Still Can't Get Over 'Twin Peaks'? Here're 8 More Mystery TV Series Set In Small Towns

We learned the axiom that small towns hide big secrets from Agatha Christie, and, of course, David Lynch. Twin Peaks taught us that hell can lurk behind a Welcome sign.

If you can't forget cherry pie or the mystery of Laura Palmer, this list is for you.

1. 'Li'l Quinquin', 2014

IMDb Score: 7.3/10

A series of murders occurs in an unnamed village on the coast of the English Channel. The "greatest" detectives, Detective Van der Weyden and his partner, Carpentier, are assigned to the case.

It soon becomes clear that the incompetent detectives have trouble driving a car, let alone solving the case.

The narrative then veers toward more interesting matters, such as spying on the lives of the local population, especially Quinquin and his friends.

2. 'The OA', 2016-2019

IMDb Score: 7.8/10

Seven years after she disappeared, Prairie Johnson returns to her hometown. She doesn't tell her parents or the police where she went.

Instead, she invites three schoolchildren and a teacher to hear her story. It turns out that Prairie, whose real name is Nina, and four others were held hostage by a mad scientist named Hap.

All of the prisoners experienced clinical death – Hap hoped to use them to prove the existence of an afterlife. However, during his experiments, he discovered confirmation of the theory of multiple worlds.

3. 'Fargo', 2014-2024

IMDb Score: 8.8/10

Noah Hawley's crime anthology is based on the Coen brothers' movie of the same name. In the first season, Hawley took the premise of a simpleton who hates his wife and becomes involved with a killer, setting it in the present day.

Subsequent seasons are the showrunner's pure imagination of the original movie's world. Hawley transformed Fargo from an exercise in emulating his favorite filmmakers into a unique statement.

4. 'Dark', 2017-2020

IMDb Score: 8.7/10

The story takes place in the small German town of Winden. After a teenager goes missing, a group of schoolchildren venture into the woods to look for his hidden stash of drugs.

During their nighttime search, the hunters become frightened and flee. The next morning, they realize that one of their friends, Mikkel, never returned home.

This event sets off a chain of events and discoveries that will shake the lives of four Winden families to their core.

5. 'Broadchurch', 2013-2017

IMDb Score: 8.3/10

In a British seaside town, 11-year-old Danny is murdered. Ellie Miller and Alec Hardy, the new inspector in town, investigate the murder.

The entire community is affected by the tragedy, and everyone becomes a suspect. Over time, Hardy and Miller uncover the terrible secrets the locals have been hiding.

The typical English detective story follows the one episode, one suspect formula, in which all the characters are involved in something. The detective duo of Miller and Hardy provides screenwriters with plenty of opportunities for comedic banter.

6. 'Love & Death', 2023

IMDb Score: 7.5/10

The series is based on the true story of Candy Montgomery, a housewife who stabbed her neighbor to death with an ax. Showrunner David E. Kelley focuses less on the crime itself and more on the dramatic elements, once again telling the story of a dysfunctional family.

The main character is held captive by the moral code of small, provincial towns. She rebels against the patriarchal, Christian traditionalism of her society.

However, her protest turns into a tremendous tragedy, forcing her to rethink her values.

7. 'True Detective', 2014-...

IMDb Score: 8.8/10

True Detective popularized the grisly thriller in the miniseries format. Showrunner Nic Pizzolatto drew inspiration from The Wire and The Sopranos when creating his crime anthology series.

All seasons share a noir aesthetic, pessimistic philosophy, ominous plots, and an absence of clear happy endings.

The show was one of the first television projects to feature major Hollywood stars – Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The first season won five Emmy Awards, among other accolades.

8. 'Mare of Easttown', 2021

IMDb Score: 8.4/10

Burdened by her personal traumas, police detective Mare Sheehan works in the small town of Easttown, Pennsylvania. She is trying to solve the murder of a teenage single mother.

However, the residents of Easttown doubt her professionalism and abilities because she failed to solve a similar crime a year ago.

Mare of Easttown is, first and foremost, a sad family drama about the impossibility of intimacy and, secondarily, a detective story.