Death and Other Details was Hulu’s attempt at an engaging murder mystery, and it delivered. Following in the trend of modern-day mysteries, Mike Weiss and Heidi Cole McAdams’ streaming series focuses on a locked-room murder on a luxury cruise liner of which Imogene Scott finds herself the main suspect. Throughout the series, Imogene must prove her innocence by partnering with the world’s greatest detective, Rufus Cotesworth.
With its high stakes, unlikely partnership, and kooky ensemble, Death and Other Details fits perfectly into the murder mystery formula. The mystery genre has been around for centuries, often credited back to Edgar Allan Poe’s 1841 story, The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Now, detective mysteries are par for the course and we couldn’t love them more. We may be done watching Death and Other Details, but luckily for us, there are plenty of other mysteries to solve in television and film.
‘The Afterparty’ (2022 – )
If you missed The Afterparty, that’s the first bit of necessary viewing after binge-watching Death and Other Details. Already two seasons underway, Apple TV Plus’s murder mystery series shines behind the helm of Tiffany Haddish as the star detective. Every detective story has an unlikely detective, and while Tiffany plays an office in Season 1, her unusual method of uncovering people’s “mind movies” is both hilarious and engaging. Every episode becomes a different genre as an homage to the history of mystery, from musical to noir to spy thriller, nothing is off-limits in The Afterparty.
‘Clue’ (1985)
What came first, the movie or the board game? Shockingly, the Clue film is based on the game of the same name, but that doesn’t make its plot any less intriguing than the game itself. Characters such as Colonel Mustard (Martin Mull), Professor Plum (Christopher Lloyd), and Mrs. White (Madeline Kahn) come to life in rooms we all know and love, like the Salon and the Library. But who invited them to dinner and who killed the host? Clue set the standard for modern-day ensemble mysteries, so we had to give it a nod.
‘Knives Out’ (2019)
Knives Out can largely be attributed with the recent meteoric rise in the mystery genre’s popularity. The film starred Daniel Craig as the lead detective as actors such as Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, LaKeith Stanfield, and more fight to prove their innocence. Complete with a lavish mansion, family wealth, and a classic “black sheep” of the family, Knives Out was nominated for three Golden Globes and even an Oscar, proving that murder mysteries are a timeless genre. Director Rian Johnson even cited Clue as an inspiration, alongside Last of Sheila for Knives Out’s sequel.
‘The Last of Sheila’ (1973)
Even before Clue, The Last of Sheila gave us a taste of a multi-suspect murder mystery, but in this film, the characters are trapped on a boat. Sound familiar? A boat is often the setting for a classic mystery film because there’s no escape and there’s a limited number of possible culprits. Written by Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim and the award-winning Anthony Perkins, The Last of Sheila captured the energy of a 1970s whodunnit complete with a wealthy group of friends, a luxury yacht, and a fake scavenger hunt-turned-actual murder.
‘Only Murders in the Building’ (2021 – )
Only Murders in the Building tackles the mystery genre from a different perspective: the podcaster’s. Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short star in Hulu’s earlier foray into the genre as three neighbors who have one murder connecting them. As neighbors from different walks of life, they bond over solving murders they shouldn’t get involved in. With a different mystery at the center of each season, the main characters get to know their communities. The heart in the series proves that murder mysteries are as just as much about characters as they are about solving the murders.
‘Murder on the Orient Express’ (1974)
Many call Agatha Christie the “Queen of Crime” as one of the most prolific mystery writers of the 21st century. Her play, The Mousetrap, is a mainstay on London’s West End as the longest-running play in history and the original Murder on the Orient Express film pays homage to Agatha’s original 1934 story perfectly. The Oscar-winning romp, which stars Albert Finney, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Perkins, and more, takes place after the 1930 kidnapping and murder of Daisy Armstrong. As the detective gets to know the unique cast of characters, we grow more and more invested in who the murderer is. And of course, it all takes place on a train to literally keep the story moving.
‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ (2023)
Netflix’s Mike Flanagan series, inspired by the stories of the father of mystery himself, Edgar Allan Poe, has a different tone than many of these other lighter mystery romps. However, it’s definitely worth a watch, especially for fans of horror. As Roderick Usher tells the story of his family’s downfall, each piece of the puzzle adds up to a denouement that’s both satisfying and terrifying. And what’s even better than a murder mystery that makes you laugh on the edge of your seat? One that truly gets under your skin.
