my top five tv crime dramas | what to watch?

There is nothing better I love than sitting down to follow a crime drama/murder mystery series on the tele. I love the tension of waiting week by week for a new episode to come out, and I know I'm not alone- so I thought I would give a brief run down of five of my favourite crime dramas that I have loved over the years. Be warned, there may be **spoilers** ahead, but I'll try not to give too much away.

Marcella

I'm going to start with the series that initially inspired this post. ITV One's Marcella follows Detective Sergeant Marcella Backland (pronounced 'March-ella'), a woman whose own deterioration of mental health following the death of her young baby causes black-out episodes that are a cause for concern since she is unaware of her own actions when in this mental state.

The series entwines the focus on Marcella's own personal woes of her cheating husband, alongside her role as Detective Sergeant, following the crimes she is assigned to- so far Marcella has had two series' which means two murder mysteries to follow. In the first series Marcella returned to a case she began back in 2005, and after her absence, pursues the person who she believes to be the serial killer using asphyxiation as his favourite method of murder. The second series captivated audiences through following the mystery murder of children through attempted lobotomy, in which most of the children died- all but one who is now in a care home, severely handicapped.

The season finale is not to be missed, as not only is the murderer revealed, but we find out what happened to Marcella's young baby- which ultimately leads to the shocking ending and disappearance of Marcella. If you like crime dramas that make you feel confused, intrigued, and anguish all in one, then you'll love Marcella. Roll on series three!

You can catch series one of Marcella on Netflix UK, and series two will soon feature.

The Missing

Whilst this BBC One series aired a while back in late 2016, it has remained a firm favourite of mine ever since. Whenever somebody asks me to recommend them a great TV series, The Missing series two is always my go to. Set in Germany, the crime drama follows the events surrounding missing person Alice Webster, who has been missing from her family for over ten years. We follow the on goings of detective Baptiste, who links the cases of two missing girls together, that of Alice's and Sophie Giroux. The series has a whole host of suspects, including several members of the army, a local butcher and his wife, as well as following the potential impostor who is claiming to be Alice.

Hands down my favourite crime series ever- and I will not stop recommending it!

The Sinner

A Netflix Original, The Sinner opens in a rather abrupt way, with a murder on the beach from a seemingly sane and normal woman, a mother and a wife. I was so confused when I first watched this series as it doesn't follow the usual 'who-dun-it' story line, as the murderer is revealed within the first hour of the series. What follows, however, is the unravelling of what lead this woman to commit this murder on the beach that summers day. From her childhood involving her terminally ill sister and her cruel, religious mother, we follow Cora Tannetti through her childhood and rebellious adolescent years, which eventually impacted her so much that she committed a murder. Flashbacks are my favourite plot device for a series to use, and this series features them heavily, along with many other crime dramas such as the ones mentioned above. You can catch this series on Netflix UK.

Ordeal by Innocence

Based on Agatha Christie's famous novel, however with an alternative ending, the series follows the Argyll family in the 1950's whose mother has been brutally murdered and died from her head injuries. The mother, killed at the family estate, was renowned for her multiple adoptions, however, it is her adopted wayward son, Jack, who is accused of her murder, despite his protests of innocence. The family, including the father, the remaining adopted children, alongside the staff in waiting become suspicious of one another. In comes another murder by overdose, a rape accusation, and the reveal that Jack is actually of relation to the father of the Argyll family, the murderer is found out and is punished accordingly, by being locked in the cellar for the rest of their life. This series is perfect for a quick watch as it is only three episodes long, and although it's not available on BBC iPlayer anymore, I am sure you will be able to catch it on Netflix soon.

Safe

I'm sure you'll have heard of the new Netflix Original series, Safe- if not, where have you been hiding? Following the father of a teenage girl who goes missing after a party at the popular girls house, we try to find daughter Jenny. As always, her life is unravelled and revealed before our eyes, including her terminally ill mother whose death rocked the family, with her boyfriend being found dead and drowned in the swimming pool at the party.

My boyfriend actually rolls his eyes every time I mention I'm watching a series that surrounds a missing persons case, because I will literally watch ALL of them if they involve a missing persons mystery. I think it's probably because there is always hope that the missing person is alive, and therefore there is opportunity to ask them personally what happened.

Now, I'm only on episode six, but so far there have been affairs with school children, drug scandals, stabbings, fires, and a detective who is stalking her father that doesn't know he has a daughter- if that doesn't entice you, what does? I actually can't provide anymore spoilers than that as I am yet to finish, but as far as binge watching worthy crime dramas go, this is one of the best. You can catch all eight episodes of Safe here.

I honestly cannot recommend these TV shows enough, so go and check them out! I'm sure I've missed many credit worthy dramas on this list, but these are just the ones that have stood out to me over the years. Be sure to let me know if you also loved any of these TV shows, and if you've got any more that you can recommend to me- now my degree is over I have a lottttt of spare time on my hands to fill up with crime dramas (& job hunting)! ciao!