There are a handful of excellent mystery box shows on Netflix, and these are the ten best. Mystery shows are a staple of television, and just about every genre taps into the tropes and themes of mystery, if only for a few episodes at least. However, just because a show poses a mystery doesn’t mean it’s a mystery show.
Mystery box TV shows need to be ultimately concerned with their mystery at the center. It can’t simply be a detective show about an unknown criminal, though plenty of detective shows are mysteries. Netflix has a stable of mystery box shows, and these ten represent the streamer’s best.
The Woman In The House Across The Street From The Girl In The Window (2022)
The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window is a parody of similarly titled cozy mystery TV shows and books. The miniseries stars Kristen Bell as Anna Whitaker, a painter taking a break from her career after the death of her young daughter. While at home, she thinks she witnesses a murder.
Anna cooks, likes mystery novels, drinks too much wine, and is afraid of the rain. It’s all a bit on the nose in terms of parody, but Bell brings some good energy to the part. There’s some tonal confusion in the show, but the mystery at the center is interesting enough, and fans of the genre will appreciate the ribbing.
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated (2010-2013)
The Mystery Inc. gang in Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated
Generally ranked towards the top end of Scooby-Doo! TV shows, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated is the eleventh TV incarnation of the famed mystery horror animation franchise. This series is set in the early days of the gang’s tenure as detectives, with most of their jobs occurring in their hometown.
Scooby-Doo timelines are always a bit messy, so Mystery Incorporated is not a prequel exactly, but it is intended to show the gang in an early stage of their career. The series is still filled with the same great mysteries fans have come to expect, and keeping the setting in one city makes the show feel a bit more condensed.
Inside Man (2022)
Inside Man is a four-episode British serial starring David Tennant as Harry Watling, a British vicar who is thrust into an impossible situation involving a young man and his mother. At the same time, in Arizona, a former criminology professor, Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci), is on death row for a crime he may not have committed.
Their lives come together in an unexpected and complicated way, which allows Tucci and Tennant to perform some excellent character work. It’s a grim and tough series that examines the worst kind of what-if questions. It may not be perfectly tied together, but it’s still a fascinating dive into the thought processes that go into crime.
The Residence (2025)
Despite being canceled after eight episodes, The Residence is a worthwhile mystery box show from Shonda Rhimes, starring Uzo Aduba as Cordelia Cupp. Cordelia is an eccentric detective with the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., who is called in for a murder at the White House when a diplomat turns up dead.
The building is put on lockdown, and no one can get in, and the politicians inside can’t get out as Detective Cupp investigates everyone there. It’s a light-hearted murder mystery that’s equal parts funny and surprising. The White House makes for a unique setting, and Aduba is properly odd to give the series some flavor.
Bodkin (2024)
Green Grass with people on it in Bodkin
The black comedy mystery thriller Bodkin follows Gilbert Power (Will Forte), an American podcaster who travels to Bodkin, Ireland, to observe a Samhain festival and investigate a cold case file about the disappearance of three people several decades prior. He’s joined by Irish journalist Dove Maloney (Siobhán Cullen) and Gilbert’s assistant, Emmy Sizergh (Robyn Cara).
It’s an eccentric and odd series that also serves as a satire of the true crime drama and the people involved in the production of such podcasts and TV shows. Forte is wonderful in the lead role, bringing all his weirdness to bear, and while the actual mystery could be a little tighter, it works well as an intriguing parody.
The Survivors (2025)
Kieran looks serious in Netflix’s The Survivors
The Australian mystery miniseries, The Survivors, based on Jane Harper’s 2020 novel, follows Kieran Elliott (Charlie Vickers), the only survivor of a 2009 tragedy in a sea cave. Kieran returns to his hometown of Evelyn Bay, Tasmania, 15 years after three of his friends died in a drowning incident.
The tight-knit community of Evelyn Bay views Kieran with suspicion, and when a young girl turns up dead, all eyes turn toward him. It’s a powerful series about grief, blame, and the scars that can resurface when you return to a place that you had hoped to forget. Atmospheric and complex, it’s a satisfying and affecting watch.
Extant (2014-2015)
In Extant, a sci-fi series executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, astronaut Molly Woods (Halle Berry) returns to Earth after 13 months alone in space, only to realize she has somehow become pregnant. Molly, who assumed she was infertile for years, tries to figure out the mystery behind her sudden pregnancy.
Extant pulls a lot of ideas from different sources across sci-fi and TV history, but it puts them all together in unique and interesting ways. Season 2 is an improvement as well, adding more weight and momentum to the story. It’s one of Berry’s best roles in years and a reminder of what she can do with great parts.
Untamed (2025-Present)
Eric Bana holding a drink in Untamed
Eric Bana stars as Kyle Turner in Untamed, a Netflix original series set in Yosemite National Park, where a mysterious murder draws the attention of federal agents. Kyle is a member of the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch and is still grieving the death of his son six years ago.
Untamed was one of Netflix’s most-watched shows in the summer of 2025, and for good reason. At just five episodes, it’s easy to breeze through. What’s really engaging is Bana’s powerful performance and the incredible vistas of the park. The mystery may not be the most complex, but it’s wrapped in an excellent package.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder (2024-Present)
Pip (Emma Myers) looking upset and looking at her phone next to Ravi (Zain Iqbal) in A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Based on Holly Jackson’s 2019 novel of the same name, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a British mystery series starring Emma Myers as Pippa “Pip” Fitz-Amobi, a young girl entering her final year of high school, who decides that the investigation into the killing of another schoolgirl was insufficient.
She decides that her final project, the one that will help get her into a university, will center on this disappearance. It’s a coming-of-age drama linked with a mystery series, and together they produce a cozy, intriguing, and highly bingeable show of one young woman discovering things about herself as she learns more about an unpunished crime.
The Scottish TV show Dept. Q is based on the book series of the same name by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen, which follows DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a cold and unliked detective who is just returning from medical leave after being involved in a shooting that paralyzed his friend and colleague and killed another officer.
Needing a PR win, the Scottish government creates a cold case office, Department Q, and puts Morck in charge, forgetting about the detective and his department. Morck is a fantastic creation and Dept. Q is Netflix‘s best mystery TV show. Deeply wounded and traumatized, Morck puts his exceptional skills to good use, bringing closure to families with every mystery solved.
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