The 10 Most Underrated Dark Thriller Shows Of The Past 10 Years
Do you love morally gray characters? Want stories that are gritty, intense, and thoroughly addicting? Are you searching for a hidden gem that you haven't seen already? Then, you've come to the right place. This list is for the dark thrillers that flew under the radar despite offering all of the above.
Streaming is both a blessing and a curse. It's filled with so many options that sometimes narrowing down the right watch becomes its own special kind of torture. Here, you can find the 10 most underrated dark thriller shows of the past decade, from gritty crime thrillers to high-stakes espionage thrillers loaded with action. Watch them on Prime Video, HBO Max, and more.
When most people hear "Animal Kingdom," they think of Disney. However, TNT's Animal Kingdom couldn't be further from child-friendly fare. It follows the Codys, a crime family led by the ruthless and manipulative matriarch, Smurf (Ellen Barkin). For six seasons, they fend off law enforcement, vie for power, and unravel betrayals buried beneath dark secrets. Addictive—that's how I like to describe it.
Animal Kingdom is far too underrated. The characters are expertly written and deeply flawed. They're the type of morally gray nightmares that you hate to love and love to hate. Barkin, in particular, delivers a career-best performance as Smurf, whose bizarre oedipal hold over her sons adds an extra bit of dark psychology to an already engaging crime thriller. Think of it like Bates Motel (2013) meets Breaking Bad (2008).
Admittedly, all the entries on this list are pretty dark, which is why I included Shut Eye. While still dark, this underrated Hulu series falls more in the territory of dark comedy-crime thriller than anything else. It focuses on a failed magician turned fraudulent psychic, Charlie Haverford (Jeffrey Donovan). The twist: Charlie suddenly starts having real visions.
What makes Shut Eye unique is the addition of the Romani syndicate and the corruption, violence, and high-stakes issues that come with Charlie's entanglement with it. Unfortunately, Hulu canceled the series after two seasons, but I promise it's still worth watching. Shut Eye has dark fun with the concept of fraudulent psychics and exploitative scams. In some ways, it's like The Sopranos (1999) meets The Riches (2007), also another underrated series worth checking out.
Author Gillian Flynn is a master of dark psychological thrillers. While her first film adaptation, Gone Girl (2014), was/is a certified hit, Sharp Objects remains much more underrated. Honestly, it's a darn shame because Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson deliver impeccable performances, anchored by an icy chemistry between them. In this eight-episode series, they play a dysfunctional mother and daughter, who reunite when Camille (Adams) returns to her hometown to report on the recent murders of two young girls.
Be warned. Sharp Objects tackles heavy subject matter like addiction and self-harm, so be mindful of triggers. However, it's also engrossing, haunting, and even chilling at times. Equal parts psychological thriller and mystery, this one will keep you guessing until the very end.
2011's Hanna is underrated in its own right, never mind the Prime Video series. Also titled Hanna, the show covers much of the same territory by following the titular teenager, isolated and raised by her father to be a cold-blooded operative and killer. This, of course, kickstarts a tense cat-and-mouse game between Hanna and the people who want to see her dead.
Unlike some of the other entries on this list, Hanna offers more fast-paced action. Still, it remains grounded by strong character development and coming-of-age themes, amplified by a compelling performance from Esmé Creed-Miles and, honestly, everyone in the cast. If you're looking for a hidden gem, you've got that here.
Them is the ultimate dark thriller—emphasis on dark. Honestly, at times, it's downright painful to watch, making horror fans its target audience or anyone feeling particularly brave. Similar to American Horror Story (2011), the series takes an anthology approach, with its two seasons each featuring a different story.
The first follows a Black family who move to an all-white neighborhood where they must contend with racism and supernatural forces. The second continues with the supernatural theme, but this time follows an LAPD detective. Where Them excels is in its horror. Tense, brutal, and psychologically demanding, it's a thought-provoking series with something to say.
If you're familiar with the Tom Cruise movies, Jack Reacher (2012) and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, then you probably already know about Prime Video's Reacher. If not, consider changing that. Pulling from Lee Child's famous novel, the series pits the former US Army military police officer, Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson), against all manner of dangerous criminals as he unravels conspiracies and seeks justice, no matter the cost.
Brutal, graphic, and loaded with butt-kicking, Reacher is the ultimate "dad watch." But, really, anyone looking for a fast-paced, more action-focused thriller will stay glued to their screens. Best of all, Reacher's seasons function as standalone stories, so technically, you can jump into whichever one seems the most interesting.
Similar to Them, Prime Video's Swarm will appeal most to horror fans looking for something unique. Here, Dominique Fishback plays Dre, a young woman with a love of music… and a deadly obsession with the pop sensation Ni'Jah. There's plenty of dark comedy in Swarm, but there's also violence, gore, and creepy moments.
Swarm lets you know up front that it's "not a work of fiction," but its true story claims are fueled by a collection of internet rumors and pop culture mishaps, seemingly pulling inspiration from Beyonce's fandom, rather than one particular event. True story or not, Swarm functions as a dark satire about the dangers of parasocial relationships and internet culture as a whole.
1999's Cruel Intentions is very well-known, but it's likely that Prime Video's reimagined series, Cruel Intentions, fell under a lot of people's radars. The show trades the movie's high school setting for an elite college, where the manipulative and seductive step-siblings attempt to charm the VP's daughter after a hazing incident threatens their reputations and place at the school.
Like its predecessor, the Cruel Intentions series is primarily a guilty pleasure watch. If you go in with low expectations, it's fun, messy, and addictive. Fans of Tell Me Lies (2022) and Cruel Summer (2021) will find a similar vibe here. In fact, the less you compare it to the original movie, the better.
If this list is anything to go by, Prime Video is the home of underrated thrillers. Malice, a twisty six-episode series, is yet another example of a show that deserved more attention. The X-Files' (1993) David Duchovny stars opposite Game of Thrones' Carice van Houten as a wealthy couple who get involved with a nanny (played with apt menace by Jack Whitehall) intent on tearing them down.
The sinister nanny is a common trope in the genre. Still, Malice anchors the idea in mystery, with the nanny's unknown motive keeping intrigue high. The tropical setting gives the series a The White Lotus (2021) feel that's sure to appeal to anyone looking for a bingeable psychological thriller with some sex appeal.
Prime Video's Hindi-language movie, Daldal, deserves more eyeballs. It's a deliciously dark, slow-burn crime thriller that delves deep into the mind of the DCP officer hunting down a serial killer in Mumbai. Seriously, watch the trailer right now. It will explain just how twisted Daldal gets. At times, it even feels reminiscent of Hannibal (2013).
Mystery premise aside, Bhendi Bazaar is the real draw of the series. Her female officer offers an interesting POV as she navigates elements of patriarchy and her own personal issues. Fans of gritty procedurals (who don't mind a healthy dose of violence) will love this one, even if it stumbles in a few areas.
