10 TV Series Similar to “You” That Are Worth Watching Soon.
Sometimes we love to hate serial killers, and sometimes we just love them—a charming, sexy killer seems too appealing and interesting a contrast to pass up. Late-stage capitalism, the climate crisis, and the insurance industry are far more likely to kill us, so we’d probably prefer to face the statistically less likely threat of a sweet and cunning killer like Penn Badgley’s Joe Goldberg on You , which concluded its planned five-season run in 2025. But he’s not the only one! Here, we’re looking for series protagonists who are at least morally ambiguous, if not downright evil.
Fall (2013–2016)
Jamie Dornan’s sexy young serial killer Paul Spector isn’t strictly the main character in The Fall , but he co-stars alongside Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, played by Gillian Anderson, throughout all three seasons of the crime drama. Like Joe, Paul is seemingly an ordinary guy and family man, the last person you’d suspect of stalking and serially murdering professional women in Belfast. Superintendent Gibson is dispatched from London to assist with a stalled investigation, which leads her on a hunt for the cunning Spector, fraught with physical danger, psychological manipulation, and bureaucratic complexities. Watch The Fall on Peacock and Prime Video .
Chloe (2022)
Erin Doherty plays Becky Green, a complete unknown (at least in her own mind) who becomes obsessed with her estranged childhood friend, Chloe, who apparently committed suicide. Lonely Becky creates a completely new identity to infiltrate Chloe’s group of friends and discovers her life has become much more fulfilling than when she was boring old Becky—she even begins an affair with Chloe’s widowed husband. However, it turns out there was more to Chloe’s life and death than most knew, and her husband, Elliot, may be harboring some secrets. Watch Chloe on Prime Video .
Ripley (2024)
Patricia Highsmith ‘s Tom Ripley novels boast an impressive history of successful film adaptations, dating back to the 1950s, from René Clément’s Purple Noin to Anthony Minghella’s The Talented Mr. Ripley , which in turn inspired Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic , Room . Andrew Scott is ideally cast in this series, which doesn’t reinterpret the plot but rather gives it space to unfold over eight hours of leisurely neo-noir in a luxurious monochrome style. As the poor, orphaned, but ambitious Tom, he wins the affections of wealthy Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) and his girlfriend, Marge (Dakota Fanning). His obsession with the good life soon becomes indistinguishable from his obsession with Marge and Dickie themselves, his studied indifference always ready to give way to whatever simmers beneath the surface.Watch Ripley on Netflix.
Dexter (2006–2013)
A series that dares to ask: what if a serial killer is, in some way, a good guy who mostly wants to help? Michael C. Hall plays Dexter Morgan, a Miami forensic scientist with a bloody, murderous streak. Fortunately (usually), he’s learned to channel those tendencies into dismembering villains rather than the more sympathetic innocents who typically end up in the crosshairs of these types of killers (hello, Joe Goldberg). Our Dexter is so charming that he starred in eight seasons of the series, recurring in The New Blood , Original Sin, and the ongoing Dexter: Resurrection . Watch Dexter on Paramount+ .
Hannibal (2013–2015)
By 2013, it seemed we’d seen enough of Hannibal Lecter and company, the series of Silence of the Lambs spinoffs and sequels growing increasingly tiresome. However, producer Bryan Fuller returned to the source material, re-adapting Thomas Harris’s first Lecter novel in a grand, operatic style and with a visual scope unmatched on television (you’re still unlikely to find more beautifully constructed carnage scenes). Furthermore, the deeper, more sensitive relationship between the Doctor (Mads Mikkelsen) and profiler Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) adds a brilliant subtext as they hunt serial killers together. The series ended a bit early, but three seasons still provide a worthy watch. Watch Hannibal on Prime Video .
Glory (2022)
A deservedly well-received South Korean project, Glory holds together remarkably well on at least two levels, despite its abrupt shifts in tone. Most obviously, it’s a revenge drama with a relatively simple premise: Song Hye-kyo plays Moon Dong-eun, an elementary school homeroom teacher who’s playing a very, very long game: her bullies have grown up, and their children (at least some of them) are now under Dong-eun’s guardianship. Precisely where she wants them. It cleverly depicts Dong-eun’s past abuse (many scenes are difficult to watch), and how it has led to life-long PTSD. Her tormentors’ parents were too wealthy to allow the girls any punishment for their actions, so Dong-eun feels she has no choice. It could have been a revenge fantasy or a straight-up horror film about a woman exacting questionable revenge, but while it’s hard to root for Dong-eun, it’s also hard to condemn her entirely.Watch “Glory” on Netflix .
Candy (2022)
The real-life Candy Montgomery was played by Barbara Hershey, Jessica Biel in this Hulu miniseries, and just a year later by Elizabeth Olsen on HBO Max . Jessica Biel is so good here that this role deserves extra points and rises to the top of Candy’s best performances list. In 1980, Montgomery was accused of murdering her neighbor, Betty Gore (Melanie Lynskey), after she cheated on her with Candy’s husband, Allan (Pablo Schreiber). And, crucially, with an ax. Was it cold-blooded murder, self-defense, or an unexpected combination of both? Watch Candy on Hulu .
Bates Motel (2013–2017)
Freddie Highmore plays Norman Bates, Robert Bloch’s character based on Ed Gein, and Vera Farmiga plays his mother, Norma, in her prehistoric years, before she became a desiccated corpse. Like many other films based on Alfred Hitchcock’s cult classic Psycho , this film exceeds expectations, delivering impressively compelling character development and several unexpected twists, even when we already know roughly where it’s heading. Watch Bates Motel on Prime Video .
The Devil’s Hour (2022 – )
Jessica Raine ( Call the Midwife ) joins Peter Capaldi ( The Thick of Filth , Doctor Who ) in a somewhat convoluted but gripping series that incorporates nearly every horror trope imaginable while remaining confined to the two leads. Raine plays a social worker whose life is crumbling on nearly every level: she’s caring for her aging mother, her marriage is falling apart, her son is withdrawn, and she wakes up at precisely 3:33 AM every morning. She’s as compelling in the role as Capaldi is absolutely terrifying as a criminal involved in multiple murders (sometimes revealed in flashbacks) who seems to be able to “remember” the future—echoes of The Silence of the Lambs , but with supernatural overtones. Watch The Devil’s Hour on Prime Video.
Creepy Recordings (2024 – )
Returning from more morally ambiguous (or at least potentially useful) protagonists to a pure (charismatic) villain, Creep Tapes continues the plot of two found footage films directed by Patrick Brice, with writer and star Mark Duplass returning as Josef, or Peach Blob, or whatever he calls himself at one point or another. Almost an anthology, the series follows the charming, funny, sad-looking protagonist as he gives generally well-meaning people reasons to come and interview him on film, usually ending up documenting their own deaths. The series maintains the films’ sense of humor, as well as the persistent conviction that we’d likely fall for this convincingly manipulative loser’s tricks. Watch Creep Tapes on Shudder.