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When They See Us poster

Shows that feel likeWhen They See Us (2019)

Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park.

If you loved When They See Us, the closest series we have are Unbelievable (2019), Black Bird (2022) and Narcos: Mexico (2018). All three share When They See Us' contemplative and gritty feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Godless (2017).

★ 8.8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗1 season · Netflixcreated by Ava DuVernaycontemplativegritty
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · HBO Max · Hulu
Stream it:Netflix ↗

If When They See Us hit the spot, these will too

Unbelievable poster
Unbelievable
2019 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.3drama · crimeNetflix

Common ground in both: rape and a true story

The difference: Sits closer to crime than When They See Us does

After a young woman is accused of lying about a rape, two female detectives investigate a spate of eerily similar attacks.

Black Bird poster
Black Bird
2022 · 1 season · Apple TV
★ 8.1drama · crimeApple TV+

The same preoccupation in both: miniseries

As Jimmy Keene begins a 10-year prison sentence, he gets an incredible offer: If he can elicit a confession from suspected killer Larry Hall, Jimmy will be freed. Completing this mission becomes the challenge of a lifetime.

Narcos: Mexico poster
Narcos: Mexico
2018–2021 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 8.3drama · crimeNetflix

Common ground: a true story

See the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel as an American DEA agent learns the danger of targeting narcos in 1980s Mexico.

Maid poster
Maid
2021 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.3dramaNetflix

Both are working the same pair: fight the system, social issues

After fleeing an abusive relationship, a young mother finds a job cleaning houses as she fights to provide for her child and build them a better future.

Big Little Lies poster
Big Little Lies
2017–2019 · 2 seasons · HBO
★ 8.4dramaMax

One thread runs through both: rape

The tale of three mothers of first graders whose apparently perfect lives unravel to the point of murder.

American Crime Story poster
American Crime Story
2016–2021 · 3 seasons · FX
★ 8.4crime · dramaHulu

Contemplative and gritty in the same breath

An anthology series centered around some of history's most famous criminal investigations.

The Americans poster
The Americans
2013–2018 · 6 seasons · FX
★ 8.4crime · dramaHulu

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI Counterintelligence agent.

Dexter: New Blood poster
Dexter: New Blood
2021–2022 · 1 season · Showtime
★ 8drama · crimeParamount+

Both rooted in New York City

10 years after Dexter went missing in the eye of Hurricane Laura, we find him living under an assumed name in the small town of Iron Lake, New York. Dexter may be embracing his new life, but in the wake of unexpected events in this close-knit community, his Dark Passenger beckons.

1883 poster
1883
2021–2022 · 1 season · Paramount+
★ 8.6drama · westernParamount+

Both are built on the same subject: miniseries

Follow the Dutton family as they embark on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of untamed America. A stark retelling of Western expansion, and an intense study of one family fleeing poverty to seek a better future in America’s promised land — Montana.

Godless poster
Godless
2017 · 1 season · Netflix
★ 8.2western · dramaNetflix

Drama built on grit, twice over

A ruthless outlaw terrorizes the West in search of a former member of his gang, who’s found a new life in a quiet town populated only by women.

The Act poster
The Act
2019 · 1 season · Hulu
★ 7.8drama · crimeHulu

Both keep coming back to the same thing: true crime

Gypsy Blanchard struggles to deal with the toxic relationship with her overprotective mother, but her attempts to free herself lead to murder.

Power poster
Power
2014–2020 · 6 seasons · STARZ
★ 8.1crime · dramaHuluStarz

Contemplative drama, and it commits to that

A successful New York entrepreneur lives a double life as the head of a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential, all while wanting to escape the underworld and keep his family safe.

In the mood for more contemplative?

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The best-reviewed series that share When They See Us’ defining feeling.