5 Shows to Watch If You Like Phony: TVLine Picks Mysteries About Secrets and Suspicious Relationships

A school mystery after death

School Spirits follows Maddie Nears, played by Peyton List, after her mysterious death at Split River High in Wisconsin. Living in a kind of purgatory at the school, she tries to solve her own murder.

Maddie’s fellow ghosts died there at different points in history, while her friends on Earth search for answers about her disappearance. Her best friend Simon, played by Kristian Ventura, discovers that he can communicate with her.

The shows share an unusual mix of mystery and teen life, with schools central to both stories. Sonny also faces his mother Ellen at Delby High, where she is principal.

Connie Britton in another con

Dirty John’s first season tells a fictionalized version of a true story about Debra Newell, played by Connie Britton, and John Meehan, played by Eric Bana. Debra falls for him quickly, despite warnings from her daughters Terra and Veronica, played by Julia Garner and Juno Temple.

Unlike Phony, Britton’s character is the target of a con. The crime drama offers a chance to compare her portrayal of a mother in a relationship built on deception with her role in the Hulu series.

A romance built on deception

The Australian limited series Fake is based on journalist Stephanie Wood’s experience, which she also recounted in a memoir of the same name. Asher Keddie plays Birdie, who meets farmer and property developer Joe, played by David Wenham, through a dating app.

Birdie later discovers that Joe had fraud convictions, no permanent address, at least one other lover and was financially bankrupt. The show builds tension as she comes to doubt someone she trusted.

Birdie continues the relationship despite her instincts, amid pressure from her mother and herself to find a fairytale romance. Fake and Phony both explore the unsettling realization that a trusted person may not be who they claim.

Teen disappearances and changing roles

Cruel Summer is an anthology about teenagers facing trauma across different timelines, with episodes presenting events from different perspectives. Its first season centers on Kate Wallis, played by Olivia Holt, who disappears from Skylin, Texas.

Jeanette Turner, played by Chiara Aurelia, is a less popular girl who had watched Kate from afar. After Kate vanishes, Jeanette gradually begins taking her place in the town.