane than Ron’s chair conspiracy. Watch Chair Company on HBO Max .
The Therapist Next Door (2021)
This dark comedy miniseries, based on a true story, tells the story of Marty Markowitz, played by Will Ferrell, and his therapist, Dr. Ike Hershkopf, played by Paul Rudd. For nearly thirty years, the kindly doctor has been ingratiating himself with Marty, earning millions of dollars for his services. Ferrell and Rudd play roles that are atypical for them, emphasizing the show’s central mystery: how on earth can a sane person allow someone to have so much control over their life? The show is far from dark, as the relationship between them also has an absurd quality. Watch The Shrink Next Door on Apple TV+ .
Bodkin (2024)
Unlike “DTF,” this film deals less with everyday themes, but still firmly occupies a place in the dark comedy/mystery genre. “Bodkin” takes us to the rather eccentric Irish coastal town of the title. Will Forte plays Gilbert Power, an American podcaster who arrives to investigate a long-running case of three people who went missing during the Samhain festival three decades ago. He is soon joined by Dove Maloney (Siobhan Cullen), a Dublin journalist who lived in London, and aspiring journalist Emmy Sizergh (Robin Cara). It’s almost a satire of the genre, but nevertheless has a gripping mystery at its core.Watch “Bodkin” on Netflix .
Perpetual Grace LTD (2019)
This short-lived cult classic was another shining example of Steven Conrad’s (series creator Bruce Terris) creativity, unlike anything else on television. Jimmi Simpson ( It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ) plays James, a mentally unstable and depressed former firefighter from rural New Mexico who gets drawn into a scam by Paul (Damon Herriman), the son of local pastor “Pa” Brown (Ben Kingsley). Pa is a bad guy scamming his parishioners through a shady rehab center. Paul plans to trick James into infiltrating the center and gaining his trust by robbing the shady pastor, while the equally corrupt local sheriff (Luis Guzman) eliminates Pa. It’s a gripping and captivating neo-noir thriller with the gorgeously stylized dialogue you’ll recognize from DTF . Buy Perpetual Grace LTD on Prime Video and Apple TV .
Landscape designers (2021)
Another film in the “truth is stranger than fiction” genre, this dark comedy does several things that make it far more interesting and far stranger than typical true crime stories. The first clever decision is the casting: Olivia Colman and David Thewliss play Susan and Christopher Edwards, a mild-mannered couple who are revealed to have murdered Susan’s parents and buried them in the garden, despite sending Christmas cards to the “leaving” parents. The series wisely avoids trying to decipher motives, instead exploring our desire to understand people like Susan and Edwards. Watch “Landscapers” on HBO Max.
Suburbs (2026 – )
This funny, freewheeling 1989 film starring Tom Hanks is a bit more lighthearted than “Dead Man,” but it nonetheless tackles many of the same themes: secrets, betrayal, and murder in unexpected places. Samira (Keke Palmer) and Rob (Jack Whitehall) return to his impossibly safe and tidy hometown, their new home across the street from a run-down Victorian that may have been the scene of a murder decades earlier—a girl who just wanted to get away. As Samira adjusts to motherhood and life on a cul-de-sac, she learns that even her nicest neighbors (played by Julia Duffy, Paula Pell, Mark Proksch, and Kapil Talwalkar) have secrets, and she begins to suspect that her husband knows more about the missing girl than he’s letting on. Watch “The ‘Burbs” on Peacock .
Dead to Me (2019–2022)
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini (also of Dead to Me ) make a great TV couple in this dark, twisted comedy about two women brought together by tragedy and lies. Applegate plays Jen Harding, a realtor whose husband is killed in a car accident; she’s deeply troubled by the incident and draws inspiration from Judy Cardellini, who maintained a cheerful outlook after the heart attack death of her fiancé, Steve—an easier task given that Steve is still secretly alive. Then we learn that Judy owns a storage unit with a car suspiciously similar to the one that hit Jen’s husband. That’s just part of the first episode, and the series gets even wilder from there.Watch Dead to Me on Netflix.
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (2026 – )
Perhaps the most bonkers and surreal series on this list (and that’s saying something), How to Get to Heaven is the work of Irish playwright and Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee, though that earlier and deservedly beloved series won’t quite prepare you for McGee’s new work. Three high school friends from Belfast reunite after learning of the unexpected death of their fourth best friend—or maybe she’s not dead, which is a controversial development considering they all have secrets they hoped to bury. Now they set out to investigate a possible murder mystery and immediately find themselves embroiled in a very (very, very) complicated situation. The tone of the story constantly shifts, and somehow it really works.Watch How to Get to Heaven from Belfast on Netflix .