Despite dark alleys and murder investigations being central to many mystery dramas, they aren’t the only factors that make this genre so addictive. Whether you’re into classic whodunnits, supernatural thrillers, procedural dramas, or something in between, Paramount+ has no shortage of solid options. We’ve narrowed down our favorites to help you get started. Here are our picks for the best mystery series on Paramount Plus.
What are the best mystery series on Paramount Plus?
For this list, we wanted to include a solid variety of mystery series, rather than just stacking them with standard crime procedurals. Paramount Plus definitely has plenty of those if that’s what you’re looking for (NCIS, CSI), but we also opted for shows that put a twist on the formula. There are also some great “crime meets the unexplained” picks on the platform, including Medium, the long-running fan favorite starring Patricia Arquette.
Evil
This five-season supernatural mystery thriller perfectly mashes multiple styles and tones that take this from entertaining to compelling — no power other than that of good writing, acting, and vision required. Evil follows Kristen Bouchard (Katja Herbers), a forensic psychologist who is hired to assist the Catholic Church in investigating cases involving possible demonic possession, hauntings, miracles, and other unexplained events. She works alongside David Acosta (Mike Colter), a priest-in-training, and Ben Shakir (Aasif Mandvi), a technical specialist. As they examine disturbing incidents, Kristen attempts to find logical explanations, while the team takes on cases that challenge their beliefs.
School Spirits
School Spirits still doesn’t have as much attention as it should, despite being in Season 3. Though somewhat geared more toward younger audiences — the Executive Producer worked on Pretty Little Liars — this is still a great show for any age. Maddie Nears (Peyton List) is a teenager who wakes up dead and trapped in the afterlife at her high school. With no memory of how she died, Maddie joins a group of other student ghosts who have been stuck in this sort of limbo for years. She begins investigating her own death while watching how her friends and family react in the world of the living. As Maddie searches for answers, she uncovers secrets about the people around her and what may have led to her disappearance.
Dexter
Even with later sequels and spin-offs expanding the franchise, the original Dexter, which first aired in 2006 during the glory days of Showtime, remains the definitive version of the story. Set in Miami, the series follows Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall), a highly skilled blood-spatter analyst with the Miami Metro Police Department. By day, he helps solve brutal crimes alongside his colleagues. By night, he leads a secret second life as a serial killer. Unlike the criminals he hunts, Dexter operates by a strict moral code that channels his violent compulsions toward people who have escaped justice. As he carefully balances his double life, Dexter must avoid suspicion from law enforcement, all while maintaining a facade of normalcy.
Killing Eve
For a slick, darkly funny riff on the traditional mystery series, Killing Eve stars Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, an MI5 desk analyst who becomes obsessed with tracking down a highly skilled international assassin. When a string of high-profile political murders points to a single killer, Eve pushes far beyond the tasks of her job, following her instincts even as she clashes with her superiors. Her investigation leads her closer to Villanelle (an absolutely unhinged Jodie Comer), a brilliant, unpredictable assassin who is both dangerously efficient and increasingly bored by her work. As Eve and Villanelle become aware of each other, the series turns into a game as both women try to outsmart and track the other down.
Yellowjackets
In 1996, a New Jersey high school girls’ soccer team survived a plane crash in the remote wilderness. As the already terrible situation grows more desperate, the survivors do what it takes to stay alive. As time passes, the group forms factions and makes choices that will define the rest of their lives.
In the present timeline, the remaining survivors are adults trying to maintain normal lives while keeping what happened a secret. As Yellowjackets switches between past and present, we start to learn what happened in the wilderness and what the survivors are still willing to do to keep the truth buried.
Twin Peaks
Consider this our bonus pick, because we can’t not include it, even if it pops up in a few of our other guides. This David Lynch classic kicks off when the body of Laura Palmer is found wrapped in plastic on the shore outside the small town of Twin Peaks. Laura seemed like the perfect teenager. She’s beautiful, smart, popular, a volunteer, and the homecoming queen, but it doesn’t take long for it to become clear that there was a lot more going on.
As the investigation unfolds, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) arrives to help the local police, and what starts as a straightforward murder case quickly turns into something much stranger. As in much, much stranger. (This is the world of David Lynch, folks.) The deeper Cooper digs to find Laura’s killer, the more this seemingly quiet Northwestern town begins to unravel.
How we picked the best mystery series on Paramount Plus
Though Paramount Plus has a lot to choose from, we narrowed our list to mystery series spanning a range of subgenres and fan favorites. There are plenty of classic whodunnit storylines here to keep us mystery fans hooked, but we went for a variation that keeps things from getting too repetitive.