5 TV Series About Small Towns & Their Dark Secrets to Watch After 'From', Ranked by IMDb
There are mystical horror stories, detective dramas about serial killers, and shows about mysterious disappearances.
On screen, small towns are rarely as harmless as they seem – behind the facade of cozy streets and friendly neighbors, there's almost always a dark secret, a curse, or an ancient evil that the locals prefer to ignore.
We've compiled a list of five series in which the familiar world is turned upside down and quiet provinces prove to be far more terrifying than any metropolis.
5. 'Under the Dome', 2013-2015
IMDb Score: 6.5/10
One morning, the residents of Chester's Mill, a small town, discovered a huge transparent dome that cut off their settlement from the outside world.
Attempts to ram through, shoot through, or blow up the mysterious sphere were unsuccessful, and soon, those trapped within the dome began to panic.
Within a couple of days, the once quiet and peaceful town descended into lawlessness and violence, and food and medical supplies dwindled. The courageous war veteran Dale Barbara is one of the few able to find a way out and destroy the sphere.
4. 'Wayward Pines', 2015-2016
IMDb Score: 7.3/10
Special Agent Ethan Burke travels to Idaho to investigate the mysterious disappearance of his former colleagues. On the way, he is involved in a car accident and wakes up in a hospital in the town of Wayward Pines.
At first, Wayward Pines seems like a slice of paradise, but Burke soon notices that the smiling locals are behaving strangely. Sensing that something is amiss, he tries to leave town but finds himself surrounded by a high wall.
Burke soon uncovers a terrible secret about the local authorities, who have decided to isolate Wayward Pines from the monstrous reality beyond the fence.
3. 'Top of the Lake', 2013-2017
IMDb Score: 7.4/10
Police detective Robin Griffin returns to her hometown to visit her ailing mother but stays to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a pregnant woman.
The missing woman's father is a local authority figure and the town's informal leader, and he is doing everything he can to hinder the investigation. Robin's personal issues further complicate the case: she was once abused herself, and this trauma could cause the detective to make a fatal mistake.
2. 'The Outsider', 2020
IMDb Score: 7.6/10
The mutilated body of a boy was found in a small town. All the evidence and surveillance footage implicate schoolteacher Terry Maitland, who coached the children's baseball team.
For Detective Ralph Anderson, who recently lost a son, arresting the serial killer becomes a matter of principle. However, Maitland has an airtight alibi – at the time of the murder, he was 70 miles away at a conference, where he appeared on local television.
1. 'Dark', 2017-2020
IMDb Score: 8.7/10
In the fictional German town of Winden, two teenagers disappear under mysterious circumstances. Their disappearance sets off a chain of events that brings four local families together and reveals the town's terrible secret.
It turns out that the caves near Winden contain a wormhole that allows time travel. Because of this strange portal, children continue to disappear from the town. It soon becomes clear that similar disappearances occurred several decades ago.
