12 Best Shows Like Joan to Watch Next (2026)
Find crime and drama series with secrets, pressure, and danger, including Nemesis, Fool Me Once, Secrets We Keep, Candy, Power, and more.
If you’re searching for shows like Joan, you probably want more than a crime plot — you want stories about ordinary people pushed into dangerous situations, where family pressure, secrecy, and survival all collide. This list leans into that mix with titles like Nemesis, Fool Me Once, and Secrets We Keep, each built around investigation, hidden motives, and tense personal stakes. You’ll also find character-driven dramas such as Chloe and Lady Love, which shift the focus toward identity, frustration, and the choices people make when life closes in. For something darker and more expansive, Power, Candy, and Subteran add crime, mystery, and high-stakes consequences to the lineup.
-
01
Nemesis
crime · drama
A Dutch prosecutor and detective investigate financial crimes among wealthy elites. As the cases blur work and life, she must trust her instincts to uncover a conspiracy protecting ill-gotten fortunes at all costs.
Why watch: If you enjoy financial intrigue and stories about wealthy circles hiding bad behavior, this is a strong fit. The mix of crime and drama centers on an investigation where professional and personal lines start to blur.
Directed by Willem Bosch, Aniëlle WebsterCast Lies Visschedijk, Romana Vrede, Peter Blok, Florian Regtien, Jade OliebergHuluDisney PlusMore details on IMDb → -
02
Chloe
drama · mystery
Still living with her mom and working a temporary job, Becky grapples with Instagram-perfect lives.
Why watch: If you want a more grounded, character-focused drama with a mystery edge, this may appeal to you. It follows Becky as she deals with the gap between her real life and the polished world she sees online.
Directed by Amanda Boyle, Alice SeabrightCast Erin Doherty, Billy Howle, Pippa Bennett-Warner, Jack Farthing, Brandon Micheal HallAmazon Prime VideoMore details on IMDb → -
03
Lady Love
drama
A young woman from a small town in Poland, who once hoped to live as a nun, flees to West Germany and ends up in the sex industry. She was modest by nature and dreamed of a different life, but circumstances led her to a path she never anticipated.
Why watch: If you like hard-edged character dramas about a woman forced into a life she did not plan, this is worth a look. The premise suggests a serious, emotionally heavy story about survival and changing circumstances.
Directed by Bartosz KonopkaCast Anna Szymanczyk, Clemens Schick, Lise Risom Olsen, Adam Woronowicz, Anna KrotoskaMaxMore details on IMDb → -
04
Subteran
crime · drama · thriller
A young mother's life is upended when she finds herself hiding behind a secret identity to escape the Bucharest gang responsible for her fiancé's death.
Why watch: If you prefer crime drama with thriller tension and a secret-identity angle, this should be on your list. It centers on a young mother trying to stay hidden from the gang tied to her fiancé’s death.
Directed by Octav Gheorghe, Anca Miruna Lazarescu, Daniel SanduCast Ana Ularu, Cezar Grumazescu, Florin Piersic Jr., Irina Artenii, Cosmin Teodor PanăNetflixMore details on IMDb → -
05
Fool Me Once
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
When ex-soldier Maya sees her murdered husband on a secret nanny cam, she uncovers a deadly conspiracy that stretches deep into the past.
Why watch: If you like domestic suspense with mystery and thriller elements, this is a good match. The setup points to a conspiracy that reaches far beyond one shocking discovery.
Directed by David Moore, Nimer RashedCast Michelle Keegan, Adeel Akhtar, Richard Armitage, Emmett J. Scanlan, Thea Taylor-MorganNetflixMore details on IMDb → -
06
The Jetty
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
Follows Det. Ember Manning as she must figure out how a fire at a vacation home is connected to a podcast journalist investigating a missing person's cold case and an illicit love triangle between a man in his 20s and two underage girls.
Why watch: If you enjoy crime drama that mixes investigation with mystery and thriller pressure, this one fits well. The story connects a fire, a cold case, and a complicated love triangle, so it should suit viewers who like layered cases.
Directed by Marialy RivasCast Weruche Opia, Jenna Coleman, Ruby Stokes, Tom Glynn-Carney, Archie RenauxHuluMore details on IMDb → -
07
Secrets We Keep
crime · drama · mystery · thriller
When a neighbor's au pair vanishes from her wealthy suburb, Cecilie seeks answers — and unravels secrets that shatter her seemingly perfect world.
Why watch: If you’re drawn to suburban secrets and unraveling hidden lives, this is likely to work for you. It pairs crime, drama, mystery, and thriller elements around a disappearance that shakes a polished neighborhood.
Directed by Per FlyCast Marie Bach Hansen, Excel Busano, Danica Curcic, Sara Fanta Traore, Simon SearsNetflixMore details on IMDb → -
08
Dope Girls
crime · drama
It follows the birth of the nightclub scene in London's Soho
Why watch: If you like crime dramas set around a specific social scene or era, this may be a good pick. Its premise focuses on the rise of London’s Soho nightclub world, which gives it a clear setting-driven hook.
Directed by Miranda Bowen, Shannon MurphyCast Julianne Nicholson, Eliza Scanlen, Ian Bonar, Fiona Button, Rory Fleck ByrneHuluMore details on IMDb → -
09
Blood Legacy
drama · thriller
After years of estrangement, Khanyi Adesina returns home to fight for her family's business empire as it threatens to collapse under corruption.
Why watch: If you enjoy family and business drama with corruption in the mix, this title should fit. It follows a return home that turns into a fight to save a collapsing empire, which gives it strong personal stakes.
Directed by Nozipho Nkelemba, Marvin-Lee Beukes, Nthabiseng Mokoena, Bonie SithebeCast Xolile Tshabalala, Buyile Mdladla, Mike Ndlangamandla, Anthony Oseyemi, Unathi MkhizeNetflixMore details on IMDb → -
10
Candy
1 Emmy nomination
biography · crime · drama · mystery · thriller
Candy Montgomery is a 1980s housewife and mother who did everything right — but when the pressure of conformity builds within her, her actions scream for just a bit of freedom. Until someone tells her to shush. With deadly results.
Why watch: If you want a true-crime-style drama with mystery and thriller energy, this is a strong option. The biography and crime mix makes it especially appealing if you like stories based on a real-life turning point.
Directed by Michael Uppendahl, Jennifer Getzinger, Ben Semanoff, Tara Nicole WeyrCast Jessica Biel, Melanie Lynskey, Pablo Schreiber, Timothy Simons, Raúl EsparzaHuluMore details on IMDb → -
11
Power
crime · drama
A successful New York entrepreneur lives a double life as the head of a drug empire that serves only the rich and influential, all while wanting to escape the underworld and keep his family safe.
Why watch: If you like high-stakes crime drama about double lives, this is one of the strongest matches here. It centers on a successful entrepreneur balancing family, power, and a hidden criminal empire.
Directed by Sanford Bookstaver, MJ Bassett, Rob Hardy, Hernán Otaño, Anthony HemingwayCast Omari Hardwick, Lela Loren, Naturi Naughton, Joseph Sikora, Shane JohnsonAmazon Prime VideoHuluStarzMore details on IMDb → -
12
M.I.A.
crime · drama · thriller
Etta Tiger Jonze seeks to avenge her family's murder and become the most powerful crime queenpin in South Florida.
Why watch: If you enjoy revenge-driven crime stories led by a determined lead, this is probably for you. The drama-thriller setup suggests a fast-moving rise to power with serious personal stakes.
Directed by Mairzee Almas, John Dahl, Alethea Jones, Ben Semanoff, Gwyneth Horder-PaytonCast Shannon Gisela, Brittany Adebumola, Dylan T Jackson, Alberto Guerra, Cary ElwesPeacock PremiumMore details on IMDb →
Wrapping Up
This collection brings together crime, drama, mystery, thriller, and biography picks that echo the pressure, secrecy, and moral tension that made Joan stand out. Whether you want a family crisis, a buried conspiracy, or a character pulled into a life they never planned, there’s something here to match that mood. Save this page for your next watch list and come back when you want a fresh option in the same lane. We update it regularly so the recommendations stay useful as new titles are added.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes these shows similar to Joan?
These picks were matched by tone, themes, and story style using a similarity model trained on plot synopses, genres, and cast — not just shared genre tags — so the connection runs deeper than a simple category match.