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The Apothecary Diaries poster

Shows that feel likeThe Apothecary Diaries (2023–)

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!

If you loved The Apothecary Diaries, the closest series we have are Classroom of the Elite (2017), One of Us Is Lying (2021) and Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun (2020). All three share The Apothecary Diaries' twisty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is LINK CLICK (2021).

12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Amazon Prime Video

If The Apothecary Diaries hit the spot, these will too

Classroom of the Elite poster
Classroom of the Elite
2017– · 5 seasons · AT-X
★ 7.7animation · drama · mystery

One thread runs through both: anime

Kiyotaka Ayanokouji enrolls at the prestigious Tokyo Koudo Ikusei Academy, but is assigned to Class 1-D, where students with behavioral problems are housed. The school awards points equivalent to 100,000 yen per month and allows unusual freedom in classes, masking a more complex system.

One of Us Is Lying poster
One of Us Is Lying
2021–2022 · 2 seasons · Peacock
★ 6.9drama · mysteryPeacock

The same mix in both: stillness, then twists

The story of what happens when five high schoolers walk into detention and only four make it out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun poster
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
2020–2025 · 2 seasons · TBS
★ 7.5animation · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyHulu

Both are built on the same subject: affectation

The difference: Trades the stillness of The Apothecary Diaries for an angle of its own

To be united with her crush, a hopeless romantic summons the ghost in the girls' bathroom at her school. But she's shocked when the ghost is a boy!

The Killing poster
The Killing
2011–2014 · 4 seasons · AMC
★ 8.3drama · crime · mysteryHulu

Both are working the same pair: detective, a woman at the center

The difference: Sits closer to crime than The Apothecary Diaries does

The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.

The Chestnut Man poster
The Chestnut Man
2021–2026 · 2 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.6drama · crime · mysteryNetflix

The same preoccupation in both: detective

At a grisly murder scene sits a figurine made of chestnuts. From this creepy clue, two detectives hunt a killer linked to a politician's missing child.

LINK CLICK poster
LINK CLICK
2021– · 5 seasons · bilibili
★ 8.5animation · sci-fi & fantasy · mystery

Animation built on stillness, twice over

Using superpowers to enter their clientele’s photos one by one, Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang take their work seriously at “Time Photo Studio,” a small photography shop set in the backdrop of a modern metropolis. Each job can be full of danger, but nothing is more important than fulfilling every order, no matter the scale…or peril involved!

The Watcher poster
The Watcher
2022– · 1 season · Netflix
★ 6.5drama · mysteryNetflix

Twisty drama in both cases

Ominous letters. Strange neighbors. Sinister threats. A family moves into their suburban dream home, only to discover they've inherited a nightmare.

The Boarding School: Las Cumbres poster
The Boarding School: Las Cumbres
2021–2023 · 3 seasons · Prime Video
★ 6.5drama · mysteryPrime Video

Contemplative mystery, and it commits to that

In an inaccessible place between the mountains and isolated from the world, a school is located next to an old monastery. The students are rebellious and problematic young people who live under the strict and severe discipline imposed by the center to reintegrate them into society. The surrounding forest is home to ancient legends, threats that are still valid and that will immerse them in terrifying adventures.

ERASED poster
ERASED
2016 · 1 season · Fuji TV
★ 8.4animation · drama · mysteryHulu

Animation with a pulse of twists, in both cases

Satoru Fujinuma is a struggling manga artist who has the ability to turn back time and prevent deaths. When his mother is killed he turns back time to solve the mystery, but ends up back in elementary school, just before the disappearance of his classmate Kayo.

Outer Banks poster
Outer Banks
2020–2026 · 5 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.5action & adventure · mysteryNetflix

Both play mystery straight

The difference: Takes it somewhere less contemplative than The Apothecary Diaries does

On a North Carolina island of haves and have-nots, John B and his tight-knit crew of friends find mystery and adventure while hunting for lost treasure.

Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World- poster
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World-
2016–2026 · 1 season · TV Tokyo
★ 8.3animation · mystery · action & adventureHulu

Both working the same animation territory

Natsuki Subaru, an ordinary high school student, is on his way home from the convenience store when he finds himself transported to another world. As he's lost and confused in a new world where he doesn't even know left from right, the only person to reach out to him was a beautiful girl with silver hair. Determined to repay her somehow for saving him from his own despair, Subaru agrees to help the girl find something she's looking for.

Lanterns poster
Lanterns
2026– · 1 season · HBO
★ 7.8drama · mystery · sci-fi & fantasyMax

Cut from the same drama cloth

Two intergalactic cops, new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, are drawn into a dark, Earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed series that share The Apothecary Diaries’ defining feeling.