10 TV Shows Like ‘Fake’ That You Should Watch in the Future.
What if you knew your mom wasn’t really your mom, but no one believed you? That’s the unlikely yet entertaining premise of Hulu’s Faking It , in which Sam Nivola plays a teenager who wakes up after a car accident and quickly becomes convinced his mother ( Friday Night Lights ‘ Connie Britton) is an impostor. Of course, no one believes him. I’m not sure I believe him, but it would be pretty boring if it turned out he’d just had a really bad concussion all along.
It’s a coming-of-age drama and a surreal detective story with elements of comedy, and while it borrows elements from other series, it stands out for the masterful way it combines them. While you wait for the twist ending, here are 10 more twisty detective series to watch right now.
Apple Cider Vinegar (2025)
A twisted (and well-reviewed) series about identity fraud, Apple Cider Vinegar stars Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson, a real-life Australian cancer survivor (though she’s not!). With a cheeky sense of humor and a willingness to bend reality, the series follows a health and wellness blogger who fakes multiple cancer diagnoses to better promote her alternative app and MAHA-like treatments to unsuspecting audiences. As her livelihood is threatened, her lies become increasingly sophisticated.Watch Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix .
Search team (2016–2022)
Alia Shawkat plays Dory Sif, an aimless millennial who, after seeing a missing person poster for a college friend, decides to make it her mission to find her—with the reluctant support of her friends. But neither Chantal nor her disappearance are what Dory expected. The series shifts focus from season to season. Initially a darkly comic take on a Nancy Drew-style detective story, the characters later find themselves desperately trying to cover up a largely unintentional murder, and with each season their story delves deeper into this theme. It’s funny, smart, and quirky, and, like “Phony,” was co-created by writer-producer Anthony King, who also serves as the co-showrunner of the new series.Watch “Search Party” on Netflix.
Suburbs (2026 – )
This film is primarily about adults, so it lacks the coming-of-age theme central to “Fanatic,” but it does feature a unique mystery, gaslighting, and a protagonist whose sanity is nevertheless questioned by almost everyone. In this funny and very loose adaptation of Tom Hanks’ 1989 film, Samira, played by Keke Palmer, and Rob, played by Jack Whitehall, return to his incredibly safe and orderly hometown. Their house is across the street from a dilapidated Victorian building that may have been the scene of a murder decades earlier—the murder of a girl who made the mistake of trying to run away. As Samira adjusts to motherhood and life on a cul-de-sac, she learns that even the nicest neighbors have secrets and begins to suspect that her husband knows more about the missing girl than he’s letting on. Watch “Suburgatory” on Peacock .
Cruel Summer (2021 – )
When beautiful and popular Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) disappears without a trace in 1993, clumsy Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) takes her place, imitating Kate, infiltrating her social circle, and becoming close to her boyfriend. Everything is going well until Kate reappears two years later, accusing Jeanette of witnessing the events surrounding her disappearance and keeping quiet. Trouble. More action ensues as the series switches between 1993, 1994, and 1995, gradually revealing missing details. Watch Cruel Summer on Hulu .
Lie to Me Once (2024)
Based on the novel by Harlan Coben, “Fool Me Once” is more of a political thriller than a coming-of-age story, but we’re still in the “What the Hell is Happening to My Family?” category. Michelle Keegan plays Maya Stern, a former Special Forces pilot who relives the murder of her husband, whom she then miraculously catches playing with their daughter on video camera. The ensuing mystery is connected to her sister’s earlier death and leads to a web of conspiracy involving her husband’s family and a shady pharmaceutical company.Watch “Fool Me Once” on Netflix .
The Masked Girl (2023)
This dark and twisted detective story with a slightly surreal sense of humor rather matches the series in atmosphere, and it also features a single mother who is definitely not who she seems. Kim Mo-mi (originally Lee Han-byul), the “Masked Girl” of the title, is a uniquely complex woman; she always wanted to be a K-pop idol, but was constantly made to feel she wasn’t pretty enough for such fame. So, to fill this void, she takes on a part-time job. In addition to her boring office job, she dons a blonde wig and mask to perform as a webcam model for anonymous men. It’s a way to express herself creatively and sexually with a certain amount of control—until a mistake causes her to lose that control, a coworker exposes her secret life, and desperation leads to murder. The series constantly shifts perspectives, and is most reminiscent of “Fake” when focusing on Mo-mi’s daughter.Watch The Girl in the Mask on Netflix .
Girlfriend (2025 – )
With a slightly different perspective, though still in a similarly paranoid vein, Girlfriend follows a mother who may be panicking for no apparent reason. Robin Wright stars as Laura Sanderson, a wealthy London art gallery owner whose son (Laurie Davidson) brings home a new working-class girl, Cherry Lane (Olivia Cooke), and Laura immediately strikes her as different. But is there more to it? Can anyone named “Cherry Lane” really be trusted? Something is definitely off, and we wonder if this is a story about a dangerous con man or an overbearing mother—or maybe a little of both. Watch Girlfriend on Prime Video .
How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (2026)
This series from Irish playwright and Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee eschews the relatively subtle dark humor of High Fidelity for something far more gorgeously surreal. Three Belfast school friends reunite after learning of the unexpected death of their long-lost best friend—though perhaps not, which is a blessing, considering they all have secrets they hoped to bury with the possibly departed one. Now they set out to investigate a murder mystery (?) that turns into a search for the friend they only thought they knew, while inadvertently revealing many of their own secrets. The series’ tone is wildly varied, but somehow it works, with flashes of sincerity balancing the comedy.Watch How to Get to Heaven from Belfast on Netflix .
The Art of Sarah (2026)
Shin Hye-sun delivers a phenomenal performance as Sara Kim (well, almost), a wealthy businesswoman discovered buried under a sewer grate at the series’ opening. The police detective assigned to the investigation quickly uncovers inconsistencies in the woman’s identity and, after interviewing Sara’s friend and business partner, concludes that neither woman is (or is at all) who they seem. While the series takes itself more seriously than “Fake,” it’s still a gripping mystery with twists and turns built around a fictitious identity.Watch “The Art of Sara” on Netflix.
Fake profile (2023–2026)
There’s a lot going on in this steamy, telenovela-like drama. Camila Román (Carolina Miranda) finally meets Fernando Castel (Rodolfo Salas), whom she met on Tinder, in Las Vegas, and things move quickly—he turns out to be everything he seemed and more. She, on the other hand, is a bit of a suspect: a dancer, not a nurse as she claimed, and constantly being pursued by a jealous ex. However, everything is going well until she decides to surprise Fernando upon his return to Colombia (something you should never do), and ends up with a completely different guy when she asks him out at work. And that’s just the beginning!Watch “Fake Profile” on Netflix.