5 creepy small-town mysteries inspired by Netflix’s Wayward on my watchlist

Starring British icons Olivia Colman (The Roses), David Tennant (Doctor Who), and Jonathan Bailey (Wicked), you just know this mystery show will not only be gripping but the acting will be sublime. With 24 episodes, it’s also not an unrealistic binge. The story follows a small coastal town dealing with the murder of a 10-year-old boy, Danny Latimer, who is found dead on a beach. Detective Inspector Alec Hardy is assigned the case and must work alongside Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman). The small community of Broadchurch becomes deeply involved, and as Danny’s grieving family copes with the tragedy, the town’s secrets begin to unravel when a suspect is named and charged. I remember everyone raving about this show — and although it first aired in 2013, it has everything you’d want in a British crime drama: an idyllic setting, complex characters, and a dark underlayer of secrets.

Another eerie watch, Bates Motel stars a fantastic line-up including Freddie Highmore as Norman Bates and Olivia Cooke (House of the Dragon, The Girlfriend). The series begins in Arizona with the death of Norma’s (Vera Farmiga) husband. She then purchases the Seafarer Motel in coastal Oregon to start a new life. However, her son Norman’s mental health begins to deteriorate, and she must fight to protect him from the outside world while getting him the help he needs. The characters are based on the 1959 novel Psycho by Robert Bloch, making this a Halloween-style watch — and, like Wayward, it definitely brings the creepy factor.

HELLO!’s resident TV & film fanatic, Josh Osman said: ”Bates Motel is an incredibly gripping prequel series to Hitchock’s iconic Psycho – it’s a modern spin on the taboo family dynamics that make the original film so intriguing, and it has everything: intense psychological horror, mother-son drama, and twists and turns galore.”

Anything starring Kate Winslet sounds magical, though this series is more on the eerie side. Mare of Easttown follows Mare Sheehan in the fictional town of Easttown, Pennsylvania, where she is investigating the recent murder of a teenage mother. However, Mare’s personal life is far from straightforward. She’s failed to solve a previous case involving a missing young girl, leading the community to question her ability. Once the town’s basketball star, Mare is now dealing with divorce, the suicide of her son, and a custody battle with her late son’s formerly heroin-addicted girlfriend. There are so many juicy subplots at play, and Mare is clearly more than just a detective. Kate Winslet earned a great deal of praise for her performance, including a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress.

HELLO!’s resident TV & film fanatic, Josh Osman said: “If you like small town crime dramas, and Kate Winslet, then you can’t beat Mare of Easttown. The Oscar winner takes the trope of the ‘troubled, difficult and brilliant’ detective and completely makes it her own – the central mystery is wonderfully compelling, but the immense cast, including the likes of Julianne Nicholson, Guy Pearce and Evan Peters, turns this great small town drama into something truly incredible.”

In this miniseries, crime reporter Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) returns to her hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri, after being discharged from a psychiatric hospital. Sent to cover the murder of two young girls, Camille must also face her traumatic past — especially under the controlling eye of her mother, Adora, a small-town socialite. As Camille investigates the case, she also battles her own inner demons. The series is based on Gillian Flynn’s debut novel of the same name. Flynn also wrote Gone Girl, one of my favourite thrillers, so I’m excited to see if Sharp Objects delivers the same punch and air of mystery…

When The Society came out, I knew it would be right up my alley (I love a dystopian twist), but I didn’t have the time to watch it. A group of Connecticut high school students head off for an extended camping trip, but a storm forces them to return early. On arrival, they find their town completely deserted and surrounded by dense forest. With the outside world seemingly gone, they must create their own rules and “society” to survive. The show stars young talents like Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies) and, although it was cancelled after just one season, it still boasts an impressive 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This definitely feels like the perfect mystery watch — with a modern twist.