If Lanterns has you hooked with its mix of mystery, crime, science fiction, strange conspiracies, and unlikely partnerships, there is plenty more to explore. Finding gripping shows like Lanterns means looking for stories that balance grounded detective work with reality-bending stakes. We have rounded up 15 series that deliver similar thrills, ordered so the closest thematic matches appear right at the top.
15 Shows Like Lanterns
1. True Detective Season 1 (2014)
True Detective Season 1 follows two Louisiana detectives investigating a disturbing murder case that becomes increasingly complex over the years. As they dig deeper, buried secrets, personal demons, and unsettling connections begin to surface. Serving as the direct creative blueprint for Lanterns, its slow-burn rural mystery, friction-heavy partnership, and cosmic-tinged atmosphere make this the definitive companion watch.
IMDb: 8.8 | Where to watch: Prime Video
2. The Outsider (2020)
A young boy’s murder seems like a straightforward investigation until strange, contradictory evidence points toward something far more disturbing. A seasoned detective and an unconventional investigator join forces as the case takes a supernatural turn. It stands as a top recommendation for viewers who love watching grounded procedural detective work crash headfirst into inexplicable, monstrous forces.
IMDb: 7.6 | Where to watch: HBO
3. The X-Files (1993–2018)
FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully investigate mysterious cases involving unexplained phenomena. Mulder believes in the paranormal, while Scully approaches everything with scientific skepticism. The contrasting investigator dynamic, strange cases, deep-state government conspiracies, and extraterrestrial threats make this the gold standard for buddy-led sci-fi procedurals.
IMDb: 8.6 | Where to watch: Hulu
4. Watchmen (2019)
Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are outlawed, Watchmen dives into simmering political tension, conspiracies, buried secrets, and mysterious threats. As the story unfolds, almost nothing turns out to be as simple as it first seems. Much like Lanterns, it grounds high-concept superhero mythology inside a prestige mystery driven by institutional corruption and massive cosmic stakes.
IMDb: 8.2 | Where to watch: Apple TV
5. Outer Range (2022–2024)
A Wyoming rancher discovers a mysterious void on his land, opening the door to a strange story involving time, reality, family secrets, and a rival rancher. What begins as an unusual discovery quickly turns into something much bigger. The eerie isolation of the American frontier mirrors the tone of Lanterns, blending rugged family drama with mind-bending cosmic anomalies.
IMDb: 7.1 | Where to watch: Prime Video
6. Fringe (2008–2013)
An FBI agent teams up with an unconventional scientist and his brilliant son to investigate bizarre phenomena. Their strange cases soon uncover a much larger conspiracy involving science, technology, alternate realities, and threats to the world. Its balance of “case-of-the-week” investigative legwork with an overarching multiversal conspiracy makes it an effortless fit for mystery fans.
IMDb: 8.4 | Where to watch: Prime Video
7. Counterpart (2017–2019)
A seemingly ordinary government employee discovers that his workplace is hiding an incredible secret involving a gateway to a parallel dimension. Soon, he finds himself caught between hidden agendas, dangerous conspiracies, and alternate realities. If you enjoy the bigger mystery and reality-bending possibilities of Lanterns, this espionage thriller delivers sharp tension through parallel worlds and covert warfare.
IMDb: 8.0 | Where to watch: Prime Video
8. Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
FBI agent Dale Cooper arrives in the strange town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of teenager Laura Palmer. Beneath the town’s quiet surface lie hidden secrets, unusual characters, supernatural forces, and increasingly surreal mysteries. It begins as a standard murder case before unraveling into an unsettling, dreamlike examination of ancient evil lurking beneath small-town America.
IMDb: 8.7 | Where to watch: Paramount+
9. Dark (2017–2020)
When two children disappear in a small German town, four families become connected by a mystery that stretches across generations. Time travel, hidden relationships, and long-buried secrets slowly begin to fit together. Ranked among the best puzzle-box shows available, it rewards close attention with its intricate web of interconnected timelines and grand-scale sci-fi revelations.
IMDb: 8.7 | Where to watch: Netflix
10. Devs (2020)
Software engineer Lily Chan begins investigating her boyfriend’s mysterious disappearance at a secretive technology company. Her search leads to a hidden project that raises huge questions about free will, technology, determinism, and reality. It swaps classic badge-and-gun detective work for philosophical science fiction, exploring how unchecked technological power can mimic godhood.
IMDb: 7.6 | Where to watch: Hulu
11. Altered Carbon (2018–2020)
In a future where human consciousness can be transferred between bodies, a former prisoner returns to life in a new body and is asked to investigate a murder. His investigation uncovers secrets about his past and the society around him. It wraps a classic neo-noir hard-boiled detective story inside high-octane cyberpunk world-building, where mortality itself is an illusion of the ultra-rich.
IMDb: 7.9 | Where to watch: Netflix
12. The Penguin (2024)
Following the events of The Batman, Oz Cobb, better known as the Penguin, attempts to take control of Gotham’s criminal underworld. Rival gangs and powerful enemies stand between him and the power he wants. While it strips away cosmic elements, it shares Lanterns‘ focus on grounded crime, institutional rot, and morally compromised characters within the DC universe.
IMDb: 8.6 | Where to watch: HBO Max
13. Daredevil (2015–2018)
Matt Murdock lives a double life as a lawyer by day and the vigilante Daredevil by night. Using his heightened senses, he takes on dangerous criminals while fighting corruption throughout his neighborhood. It grounds superhero storytelling in visceral realism, focusing on the legal, moral, and physical toll of cleaning up systemic corruption.
IMDb: 8.6 | Where to watch: Disney+
14. Slow Horses (2022–present)
A group of disgraced MI5 agents works from the agency’s least respected department while dealing with dangerous threats, political intrigue, and internal conflicts. Despite their differences, they have to work together when things get serious. The sharp friction between seasoned cynics and desperate younger operatives delivers an electric partner dynamic that elevates the espionage mystery.
IMDb: 8.3 | Where to watch: Apple TV
15. Westworld (2016–2022)
Westworld is set inside a futuristic theme park populated by lifelike synthetic hosts, where wealthy guests can live out almost any fantasy. But when some of the hosts begin behaving unexpectedly, the seemingly controlled world starts revealing disturbing secrets about consciousness, power, identity, and reality. It starts with an intriguing premise before opening into a massive, reality-bending puzzle box.
IMDb: 8.4 | Where to watch: Prime Video
Bonus: Scarpetta
If the dark murder investigation in Lanterns hooked you most, Scarpetta brings a similarly gripping mystery with forensic clues, disturbing secrets, and a relentless hunt for the truth (Also Read: 15 Shows Like Scarpetta).
IMDb: 6.1 | Where to watch: Prime Video
If the dark investigation in Lanterns hooked you most, start with True Detective Season 1 or The Outsider. For stranger sci-fi mysteries, The X-Files, Fringe, and Dark are great choices, while Watchmen is the strongest pick if you want another ambitious superhero story wrapped around a mystery.
Also Read: Lanterns, Outer Banks & More Movies and Shows to Watch This Week