What are the darkest crime series ever made?

Asked by: June Schimmel I  |  Last update: March 2, 2026
Score: 4.3/5 (59 votes)

The darkest crime series often feature intense psychological horror, moral ambiguity, and bleak depictions of humanity, with top contenders including True Detective (Season 1), The Wire, Hannibal, The Shield, Ozark, The Fall, and Happy Valley, all known for their gritty realism, disturbing themes, and unforgettable, deeply flawed characters that delve into the abyss of human nature and societal decay.

What are the darkest crime thriller series?

Dark Crime Series

  • Top of the Lake. ...
  • Unforgotten. ...
  • Dublin Murders. 20198 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • The Outsider. 202010 epsTV-MATV Mini Series. ...
  • Whitechapel. 2009–201318 epsTV-14TV Series. ...
  • Tokyo Vice. 2022–202418 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • Dexter: New Blood. 2021–202210 epsTV-MATV Mini Series. ...
  • The Killing. 2011–201444 epsTV-14TV Series.

What is the darkest series of all time?

Top 12 Dark TV-shows

  • True Detective. ...
  • Dexter. 2006–201396 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • Penny Dreadful. 2014–201627 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • Twin Peaks. 201718 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • Westworld. 2016–202236 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • The Punisher. 2017–201926 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  • Monster. 2004–200575 epsTV-14TV Series. ...
  • Luther. 2010–201920 epsTV-MATV Series.

What are the darkest thriller movies ever?

Best Dark Thriller Movies

  • I Saw the Devil. 20102h 24mNot Rated67Metascore. 7.8 (162K) Rate. ...
  • The Chaser. 20082h 5mNot Rated64Metascore. ...
  • The Babadook. 20141h 34mNot Rated86Metascore. ...
  • Guilty. 20152h 12mNot Rated. ...
  • Ugly. 20132h 8mNot Rated. ...
  • Rahasya. 20152h 3m. ...
  • Drishyam. 20152h 43mNot Rated. ...
  • Memories of Murder. 20032h 12mNot Rated82Metascore.

What is the longest running true crime series in TV history?

Before true crime became a genre, there was forensic files 🔍 The show that turned science into suspense and became the longest-running true crime series in television history.

Netflix's Darkest THRILLER Series You Need to See

22 related questions found

What is the most watched True Detective series?

Night Country is the most watched of True Detective's four seasons, and received widespread critical acclaim. It earned the highest number of Emmy Award nominations for the series.

What TV show lasted 72 years?

The TV show that lasted 72 years, combining its radio and television runs, was the American soap opera Guiding Light, beginning as a radio show in 1937 and ending on CBS television in 2009, making it the longest-running scripted program in history.
 

What are some of the darkest crime movies?

10 Darkest Crime Movies of All Time, Ranked

  1. 1 'Chinatown' (1974)
  2. 2 'A Short Film About Killing' (1988) ...
  3. 3 'Once Upon a Time in America' (1984) ...
  4. 4 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971) ...
  5. 5 'The Irishman' (2019) ...
  6. 6 'The Godfather Part II' (1974) ...
  7. 7 'In Cold Blood' (1967) ...
  8. 8 'Se7en' (1995) ...

What is the most mind boggling movie?

There's no single "most mind-bending" movie, as it's subjective, but top contenders consistently cited include David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, Christopher Nolan's Inception and Memento, Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko, and sci-fi films like Primer, Predestination, and Coherence, known for twisting reality, time, and perception with complex narratives and shocking twists.
 

What is the top 10 scariest movie ever?

There's no single "top 10 scariest ever," as it's subjective, but consistently high-ranking films across critics, audiences, and "science of scare" studies include The Exorcist, Hereditary, The Shining, The Conjuring, Sinister, Insidious, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Alien, with recent films like Talk to Me also appearing on recent lists for its intense scares. These lists often feature a mix of psychological horror, demonic possession, and visceral frights.
 

Which is the No. 1 series of All time?

There's no single "world #1" series, but Breaking Bad is consistently ranked #1 on sites like IMDb by audience ratings, praised for its storytelling and performances, while The Wire, Game of Thrones, and The Sopranos also appear at the top of various critics' and viewers' all-time lists, with documentaries like Planet Earth II also highly rated. Different sources prioritize different metrics (ratings, viewership, critical acclaim), but these shows dominate the top spots across the board. 

What is the scariest show of all time?

There's no single "scariest show ever," as fear is subjective, but top contenders consistently praised for intense scares include The Haunting of Hill House, known for emotional depth and ghosts; The Terror, for historical dread and monster horror; Marianne, for dark folklore; and classics like The Twilight Zone for psychological twists, with American Horror Story topping many lists for its varied, extreme horror. 

What's the darkest thing to watch on Netflix?

The "darkest" show on Netflix depends on your definition (psychological horror, true crime, intense drama), but top contenders often cited for sheer darkness include The Fall of the House of Usher, Midnight Mass, DAHMER – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, The Haunting of Hill House/Bly Manor, and intense horror/thrillers like Hellbound or Gyeongseong Creature, while documentaries like Athlete A (Nassar abuse) offer real-world darkness. 

Which is the No. 1 suspense movie?

There's no single "No. 1" suspense movie, as it's subjective, but highly acclaimed contenders often cited for their gripping tension include Alfred Hitchcock's classics like Psycho and Rear Window, psychological thrillers like Se7en, The Silence of the Lambs, and Inception, and modern hits like Get Out, with Joker leading box office for the genre. 

Which is the best investigative series?

The best investigative series often blend complex mysteries, compelling characters, and realistic tension, with top contenders including Mindhunter, The Wire, True Detective, Broadchurch, and Slow Horses, while classics like The Shield and Columbo, and recent hits like Poker Face, also stand out for their unique approaches to crime-solving, catering to different tastes from gritty realism to psychological depth.
 

What are some dark psychological thrillers?

Dark psychological thrillers often feature unreliable narrators, mind-bending plots, and deep dives into disturbed minds, with popular examples including Fight Club, Shutter Island, Se7en, Memento, Black Swan, Parasite, Nocturnal Animals, Get Out, The Machinist, and The Silence of the Lambs, exploring themes of identity, perception, and sanity. 

What is the biggest film flop of all time?

While definitions vary, John Carter (2012) is often cited as the biggest flop by estimated monetary loss (around $200M-$250M loss), followed closely by films like Disney's Mars Needs Moms (2011), Disney's The Lone Ranger (2013), and 20th Century Fox's Cleopatra (1963), with Cutthroat Island (1995) also famously bankrupting its studio. These films suffered from huge budgets, poor marketing, or a mismatch between expectations and reality, causing massive financial setbacks for their studios. 

What is the scariest movie in existence?

1. The Exorcist. When a mysterious entity possesses a young girl, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life. The scariest movie of all time.

What is the trippiest movie ever?

The "trippiest" movie is subjective, but top contenders often cited for mind-bending visuals, surreal narratives, or psychedelic experiences include Enter the Void, The Holy Mountain, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Mulholland Drive, and Fantastic Planet, with classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Big Lebowski also frequently mentioned for their unique, altered-reality feel.
 

What movie has 4295 kills?

The movie with exactly 4,295 kills is the horror-comedy Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015), famously documented in the YouTube "Kill Count" series, where it held the record for a significant time before being surpassed by animated features with massive death tolls.
 

What is the most profane movie of all time?

Films with the most frequent use of the F word

  1. The Wolf of Wall Street. 20133hR75Metascore. ...
  2. Uncut Gems. 20192h 15mR93Metascore. ...
  3. Christmas Bloody Christmas. 20221h 26mNot Rated46Metascore. ...
  4. The Outpost. 20192h 3mR71Metascore. ...
  5. Summer of Sam. 19992h 22mR67Metascore. ...
  6. Nil by Mouth. 19972h 8mR76Metascore. ...
  7. Casino. ...
  8. Straight Outta Compton.

What is the greatest thriller of all time?

Top 10 Overall Picks

  1. Psycho (1960) Courtesy Everett Collection. ...
  2. Mulholland Drive (2001) ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection. ...
  3. Memento (2000) ©Newmarket Releasing/Courtesy Everett Collection. ...
  4. Memories of Murder (2003) ...
  5. The Shining (1980) ...
  6. High and Low (1963) ...
  7. Rear Window (1954) ...
  8. Se7en (1995)

What's the biggest TV series ever?

Top 100 most watched tv shows of all time

  1. Game of Thrones. 2011–201974 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  2. Stranger Things. 2016–202542 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  3. The Walking Dead. 2010–2022177 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  4. 13 Reasons Why. 2017–202049 epsTV-MATV Series. ...
  5. The 100. 2014–2020100 epsTV-14TV Series. ...
  6. Orange Is the New Black. ...
  7. Riverdale. ...
  8. Grey's Anatomy.

What is the oldest TV channel still running?

The oldest continuously operating TV station is generally considered WRGB (originally W2XCW/W2XAF) in Schenectady, New York, which began experimental broadcasts for General Electric in January 1928 and still runs today as a CBS affiliate, making it the world's oldest television station. For networks, NBC (formed 1926) is the oldest U.S. network still active, though its broadcast history is tied to stations like WRGB, with its flagship commercial launch in 1941.
 

What is the longest running TV show that is still on today?

The longest-running TV show currently airing is Meet the Press, a news/interview program on NBC that started in 1947 and holds the Guinness World Record as the world's longest-running TV show, focusing on politics and public affairs with weekly interviews. For scripted television, The Simpsons is the longest-running animated, sitcom, and primetime series, while Law & Order is also a major contender in scripted shows, and Survivor leads reality TV.