There are several great psychological dramas and whodunnit murder mysteries to check out after Apple’s limited seriesLady in the Lake.Based on the 2019 bestselling novel by Laura Lippman,Lady in the Lakestars Oscar winnerNatalie Portman in her first-ever leading rolein a television series. Portman leads an exceptionalcast inLady in the Lakewhich also includes rising star actress Moses Ingram, future Superman David Corenswet, and Mikey Madison, the star of this year’s Palme d’Or winnerAnoraby Sean Baker.Lady in the Lakehas opened to positive reviews, earning a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Thefirst two episodes ofLady in the Lakeintroduce Ingram’s character Cleo Johnson, a mother and hard-working model and bartender who leaves her political aspirations behind to work for the ambiguous club owner Shell Gordon full-time. This is before her ultimate death, which is depicted in the opening scenes of the series.Cleo’s death becomes a point of fascination for amateur investigative journalist Maddie Schwartz (Portman)who leaves her tepid family life as a housewife and works at the Baltimore Star newspaper.
Lady in the Lakeepisode 4picks up whereLady in the Lakeepisode 3left off, depicting Stephan’s escape from prison and Cleo’s apparent murder.Lady in the Lakeepisode 5finds Maddie deeply entrenched in her pursuit of finding Cleo Johnson’s true killer. More ofMaddie’s backstory with Hal Durstis revealed and provides additional context for Maddie’s struggle with post-traumatic stress. The biggest twists of the series are revealed inLady in the Lakeepisode 6as Maddie recovers from her stab wound, going in and out of consciousness asthe truth about Cleo Johnson finally comes to the surface. In the end, both Maddie and Cleo’s lives intertwine in ways neither could have imagined in the series finale.
Lady In The Lake Soundtrack Guide: Every Song & When They Play In Apple TV+’s Thriller Show
The new Apple series Lady in the Lake features several great songs from the 1960s including several original covers of classic tracks from that era.
10True Detective
2014–
Season 1 ofTrue Detectiveis widely considered to be one of the greatest cop dramas and murder mysteries ever made, although the recentTrue Detective: Night Countryis also considered to be a very strong entry in the anthology series. The celebratedfirst season features Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaugheyin hard-boiled police detective roles trying to solve a series of gruesome deaths.
Night Countrytakes the series where it has never gone before by introducing major themes of the supernatural.Jodie Foster is as exceptional as ever as Officer Liz Danverswhose reluctant but no-nonsense partner Evangeline Navarro (Kai Reis) acts as a great counterpart and teammate.Night Countrywas released in January 2024 and runs for six episodes, acting like its own miniseries until season 2 eventually comes out.
9Mare of Easttown
2021
Kate Winslet stars in one of the best whodunnit cop dramas in recent years, HBO’sMare of Easttown. At seven episodes around 1 hour each in length,Mare of Easttownis structurally similar to Lady in the Lake and has similar themes and narrative points that center around a woman’s determination to investigate the death of a young mother.
Winslet plays Detective Sergeant Mare Sheehan who returns to her hometown of Easttown to look into the case herself after becoming a highly skilled investigator. WhileLady in the Lakeis based on two real-life murders and Natalie Portman is great,Mare of Easttownis praised for its gritty realism and outstanding lead performanceby Winslet, making it must-see TV.
Lady In The Lake Ending Explained: What Really Happened To Cleo
The series finale of Lady in the Lake reveals the shocking truth about Cleo Johnson as the fates of Maddie, Reggie, and more all rise to the surface.
8Under the Bridge
2024
Led by the star performances of Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone,Under the Bridgereceived mostly positive reviews,earning a critic score of 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.The 2024 true crime limited series premiered on June 14, 2025, with its first two episodes before the finale ofUnder the Bridgeon July 29, 2025.Under the Bridgechronicles thetrue story of the Reena Virk case.
Virk was a 14-year-old Canadian girl who was beaten and killedby a group of teenagers in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The limited series depicts the eight teenage suspects based on the tragic and unsettling true story from 1997. The series was developed for television by Quin Shephard (Blame,Not Okay) based on the book of the same name by Rebecca Godfrey. The acclaimed series is available exclusively on Hulu.
7Top of the Lake
2013–2017
For those looking for a lengthier series to sink their teeth into after watchingLady in the Lake, the similarly titledTop of the Lakeis a great option. Featuring outstanding performances by Elizabeth Moss, Gwendoline Christie, Nicole Kidman, and more,Top of the Lakefollows Moss’s detective protagonist Robin Grifin who becomes obsessed withthe disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl in New Zealand.
Top of the Lakeruns for a total of 13 episodes across two seasons, both of which are currently available to stream on Hulu. The series was created by Jane Campion, the celebrated Oscar-winning director ofThe Power of the Dog(2021) and Oscar-winning screenwriter ofThe Piano(1993).
6Big Little Lies
2017–2025
Nothing quite compares to the extraordinary female ensemble inBig Little Lies, which features performances by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, and Laura Dern.Big Little Liestakes place in the idyllic landscape of Monterey, California where a group of mothers and wives must work together to cover up a murder in their quant beach town.
Big Little Liesis highly immersive and full of tension while also impressively carrying notes of dark humor and elitist satire. The acclaimed serieswon 8 Emmys, including Outstanding Limited Series in 2017. The first two seasons ofBig Little Liesare available to stream on Max, with the third season currently in development and slated for a highly-anticipated 2025 release.
5Sharp Objects
2018
Another outstanding psychological drama series from HBO isSharp Objects, based on Gillian Flynn’s novel of the same name.Sharp Objectshas a similar premise toMare of Easttownin ways, asAmy Adams' crime reporter protagonist Camille Preaker must return to her hometownto confront her dark past and look into the murder of two young girls. Adams is exceptional as usual in Sharp Objects, which also features great performances by Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Sophia Lillis, Violet Brinson, and Matt Craven.Sharp Objectsis a slow burn but likeLady in the Lakedelivers in its finale. It’s available to stream now on Max.
4Love & Death
2023
Based on a true story,Love & Deathchronicles the real-life affair betweenCandy Montgomery and Allan Goreand the subsequent murder of his wife Betty. The event made national headlines and followed Candace Lynn “Candy” Montgomery’s story all the way through her very public trail that shocked the nation. The series, which is based on the book “Evidence of Love” by James Atkinson and John Bloom, takes place in a small town in Texas and has a great ensemble cast.
Candy (Elizabeth Olsen), unsatisfied by her boyish and dispassionate husband Pat (Patrick Fugit), chooses Allan (Jesse Plemons) to suddenly have an affair with after he accidentally knocks her over in a volleyball game. Allan can’t resist Candy’s advances and the two plan out a detailed strategy of how to successfully pull off the affair. This leads toa shocking true-story outcome that has to be seen to be believed.
30 Biggest Changes Lady In The Lake’s Show Makes To The Book
Laura Lippman’s Lady in the Lake serves as the source material for Apple TV+’s show, but the crime-drama series makes some big changes to the book.
3A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
2024 –
Netflix has delivered another celebrated show starring Emma Myers, one of the stars of the massively popular seriesWednesdaystarring Jenna Ortega. WhileA Good Girl’s Guide to Murderis essentially a teen drama series and doesn’t share as many of the more mature themes and tones ofLady in the Lake, it’s still a solid whodunnit mystery with positive ratings.A Good Girl’s Guide to Murdercurrently has a Certified Fresh critic score of 83% which is higher than Wednesday season 1’s Rotten Tomatoes critic score of 73%. At six episodes in total all ranging in length from 41 to 49 minutes,A Good Girl’s Guide to Murdercan be a quick and entertaining watch.
2Poker Face
2023–
Poker Faceis completely different fromLady in the Lakein its style and tone but very similar in its whodunnit premise and high-stakes plot. Natasha Lyonne is a tour-de-force of comedic brilliance inPoker Face, which was created by the acclaimed writer/director Rian Johnson (Brick,Looper,Knives Out). Apart from being hilarious throughout its 10-episode first season, Lyonne leads an outstanding cast that includesRon Perlman, Adrien Brody, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hong Chau, Chloë Sevigny, and Nick Nolte. Viewers who are looking for a different and more lighthearted take on the crime murder mystery series afterLady in the Lakewould do well to check outPoker Face, which is currently streaming on Peacock.
1The Sinner
2017–2021
Bill Pullman stars in this chilling crime drama series that introduces new characters and stories with each season. With a total of 32 episodes across four seasons, each one acts as its own installment in a similar style toTrue Detective, although Pullman’s Harry Ambrose is the lead protagonist throughout. Season 1 features performances from Jessica Biel and Christopher Abbott, while season 2 introduced characters played by Carrie Coon and Natalie Paul, and Matt Bomer starred in season 3. The first season ofThe Sinneris arguably the best and is worth checking out after finishing Apple’sLady in the Lake.
Lady in the Lake
Cast
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAURA LIPPMAN, LADY OF THE LAKE IS A FICTIONAL DRAMA MINISERIES BASED AROUND THE REAL DISAPPEARANCES OF A YOUNG GIRL AND A WOMAN, COMING TO APPLE TV+. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND MADELINE SCHWARTZ, A DISSATISFIED 1960S HOUSEWIFE OF TWENTY YEARS WHO ENDS HER MARRIAGE IN SEARCH OF A LIFE WITH MEANING. MADELINE, BETTER KNOWN AS MADDIE, SEEKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD - TO DO SO, SHE HEADS DOWN THE PATH OF AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AFTER SOMEHOW HELPING THE BALTIMORE POLICE FIND THE BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL IN THE LAKE, CLEO SHERWOOD. LADY IN THE LAKE HAS NOIR ELEMENTS AND EXPLORES STATUS AND RACE IN A MURDER MYSTERY IN A DIFFERENT PERIOD. THE SERIES HAS BEEN DELAYED DUE TO AN INCIDENT IN LATE 2022 BUT IS STILL SET TO COME TO APPLE TV+ IN THE FUTURE.
