Like any other crime junkie, I’m a sucker for intense psychological thrillers with messed up characters and mind-boggling twists. But every once in a while, all that intensity gets a bit too much for me & I desperately start looking for cosy mysteries, very much reminiscent of Agatha Christie books, that make you want to cuddle your pillow and sip on a warm cup of coffee while you watch it.
Out of all the mystery-thriller series I’ve watched, these nine are some of the cosiest. Make yourself french fries and a cup of cold coffee (or chicken nuggets and peach ice tea or paneer pakodas and fresh lassi or…..really just any kind of foodie goodies) and start binging these one by one, because what else are lazy rainy days for?
Murder, She Wrote
This is the OG cosy mystery series that ran for 12 seasons from 1984-1996.
It follows Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury), a retired English teacher and a successful mystery writer, who solves murders in her quaint little town, Cabot Cove. This town, if it actually existed, would have been the murder capital of the world with its hilariously unrealistic number of murders.
The series is quite reminiscent of Christie’s Miss Marple. Angela Lansbury, with her warm voice and gentle behaviours, feels like everyone’s favourite grandma who occasionally passes sassy comments and solves murders.
(fun fact: Lansbury played Ms. Marple in the 1980 movie The Mirror Crack’d)
🔔 If you want an extra dose of cosiness, check Film Daily’s guide to some of the cosiest episodes of the series.
Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries
This series follows the personal and professional life of Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis), a glamorous and sassy amateur sleuth in 1920s Melbourne.
She wears haute couture, climbs buildings with her bare hands, sashays through jazz clubs with a pistol in her purse, lives her life unapologetically on her own terms, and gets quite worked up over feminist issues. Add to the mix a top-hat-and-overcoat-wearing perfectly gentleman Police Inspector and what more do you need?
The side characters in this show are absolutely endearing. Phryne’s butch lesbian doctor friend, her shy assistant who is continually shocked by Phryne’s life choices and a sweet constable who is in love with said assistant. This is a wholesome entertainer with nail-biting mystery plots and a sweet romance.
Only Murders In The Building
You are a retired (kind of but not really) actor, you live a pretty mundane life in a fancy but boring apartment building in New York, you’re quite lonely but you don’t hate your life. Then suddenly, there’s a dead guy in your building, your annoying neighbour wants you to make a podcast with him about said dead guy, you’re somehow making new friends, and there’s a sexy lady flirting with you. What can go wrong?
OMITB is so much fun exactly because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The murder mystery itself is quite gripping and really well-plotted, but it is the eccentric bunch of podcaster-cum-amateur-sleuths (played by Steve Martin, Martin Short & Selena Gomez) that takes the cake.
The brilliance of the series is its perfect balance of comedy and mystery – it will make you roar with laughter, then turn around and make your jaw drop with a plot twist within seconds.
Healer
It would be wrong to categorise Healer as a cosy mystery per se, but if ✨feels✨ are what you are looking for, then there’s nothing better than this K-drama.
An old murder incident involving a group that ran an illegal broadcasting station brings together different people – a mysterious errand guy “Healer” who possesses disguise and fighting skills (played by none other than Ji Chang-Wook 😍), a reporter from a second-rate tabloid, and a famous journalist. While trying to navigate their way through half-truths and lies, they develop deep bonds with each other that are put to test again and again.
Healer has (a) a plot that manages to give you whiplash with twists (b) literally the cutest frenemies-to-lovers arc ever (c) unjustifiably hot people (d) top-notch action sequences ft. the amazingness that is Ji Chang-Wook.
Do I need to give more reasons to watch this ultimate entertainer?
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
You may call me a biased fan, but I’d say that Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the best TV series to ever exist. Period!!!!!!!
A police-procedural comedy, this show follows a team of odd and quirky detectives of the 99th precinct in Brooklyn. With a gay black police captain, two badass Latina detectives and characters who are the farthest from the stereotypical portrayals we usually see, this series kicks the ball out of the park with every freaking episode.
In its 7 season run, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has bravely and beautifully handled issues like racism, homophobia, workplace harassment, coming out to your family, and infertility to name just a few. No matter what mood you are in, this series is the perfect watch for all times.
The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency
This series stands out from all the other mystery series I’ve ever watched, simply because there is nothing similar to it. And somehow, this is one of the most under-recommended series.
No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency is set in Botswana (a country in Southern Africa). Our protagonist, Precious Ramotswe (or Mma Ramotswe as she is called by others) starts the country’s first ladies’ detective agency after separating from her no-good, abusive husband. Although everyone is sceptical of what mysteries a woman could solve, Mma Ramotswe’s agency somehow stays afloat through the thick and thin.
While the actual mysteries and twists might pale in comparison to other series in this list, the story here is really about the people whose lives Mma Ramotswe touches through her sleuthing and the way her own life slowly changes because of them. It’s hilarious at some times, meditative at others, but always entertaining.
Castle
Castle revolves around Richard Castle, a celebrated mystery writer who decides to team up with NYPD detective Kate Beckett to solve the case of a serial killer who recreates murder scenes from Castle’s books.
While working the case, Castle realises that this is the antidote to his crushing writer’s block and Beckett realises that there are certain benefits to having a sharp mystery writer tag along with her.
There is a total of 8 seasons that explore different cases the team works and of course, a cosy mystery cannot be complete without some drama about the personal lives of characters, so there is a lot of that too. (Honestly, there was a bit too much personal drama for me and I gave up after a certain point of time, but Castle is still one of the nicest mystery series I’ve watched).
Alta Mar
Alta Mar is the first Spanish-language series I watched, and though there are far better Spanish series, Alta Mar presents a really enjoyable mystery.
The entire series takes place on a luxurious cruise ship that is sailing from Spain to Rio de Janeiro is the 1940s when mysterious deaths start occurring on board. If that doesn’t immediately hook you in, then let me tell you that it revolves around two orphaned sisters and includes conspiracies, betrayals, and cutesy romantic moments.
Home Before Dark
Home Before Dark was one of the first series released on Apple Tv+ and while it’s not anything ground-breaking, you will have fun watching this one.
The series revolves around a 9-year old aspiring journalist Hilde Lisko, who moves back to her father’s hometown with her family. Struggling to adjust with this change, she starts unearthing a 30-year old cold case that everyone, including her own father, tried to bury.
When I first found out about it, I was sceptical, to say the least, about whether a 9-year old can truly solve a murder or report on it for that matter, but the story is apparently inspired by the real-life story of Hilde Lysiak, and as the series managed to prove – 9-year-olds can indeed pull a successful Miss Marple act.