Saagar Kote
Written and directed by Isabel Kleefeld, Netflix’s ‘The Trap’ or ‘Die Falle’ is a German crime thriller series based on Melanie Raabe’s novel of the same name. Nearly a decade after her sister Anna Wilking’s murder, Lisa (Friederike Becht) remains haunted by the tragedy. Now a bestselling author who publishes under the name Lisa Konrad, she lives in a secluded villa and rarely leaves, with only her psychiatrist knowing the full extent of her trauma. Her isolation is disrupted one night when she spots a familiar face during a televised press conference. Convinced that the man is her sister’s killer, Lisa identifies him as Berlin journalist Robert Lenzen (Hans Löw).
She contacts Leon Weber (Michael Klammer), the detective who investigated Anna’s murder, but her suspicions are not enough without physical evidence. Determined to prove her claim, Lisa devises an elaborate plan. She begins writing a novel about a painter whose sister is murdered, intending to use the book to lure Lenzen to her home for an interview. With him under her roof, Lisa hopes to obtain the DNA evidence she needs, even if it means putting herself directly in the path of the man she believes destroyed her life. If the premise kept you engaged, these shows, similar to ‘The Trap,’ feature characters, twists, and mysteries that will keep you hooked.
7. I Will Find You (2026)
‘I Will Find You’ is the saga of David Burroughs (Sam Worthington), a man serving a life sentence for murdering his young son, Matthew, despite maintaining his innocence. Years into his imprisonment, David receives an unexpected visit from his former sister-in-law, Rachel Mills (Britt Lower), who has discovered something unusual in a social media photograph. A boy in the background of the picture bears a striking resemblance to Matthew, raising the possibility that David’s son is still alive. Desperate to uncover the truth, David escapes prison and begins investigating alongside Rachel.
Law enforcement pursues them, and the two encounter disturbing revelations about the past, forcing David to take increasingly desperate measures in his search for Matthew. The Robert Hull creation is a mystery thriller series adapted from Harlan Coben’s eponymous novel. David in ‘I Will Find You’ and Lisa in ‘The Trap’ are both haunted by tragedies involving close family members, with their determination to uncover the truth driving them towards increasingly dangerous decisions.
6. Behind Her Eyes (2021)
Creator Steve Lightfoot’s ‘Behind Her Eyes’ is a British psychological thriller series based on Sarah Pinborough’s titular novel. It narrates the story of Louise Barnsley (Simona Brown), a secretary whose affair with her married boss, David Ferguson (Tom Bateman), a psychiatrist, draws her into an increasingly complicated situation. Things become even more unsettling when Louise develops a friendship with David’s wife, Adele Ferguson (Eve Hewson). When Louise grows closer to both of them, the relationships become part of a dangerous game in which each person attempts to influence the others’ decisions.
Their growing involvement in one another’s lives leads to unexpected consequences, turning an already complicated situation into a perilous mystery involving all three. ‘The Trap’ and ‘Behind Her Eyes’ develop tension from the uncertainty surrounding other people’s intentions. Lisa must decide how far to go to prove her suspicions, while Louise becomes increasingly involved in a situation where the consequences are difficult to predict.
5. The Innocent (2021)
‘The Innocent’ or ‘El inocente’ centers on Mateo Vidal (Mario Casas), whose life takes a drastic turn when he accidentally kills a man during a fight and spends several years in prison. After his release, Mateo attempts to move forward and build a life with Olivia Costa (Aura Garrido). With the couple finally finding happiness and planning their future together, it seems Mateo has left his troubled past behind. However, a mysterious phone call soon disrupts their stability and draws him into a series of unsettling events. While he investigates what is happening, Mateo uncovers buried secrets and unexpected connections, gradually realizing that the events of his past continue to threaten the life he has worked so hard to rebuild.
Directed by Oriol Paulo, the Spanish mystery thriller series is based on Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name. Mateo’s relationship with Olivia gives him a chance at a fresh start, much like Lisa’s carefully planned investigation in ‘The Trap’ brings her close to answers after years of trauma. However, both face the risk of losing the stability they have struggled to regain.
4. The Patient (2022)
In ‘The Patient,’ therapist Alan Strauss’s (Steve Carell) life takes a dangerous turn when his patient, Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), reveals himself to be a serial killer and holds him captive. Sam strangely demands that Alan help him control his homicidal feelings and prevent him from killing again. However, Sam refuses to discuss important aspects of his life, including his mother, Candace. While Alan struggles to understand Sam’s disturbed mind and survive his imprisonment, he is also forced to confront his own unresolved problems.
Memories of his former therapist, the recent death of his wife, and his strained relationship with his religious son trouble Alan. Eventually, Alan’s attempt to help Sam becomes a painful examination of his own life and family. Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg are the creative voices behind this psychological thriller series, which captures the psychological dread of ‘The Trap.’ Alan and Lisa must deal with people whose intentions are difficult to understand, making every interaction potentially dangerous.
3. Dear Child (2023)
Based on Romy Hausmann’s eponymous novel, ‘Dear Child’ or ‘Liebes Kind’ begins when Lena (Kim Riedle) and her daughter Hannah (Naila Schuberth) escape after 13 years of captivity. Lena’s young son, Jonathan (Sammy Schrein), remains trapped with the person who held them prisoner, prompting the police to search for the culprit. As the investigation unfolds, flashbacks and conversations with Lena’s daughter reveal more about the years they spent in captivity and the trauma they endured.
However, the case soon becomes more complicated than the authorities initially expect. As the police try to piece together the truth and locate Jonathan, the German crime drama series gradually uncovers the disturbing connections between the past and the present. Directed by Isabel Kleefeld and Julian Pörksen, the narrative, akin to ‘The Trap,’ explores how trauma can resurface in difficult situations and drive characters towards tough and unpredictable choices.
2. The Woods (2020)
‘The Woods’ or ‘W glebi lasu’ follows Warsaw prosecutor Paweł Kopiński (Grzegorz Damiecki) across two timelines, 1994 and 2019. In the summer of 1994, two people were murdered at a summer camp where Paweł worked as a chaperone, while two others, including his sister Kamila, disappeared. The tragedy leaves his family devastated and damages his relationship with his parents. Twenty-five years later, Paweł is asked to identify a murder victim whose body is found with newspaper clippings about him. The discovery raises hopes that the case may finally shed light on his sister’s disappearance, especially when evidence suggests that one of the original victims survived under a different identity.
While Paweł investigates the connection between the two cases, he is forced to revisit the night that changed his life. The search for answers also exposes him to painful truths about the people closest to him. The Polish mystery thriller series is based on the eponymous novel by the show’s creator, Harlan Coben. Paweł in ‘The Woods’ and Lisa in ‘The Trap’ struggle to move on from tragedies involving people they love. While Paweł searches for answers about his sister’s disappearance, Lisa remains determined to uncover the truth about her sister’s murder.
1. Sharp Objects (2018)
In ‘Sharp Objects,’ reporter Camille Preaker (Amy Adams) leaves a psychiatric facility and returns to her small hometown to investigate the murders of two young girls. As she investigates the case, Camille moves back into her family home, where old tensions resurface. She struggles with her troubled relationship with her mother, Adora Crellin (Patricia Clarkson), while also dealing with her half-sister, Amma Crellin (Eliza Scanlen). What begins as a search for the truth about the killings soon becomes deeply personal, as the victims’ stories bring Camille’s own painful past to the surface.
With the investigation drawing her further into the lives of the people around her, Camille must face the family conflicts and emotional wounds she has long tried to escape. Created by Marti Noxon, the psychological thriller series is an adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s titular novel. Camille’s difficult relationships with her family make her investigation more personal, while Lisa’s determination to solve her sister’s murder in ‘The Trap’ is shaped by her own trauma, making the search for justice difficult to separate from the personal lives of the characters in each case. The characters’ sense of isolation and desperation also connect the two shows on a thematic level.
Read More: Shows Like I Will Find You
