5 Modern Mystery Shows To Watch If You Like Murder She Wrote - TVLine

A classic that still draws viewers

Murder, She Wrote starred Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery novelist who proves to be a gifted amateur detective. She lives in Cabot Cove, Maine, where she often outperforms the official investigators.

The series premiered in 1984 and ended in 1996 after 12 seasons. Lansbury later returned as Fletcher in four feature-length movies, the last of them 2003’s The Celtic Riddle. The show earned many awards and continues to attract new fans.

Jean White investigates in France

Doubting that his death was accidental, Jean travels to Southern France to investigate. She stays and takes on other cases, often alongside local taxi driver Dom, played by Steve Edge. The series combines mystery with comedy and small-town drama.

A puzzle maker steps in

In Ludwig, David Mitchell plays John Taylor, an awkward, solitary puzzle-book maker who publishes under the name Ludwig. His twin brother James, a detective chief inspector, goes missing, prompting James’ wife Lucy, played by Anna Maxwell Martin, to ask John for help.

John goes undercover as James on the Cambridge police force and finds that his puzzle-solving abilities help him investigate murders. He and Lucy also search for James and uncover a complicated conspiracy. The first season premiered in 2024, and the second premiered in 2026.

A rural England mystery option

Agatha Raisin is based on mystery novels by Marion Chesney, who wrote under the name M.C. Beaton. The show is described as following a makeshift detective who is a fish out of water in rural England. The available description ends before providing further details about the series, so it offers no additional information about its characters or story.