The very best crime series on HBO Max (2023)
Retired cops, fake and real detectives, heists and car chases, small town family secrets and big bucks are just some of the elements of crime shows we love so much. Here we bring you the best crime thrillers and comedies you can see on HBO Max.
Mare of Easttown (2021)
Kate Winslet in the title role of this series is the main thing for which it is worth watching. However, the plot is intriguing. Mare Sheehan (Kate) works as a detective in a small Pennsylvania town and must investigate the murder of a young woman. Despite a period of depression due to the death of her son, separation from her partner and a quarrel with her daughter-in-law, Mara must investigate the death of Erin and immerse herself in the life of the inhabitants of a town full of secrets, where unresolved tragedies of the past affect the present and future.
Directed by: Brad Ingelsby (Creator), Craig Zobel.
Cast: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, David Denman, Neal Huff, Guy Pearce, Cailee Spaeny, John Douglas Thompson, Joe Tippett, Evan Peters, Ruby Cruz, Sosie Bacon.
Duration: 7 episodes of 60 minuts.
Bored to Death (2009-2011)
Jason Schwartzman plays the fictional Jonathan Ames, a 30-year-old failed writer living in Brooklyn. To get more creative, he posts an ad claiming to be an unlicensed private investigator. One day, a phone call from a potential client who wants to spy on her husband challenges him to a real investigation. For three seasons of this show, he gets into the most ridiculous situations with his friends. This series has an excellent cast of guest stars, including director Jim Jarmusch.
Directed by: Jonathan Ames
Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Dansin, Heather Burns.
Duration: 24 episodes of 26 minute.
The Undoing (2021)
Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland together in the series… It's a chic cast! Based on the novel „You Already Knew", The Undoing tells the story of renowned Manhattan psychologist Grace (Nicole) who finds herself on the verge of a nervous breakdown when her husband Jonathan (Hugh) mysteriously disappears and the mother of her son's colleague is brutally murdered. Is Jonathan's disappearance connected to a crime?.
Directed by: David E. Kelley (Creator), Susanne Bier.
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, Donald Sutherland, Noah Jupe, Edgar Ramirez, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Matilda De Angelis, Lily Rabe, Noma Dumezweni, Michael Devine, Jim Cleary, Fala Chen, Vedette Lim.
Duration: 6 episodes of 50 minutes.
Big Little Lies (2017)
Another great series starring Nicole Nikdan, this time based on the novel by Liana Moriarty. She plays the role of one of three mothers of high school students living in Monterey, California. They have very different personalities and lives, but their fates intertwine when a mysterious murder occurs at the school one day during a school fundraiser.
Directed by: Jean-Marc Vallee, Andrea Arnold
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgard, Laura Dern, Adam Scott, Zoe Kravitz, James Tupper and Jeffrey Nordling.
Duration: 2 seasons, 14 episodes of 45–58 minutes
Landscapers (2019)
Landscapers is based on real events, and its main character is no more and no less than the great Olivia Colman. In just four chapters of this mini-series, we will witness the incredibly true story of a married couple of British murderers who, without arousing suspicion from anyone, hid the corpses of murdered people in their garden for fifteen years.
Directed by: Ed Sinclair (Creator), Will Sharp.
Cast: Olivia Colman, David Thewlis, Samuel Anderson, Felicity Montagu, Carl Johnson, Kate O'Flynn, Dipo Ola, Daniel Rigby, Jay Phelps, David Heyman, Maanuv Tiara, Nimisha Odedra.
Duration: 4 episodes of 50 minutes.
C.B Strike (2018)
Did you know that J.K. Rowling has written other books besides "Harry Potter"? Well, if you didn't know, we'll tell you here. This excellent police series is based on one of her novels. The story goes like this: War veteran Cormoran B. Strike lost his leg in combat and now works as a private detective. He's going through a love breakup and he's also being watched by the paparazzi because he's the son of a rock star. To make his job easier, Strike takes on Robin as a temporary secretary who will become more and more involved in the investigations. Together they will build a great team and experience many adventures.
Directed by: Charles Sturridge
Cast: Tom Burke, Tamsin Topolsky, Natasha O'Keefe, Holliday Granger, Dominic Mafham, Tim McInnerny, Tom Greaves, Monica Dolan, Leah Williams, Rob Callender, Jeremy Swift.
Duration: 2 episodes of 60 minutes.
The Flight Attendant (2020)
Have you ever woken up with no memory of last night? This is exactly what happens to the main character of this dizzying series, flight attendant Cassandra Bowden. But unlike what could have happened to you or me, she discovers a dead body in her hotel room. One morning, she discovers a corpse in her hotel room. Terrified, Cassandra packs her things and heads back to New York with the rest of her crew. However, in the US, the FBI is waiting for her with a bunch of questions that she does not know how to answer. What if she really is a killer?
Directed by: Steve Yockey (Creator), Susanna Vogel, Marcos Siga, Batan Silva, Glen Winter.
Cast: Kaley Cuoco, Michelle Huisman, Sonoya Mizuno, Rosie Perez, Colin Woodell, Merle Dandridge, Nolan Gerard Funk, Michelle Gomez, T.R. Knight, Zosya Mamet, Sharon Stone, Audrey Grace Marshall, Griffin Matthews.
Duration: 2 seasons, 8 episodes, 45 minutes each.
Search Party (2016)
Search Party is a crime comedy about Dory, a girl in her early twenties from Brooklyn who one day decides to find an old college classmate she barely knew who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Convinced that a young woman is in serious danger, Dory improvises as an amateur detective, dragging along Drew, her boyfriend and friends Portia and Elliot, who find the investigation a great way to gain followers. However, as the investigation progresses, the situation becomes more and more dangerous.
Directed by: Sarah-Violet Bliss (creator), Charles Rogers (creator).
Cast: Alia Shawkat, John Reynolds, John Early, Meredith Hagner, Brandon Michael Hall, Ron Livingston, Christine Taylor, Claire McNulty, Rosie Perez, Jeffrey Self, Parker Posey, Zach Cherry, William Ragsdale.
Duration: 4 seasons, 10 episodes of 24 minutes each.
True Detective (2014)
Our latest recommendation is True Detective, which has become a classic of the genre. One reason is the hard-to-pronounce actor Mr. Matthew McConaughey, who makes a great duet with his co-star, fellow great Woody Harrelson. The series is about two police officers investigating a murder in a small town in Louisiana. A woman is found dead in a field, her body bound and presented as if it were a ritual. It may be a satanic cult or a serial killer, but in any case, he opens the doors of hell, into which the two main characters are gradually immersed.
Directed by: Nick Pizzolatto (Creator), Cary Joji Fukunaga.
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Potts, Tory Kittles, Kevin Dunn, Alexandra Daddario, Charles Halford, J. Evermore, Glenn Fleshler, Shea Whigham, Joe Cross, Dane Rhodes.
Duration: 8 episodes of 60 minutes.