The Stolen Girl depicts every parent’s worst nightmare in a story about a slumber party that ends in a horrifying abduction. Based on the thriller novel Playdate by Alex Dahl, the miniseries opens with an intriguing first episode that automatically hooks viewers. When Elisa Blix (Denise Gough) meets Rebecca (Holliday Grainger), the mom of her daughter’s new best friend, she’s instantly charmed, and in a move completely uncharacteristic of her, agrees to a playdate that later evolves into a sleepover. The next day, she and her husband Fred (Jim Sturgess) go to collect their child, only to be greeted by a confused housekeeper, who reveals that no one owns the house. The home is a holiday rental, and the woman Elisa met has absconded with both girls.
Episode 1 establishes a series of questions, such as Rebecca’s true identity, her interest in Elisa’s daughter Lucia (Beatrice Campbell), and their whereabouts. It also teases the bigger role of journalist Selma, played by One Day‘s Ambika Mod, in figuring out the mystery.
The gripping five-part series airs weekly on Freeform at 10 PM ET with episodes streaming on Disney+ at the same time and available on Hulu the next day. While you wait for the next installment, you can check out these 10 mystery TV shows in the same vein as The Stolen Girl.
10
‘The Killing’ (2011 – 2014)
Based on the Danish show Forbrydelsen (which translates to The Crime), The Killing premiered on AMC in 2011, with later seasons picked up by Netflix after an untimely cancellation and thanks to a dedicated fanbase. Set in Seattle, it follows an unlikely pair of homicide detectives, Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder (Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman), as they try to solve the case of Rosie Larsen (Katie Findlay), a murdered young girl found in the car of councilman Darren Richmond (Billy Campbell), who is set to run for mayor.
An Introspective Mystery
The Killing is an engrossing dark show made all the more compelling by deep character development, its depiction of the psychological impacts of grief, and the detectives’ own personal demons. The second season continues to reveal the secrets of the Larsen family, as well as a political conspiracy. Seasons 3 and 4 introduce new cases.
9
‘Broadchurch’ (2013 – 2017)
The British sure do have a knack for producing riveting crime shows — Broadchurch is no exception. Starring the great David Tennant and the talented Olivia Colman, the series is set in the small coastal town of Dorset and focuses on Detective Inspector Alec Hardy and Detective Sergeant Ellie Miller. It follows the aftermath of the murder of an 11-year-old local boy, Danny Latimer, as the duo tries to unravel his mysterious death. Like any good mystery, this community is festering with secrets, and the townsfolk aren’t too happy with the media attention that arises.
A Gritty Crime Drama
Broadchurch is a thoughtful, poignant exploration of loss, grief, and the consequences of violence. The deceptive slow-burn whodunit takes its time with details, unraveling in a binge-worthy manner that keeps viewers invested from beginning to end. Seasons 2 and 3 are just as gripping and well-written.
8
‘The Forest’ (2017)
- Release Date
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2018 – 2016
- Network
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France 3
- Directors
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Julius Berg
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Samuel Labarthe
Vincent Musso
-
Suzanne Clement
Gaspard Decker
-
Alexia Barlier
Virginie Musso
-
Frederic Diefenthal
Eve Mendel
The Forest is a French show that has often been compared to the aforementioned Broadchurch. The series takes place in a French village near the Belgian border, right at the edge of the Forest of Ardennes, where 16-year-old Jennifer Lenoir (Isis Guillaume) goes missing. Captain Gaspard Deker (Samuel Labarthe) and local cop Virginie Musso (Suzanne Clément) look into her vanishing, as does a teacher with a mysterious background and traumatic past from those same woods. The investigation uncovers one dark secret of small-town life after another.
A Heavy, Atmospheric Mystery Drama
The show’s cinematography, character development, and plot are excellent, managing to maintain its intrigue and keep you guessing until the very last episode. Its eerie location adds to the show’s intensity and tension. The Forest stands out against other shows in the genre because it places more focus on the victims, characters, and their relationships than it does on the perpetrator, evoking great poignancy.
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7
‘The Cry’ (2018)
BBC’s Australian-British co-production The Cry is adapted from Helen FitzGerald’s 2013 mystery novel of the same name. It stars Jenna Coleman as a Glasgow primary school teacher who moves from Scotland to Australia with her baby Noah and fiancé Alistair Robertson (Ewen Leslie), years after their affair, so that he can fight for custody of his 14-year-old daughter Chloe (Markella Kavenagh). Not long after arriving at their new home, Noah goes missing, opening up the couple to media and police scrutiny.
Riveting Television
The four-part series unfolds through several different timelines to bring to life a captivating, emotional, psychological thriller full of twists and turns. The story explores motherhood, postpartum depression, and abuse. Coleman shines on the screen in one of her greatest and most memorable performances to date.
6
‘Sharp Objects’ (2018)
Based on Gillian Flynn’s hit novel of the same name, Sharp Objects stars six-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams as Camille Preaker, a Chicago reporter who returns to her small hometown of Wind Gap, Missouri to cover the story of the murders of two young girls, reuniting her with her estranged overbearing mother Adora (Patricia Clarkson) and her teenage half-sister Amma (Eliza Scanlen). As she delves deeper into the case, she confronts the past she’s long run from.
A Southern Gothic Mystery
Sharp Objects is a dream-like, twisty Southern Gothic tale that examines the legacies of trauma, grief, and the destructive nature of toxic family dynamics. The show also delves into other heavy themes like self-harm and abuse, so be forewarned. Adams gives a phenomenal performance that truly captures her character’s struggles with self-loathing and finding healthy ways to cope. If you’re a fan of character studies, watch this one next.
5
‘The Woods’ (2020)
- Release Date
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2020 – 2020-00-00
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Agnieszka Grochowska
Pawel Kopinski
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Agnieszka Grochowska
LAura Goldsztajn
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Hubert Milkowski
Young Pawel
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Wiktoria Filus
Young Laura
The Woods is one of the finest Harlan Coben adaptations to date. The Polish project flashes back and forth between two timelines — a 1994 summer camp in the woods and 2019 — and focuses on a Warsaw prosecutor who’s called in to identify a murder victim who was carrying a collection of newspaper clippings related to his past. The case is seemingly connected to the 1994 summer mysteries of his youth, in which some people were killed and two others, including his sister, mysteriously vanished.
A Twist-Filled, Gritty Whodunit
If you’re looking for a binge-worthy whodunit, The Woods has you covered. Its nonlinear storytelling is engrossing from beginning to end. With a high-quality production, brilliant performances, and enticing character development, viewers will want to stay seated until its sixth and final episode is over.
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4
‘Black Snow’ (2022 – Present)
- Release Date
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January 1, 2023
- Network
-
Stan
- Directors
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Sian Davies
-
-
Alexander England
Hazel Baker
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Talijah Blackman-Corowa
Isabel Baker
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Alexander England
Anton Bianchi
The Australian crime drama Black Snow focuses on a small-town murder mystery in North Queensland and is told through two timelines. When a graduating class’s time capsule is opened, it reveals a clue for a cold case involving the 1994 brutal murder of 17-year-old South Sea Islander Isabel Baker (Talijah Blackman-Corowa), prying the lid off the past. Detective James Cormack (Travis Fimmel) is tasked with heading the investigation. As he works to find her killer, he’s also embroiled in a personal cold case involving the disappearance of his brother.
An Important History Lesson
Black Snow‘s first season is so much more than a mystery. As it progresses, it explores wider injustices, shining a light on Australia’s dark history of blackbirding, defined by Brittanica as “the 19th- and early 20th-century practice of enslaving (often by force and deception) South Pacific islanders on the cotton and sugar plantations of Queensland, Australia,” while also exploring its ongoing impact on the South Sea Islander Community and delving deep into the evils of colonialism. Season 2 introduces a new case.
3
‘The Clearing’ (2023)
- Release Date
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2023 – 2022
- Showrunner
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Elise McCredie, Matt Cameron
- Directors
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Jeffrey Walker, Gracie Otto
J.P. Pomare’s best-selling psychological thriller The Clearing made its way to screen in this eight-part miniseries with an all-star cast of Australian actors that includes Miranda Otto, A Discovery of Witches‘ Teresa Palmer, and Guy Pearce. It brings to life a fictionalized account of the notorious Australian cult The Family, who operated from the mid-’60s to the mid-’80s, dubbed The Kindred in this story.
A Disturbing Look at Cults
Otto gives a chilling portrayal of its terrifying leader, Adrienne Beaufort. Palmer stars as Freya, a single mother with ties to The Kindred whose childhood memories are triggered when a local girl goes missing in her community. Told across various timelines, the story explores the insidious nature of cults, how they brainwash their victims, and the psychological scars they leave on those who escape.
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2
‘The Snow Girl’ (2023 – 2025)
The Snow Girl is another book adaptation, bringing to the screen Javier Castillo’s novel of the same name. This story from Spain is centered around the child abduction of 5-year-old Amaya Martín Núñez (Emma Sánchez) from the Twelfth Night parade in 2010. Investigative journalist intern Miren Rojo (Milena Smit), who’s recovering from her own past trauma, becomes deeply involved in the case over the course of several years, which sees her become a full-fledged reporter, uncovering clues with a series of VHS tapes that are delivered to her.
A Non-Scandinavian Nordic Noir
Despite being from an entirely different region and featuring a warmer climate, the Spanish hit series will make perfect viewing for those who can’t get enough of Nordic Noir, thanks to the filming style, darkness, and trappings it shares with the addictive genre. With a twisty, suspenseful plot, The Snow Girl is a binge-worthy watch told across different timelines. It does, however, deal with some grim and heavy subject matter, so trigger warning for CSA.
1
‘The Åre Murders’ (2025)
- Release Date
-
February 6, 2025
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Alain Darborg
-
Carla Sehn
Hanna Ahlander
-
Kardo Razzazi
Daniel Lindskog
-
Charlie Gustafsson
Anton Lundin
-
Amalia Holm Bjelke
Uncredited
The Åre Murders, based on Viveca Sten’s murder mystery novels Hidden in Snow and Hidden in the Shadows, is actual Nordic noir. Its setting is Åre, a small town in a remote, snowy region in Northern Sweden, popular for its notable ski resorts, where a teenage girl disappears. Hanna Ahlander (Carla Sehn), a Stockholm-based detective who has recently been suspended from the force and dumped by her boyfriend, has just arrived in Åre to regroup at her sister’s cabin. Not able to resist getting involved in the case, she partners with Detective Daniel Lindskog (Kardo Razzazi) to solve it.
A Dark, Gripping Watch
The series has been one of the most successful Netflix shows in 2025 so far, capturing audiences all over the world and garnering critical acclaim. With a compelling story told across five episodes, its leads drive the show forward with their incredibly strong performances.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
