19 Underrated Crime Dramas to Stream on Netflix in December 2023

Forget about the overplayed hits your parents keep raving about; these 19 underrated crime dramas are the real hidden gems on Netflix this December.

1. "Side Dish" (2018)

This South African mini-series revolves around four women with complex personal lives who come together for a weekend getaway. Three of them are married, one is engaged, and unexpected events unfold when one of them invites a lover to join the fun.

2. "King of Boys: The Return of the King" (2021)

This Nigerian series sequel to the film "King of Boys" follows the powerful political and businesswoman Eniola Salami as she returns to Nigeria after a five-year exile, seeking to reassert her influence and confront new and old adversaries in her quest for power.

3. "Close to Home: Murder in the Coalfield" (2022)

In a seemingly unsuspecting small coal mining East German town, Lauchhammer, a mysterious murder shakes its tight-knitted community. The discovery of a girl's body brings Maik Briegand, a police officer, back to his childhood home. Maik, along with his new colleague, Annalena Gottknecht, begins to unearth layers of secrets from the past.

4. "The Perfect Mother" (2022)

Adapted from Nina Darnton's novel, this French thriller mini-series on Netflix revolves around Helene Berg, a mother living in Berlin, whose life takes a drastic turn when her daughter Anya, studying in Paris, is accused of the murder of Damien Carnau, a wealthy heir. Convinced of her daughter's innocence, Helene, along with her former flame and now lawyer Vincent, uncovers unsettling truths.

5. "The Unknown Hitman: The Story of El Cholo Adrián" (2017)

This series is a dramatic portrayal of Óscar Adrián Velázquez, nicknamed El Cholo Adrián, a high-ranking member of a Mexican cartel. It narrates his life in the drug trafficking world and his romantic relationship with a beauty queen. The series provides an insider look at the operations of the cartel and delves into El Cholo Adrián's personal and professional life.

6. "Gone for Good" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 38%

A French thriller based on Harlan Coben's novel, where a man's search for his missing girlfriend leads him to uncover long-buried family secrets and a conspiracy that challenges everything he knows about his loved ones.

7. "The Lørenskog Disappearance" (2022)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 39%

A Norwegian drama inspired by true events, focusing on the mysterious disappearance of the wife of a wealthy businessman and the subsequent police investigation that reveals a web of secrets and lies.

8. "Clickbait" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 59%

A gripping series exploring the dangers of social media after a man is kidnapped and a video of him surfaces online, with his life threatened unless the video reaches five million views, leading to a twisted investigation.

9. "Sleeping Dog" (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 67%

A gripping drama that follows the investigation of a cold case, reignited when new evidence surfaces, challenging the detectives to solve a complex puzzle shrouded in secrets and lies.

10. "Burning Body" (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 67%

A Netflix drama series based on real events, focusing on the story of former Spanish police officer Rosa Peral and the murder of her boyfriend, Pedro Rodríguez. In this fictionalized portrayal, Pedro's charred remains are discovered in the trunk of a car, leading to an intense investigation.

11. "Quicksand" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 77%

This Swedish Netflix series centers on Maja Norberg, an 18-year-old student who finds herself on trial for murder following a tragic school shooting at an elite prep school in Stockholm.

12. "Anxious People" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 85%

Based on the novel by Fredrik Backman, this Swedish series revolves around a failed bank robbery and a subsequent hostage situation, where the hostages and perpetrator form unexpected bonds, revealing comical and poignant life stories.

13. "Ferry: The Series" (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Audience score: 86%

A prequel to the film "Ferry," this series follows the early life of Ferry Bouman, a ruthless and ambitious drug lord in the Netherlands, exploring his rise to power and the events that shaped his criminal empire.

14. "The Woods" (2020)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%

Based on Harlan Coben's novel, this Polish series follows a prosecutor who believes his sister, who disappeared 25 years ago, could still be alive, leading him to uncover secrets that force him to confront his past.

15. "When They See Us" (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

A four-part Netflix miniseries, directed by Ava DuVernay, chronicles the harrowing true story of the Central Park Five. In 1989, five Harlem teenagers – Raymond Santana, Kevin Richardson, Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, and Antron McCray – were wrongfully accused and convicted of the brutal assault of a jogger in New York's Central Park. The series spans a quarter of a century, from the spring of 1989 when they were first questioned about the incident, through their exoneration in 2002 and the ultimate settlement reached with the city of New York in 2014.

16. "Alias Grace" (2017)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 99%

Based on Margaret Atwood's novel, this series unravels the enigmatic story of Grace Marks, a young Irish immigrant and domestic servant in Canada who finds herself convicted of the notorious 1843 murders of her employer and his housekeeper, leading to a narrative that blurs truth, memory, and justice.

17. "The Unlikely Murderer" (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

A Swedish miniseries that presents a fictional interpretation of how Stig Engström, the alleged assassin of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, might have gotten away with murder, examining the investigation's shortcomings and societal impacts.

18. "Trial by Fire" (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

This Netflix series, based on real events and a book of the same name, tells the heart-wrenching story of Neelam and Shekhar Krishnamoorthy, who lost their children in the tragic Uphaar Cinema fire in Delhi.

19. "Dear Child" (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes score: 100%

This chilling German thriller series on Netflix, adapted from Romy Hausmann's novel, unfolds the harrowing tale of Lena, who, along with her two children, Hannah and Jonathan, lives in complete isolation under the tyrannical control of a captor named Lars.