Best Crime Thrillers On Apple TV+

There isn’t much I love more than a good crime thriller, and these days, they’re all over the place. With their gritty narratives and intense character performances, we can’t get enough of them. They’re fascinating little mysteries, and when they’re based on or inspired by actual events, they’re even better.

Lucky for us, Apple TV+ has a killer selection. In this list of 10 thrilling crime watches, you’ll find shows and movies that are worth doing time for, even if it is just over the weekend.

10

Smoke

Fire isn’t just an element. It’s an organism that watches and waits. So do serial arsonists, and that’s who we’re tracking in Smoke.

Inspired by the true story of John Orr, who was both a serial arsonist and a fire investigator, the series follows police and arson investigators as they rush to stop two active serial arsonists. Taron Egerton stars as chief arson investigator Dave Gudsen (pronounced Goodson), and Jurnee Smollett stars as police detective Michelle Calderone.

While the series is—no pun intended—a slow burn in pace, it’s not in its story. Gudsen is a fascinating character to watch tick and unfold throughout this narrative, and Egerton’s nuanced portrayal draws you deeper into the suffocating smoke surrounding his true identity.

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9

Presumed Innocent

This crime drama was much better than I anticipated, and I was glad I took the time to watch it. I knew there was a twist, but I didn’t expect it to turn out like it did.

Presumed Innocent is a legal thriller about the horrific murder of an attorney in the Chicago prosecutor’s office. When one of their own is suspected as the killer, then accused of the crime, he must fight to prove his innocence and keep his family together. As we weave through the ins and outs of the case and subsequent trial, we find there’s a lot more to this mystery than we realized.

Jake Gyllenhaal gives an outstanding performance as the accused, Rusty Sabich, and Peter Sarsgaard’s performance as a prosecutor is just as impressive. Presumed Innocent has been renewed for a second season, which will be a standalone story with new characters and a different legal case.

8

The Crowded Room

I loved this series—particularly its portrayal and exploration of dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder, and its connection to trauma.

The Crowded Room is a dark psychological thriller inspired by a true story about the arrest of a man accused of a terrible crime—but did he really do it? That’s the question driving this series.

Tom Holland gives an emotional, thought-provoking performance as Danny Sullivan, a young, shy introvert arrested for a 1979 shooting incident at New York’s Rockefeller Center. When clinical psychologist Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried) is brought in to interrogate him, she begins to suspect that not everything is as it seems with this meek suspect.

You will go down a rabbit hole with The Crowded Room, so don’t say I didn’t warn you!

7

Black Bird

Paul Walter Hauser is a huge star in the making. From sincerity and silliness to downright creepiness, his portrayals are genuine eye-catchers.

Black Bird is based on the true story of James Keene (Taron Egerton), a small-time drug dealer arrested and slapped with a 10-year prison sentence. Given his naturally charming personality and gift of gab, the police offer him a dangerous deal: While on the inside, get suspected serial killer Larry Hall (Hauser) to talk about his crimes, and his sentence will be commuted.

The challenge proves far more complex and dangerous than Jimmy thought it would be, as mounting fear and pressure weigh heavily on his mental health. As Larry Hall, Hauser’s demeanor is off-putting—is high-pitched voice is distinctively creepy and reflective of his deceptive nature.

Watching this chess game unfold makes Black Bird a perfect Apple TV+ weekend binge.

6

Defending Jacob

If you’re looking for a thrilling crime series that’ll keep you guessing about what actually happened, Defending Jacob is one to watch, in addition to The Crowded Room. It is a slow burn, but it’s worth it in the end.

Inspired by similar real-life cases, and based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Defending Jacob centers on a 14-year-old boy accused of murder. He isn’t just any 14-year-old, though. He’s the son of Assistant District Attorney Andy Barber (Chris Evans).

Despite its slow pace, the series is gripping, thanks to its character-driven narrative. It’s worth watching for its heavy family focus and exploration of how this kind of trauma affects them individually and as a whole.

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5

Criminal Record

Criminal Record is one of those dark, brooding crime dramas that, once I started watching, I couldn’t stop. It makes for an excellent binge, and Cush Jumbo gives a stellar performance as Detective Sergeant June Lenker.

In the heart of London, an anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a fight to correct an old miscarriage of justice. DS June Lenker is smart, thorough, and ambitious in the early stages of her career. Detective Chief Inspector Daniel Hegarty (Doctor Who‘s Peter Capaldi) is a decorated officer and well-connected man determined to protect his legacy.

This British series is a morally gray masterpiece that pushes viewers to explore their feelings about the enigmatic DCI Hegarty as Lenker digs into one of his old cases to determine whether an innocent man is stuck behind bars.

4

Cherry

Tom Holland stars—and I mean stars—in Cherry, a heart-wrenching epic saga about an unnamed narrator’s experience with love, war, and mental health, then with drugs, crime, and redemption.

Cherry (Holland), the only name we know him by, is a disenfranchised kid from Ohio who meets the love of his life in college, only to risk losing her through a series of very bad decisions resulting from the havoc that post-traumatic stress disorder has wreaked on him. After returning from the Iraq War, his PTSD leads to an opioid addiction, which leads to him robbing banks to support his habit.

Inspired by a true story, Cherry entered banks wearing sunglasses and a jacket and would slide cashiers a one-dollar bill with the words “I HAVE A GUN” written on one side and “THIS IS A ROBBERY” on the other. He never actually carried a gun and managed to successfully rob 10 banks before being caught in April 2011.

Holland’s performance is award-worthy and is one of his top three best roles to date. The film is a must-see that keeps you glued to the screen, on the edge of your seat.

3

Dope Thief

Dope Thief is one of the best gritty crime dramas to binge right now.

Starring Wagner Moura and Emmy and Tony Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry, Dope Thief follows the two life-long friends as they revel in their life of delinquency—until one day, when everything blows up in their faces.

Ray (Henry) and Manny (Moura) are criminals who pose as Philadelphia DEA agents in order to rob small-time drug dealers. When they’re lured into fleecing an unknown home in the countryside, they find themselves targets on the run after exposing and unraveling one of the biggest hidden narcotics corridors on the Eastern seaboard.

The series is based on the book of the same name and features stellar performances, especially from Henry. This is the top performance of his career. Dope Thief is dark, gritty, intense, and addictive.

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2

Hijack

I know what you’re thinking: This is predictable … and you’d be wrong.

When Flight KA29 is overtaken on its seven-hour journey from Dubai to London, lives are at stake as authorities on the ground scramble for answers. Hijack follows Sam Nelson (Idris Elba), a talented corporate negotiator, as he uses his skills to broker a peaceful end. The question here is whether his high-risk strategy will be his undoing.

Elba gives a stellar performance in each episode, which relies on familiar plot devices and cliffhanger endings to keep you coming back for more. Inspired by the real-life hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC 814, the movie is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that makes for a quick binge that’s absolutely worth doing time for.

1

The Instigators

The Instigators is just about the most entertaining crime thriller I’ve seen in a while. It’s essentially a heist comedy full of criminal action that keeps you wholeheartedly engaged from start to finish.

Matt Damon stars as Rory, a former Marine mechanic and single father desperate to see his son, but can’t until he clears a hefty back-child-support fee. Casey Affleck stars as Cobby, an ex-con turned barfly who is super-inquisitive about everything, never stops talking, is a total firebug, and is rooted in apathy and sarcasm. When the two are brought together by a local crime boss to rob a corrupt politician, the heist goes horribly and hilariously wrong as the two find themselves smack-dab in the middle of chaos, bickering like siblings.

The Instigators is such a funny, thrilling crime movie, I guarantee you’ll watch it more than once. Damon and Affleck’s on-screen chemistry is just as brilliant as it was in Good Will Hunting, and that kind of chemistry is always worth your time.

Whether your jam is grit and violence, legal procedurals, or heists full of levity and action, you’ll find what you’re looking for on Apple TV+.

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