Everyone loves a crime drama. Whether it's a comforting procedural like any of the various iterations of CSI and NCIS, or twisty dark entries such as Sherlock and Mindhunter, every one of us always has a space for a gripping new crime thriller.
If you're currently on the hunt for a new mystery to solve, then you need look no further than Netflix. The world's best streaming service is packed with crime dramas, albeit of varying quality – but it has some seriously special series on there.
So if you want to know what to watch next, we've put together a list of six crime dramas that boast a perfect 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, meaning every critic who saw them thinks they're good. Few shows of any kind manage this, so in a crime thriller, you know it's got to be gripping.
Fauda
Our first stop on this tour of Netflix's finest crime dramas is in Israel, and the long-running drama Fauda. Translating as "chaos" or "turmoil" in English, the show follows Lior Raz's Doron, a commander in the Mista'arvim, which is a counter-terrorism unit in the Israel Defense Force that operates undercover.
Retired at the start of season one, Doron is persuaded to return to track down a terrorist he'd thought long dead. From there, he is drawn back in and the mission proves rather tricky.
Raz – who has since gone to take key roles in Netflix smash-em-up, 6 Underground, Apple TV Plus' dark drama The Crowded Room, and Ridley Scott's hugely-anticipated Gladiator sequel – commands the show superbly.
Acknowledging that this is a chest-thumping, machismo-fuelled action-drama in the style of Prime Video's Jack Ryan, critics were still full of praise, particularly it's lean structure and commitment to action and spectacle.
The Snow Girl
From Israel to sunny Spain for another critical crime darling, La Chica De Nieve, or, The Snow Girl. Arriving in early 2023, the show is a fresh take on a well-worn premise, revolving around the vanishing of Amaya Martín, a six-year-old girl who mysteriously disappeared in 2010 during Malaga's annual Cavalcade of Magi festival.
Years later, Miren Rojo, an intern grappling with the monotony of her role at a local newspaper, stumbles upon the case. Determined to make her mark, she embarks on a personal quest to unravel the enigma.
Adapted from Javier Castillo's novel of the same title, this disappearance unfolds into a complex and intricate web of intrigue, thrusting Miren into perilous situations.
While acknowledging that the show was hardly the most original work of the year in its setup, reviewers lavished praise on the writers' handling of the many time jumps, and on the pace and suspense injected into each episode.
Little Women
A novel new take on Louisa May Alcott's literary classic, this version of Little Women is set in South Korea and turns the story into a dark crime drama.
In this drama, we follow the Oh sisters: In-joo, played by Kim Go-eun; In-kyung, who is portrayed by Nam Ji-hyun; and In-hye, played by Park Ji-hu.
The eldest, In-joo, works as a bookkeeper for a company owned by South Korea's richest family. After finding her best friend, Hwa-young, dead in her apartment, In-joo then discovers that there is a small fortune addressed to her in a locker.
As she attempts to find out what happened to her friend, In-joo discovers that the money is part of a much larger amount that Hwa-young stole from an illegal slush fund.
To dig into things, she enlists her middle sister, In-kyung, who is an investigative journalist. The trail leads them to aspiring politician Park Jae-sang. His daughter, wouldn't you know, is a new friend of their youngest sibling, bringing the world together in one big twisty mess.
Critics lapped up the tightly-wound scripts and the pacy, half-hour, episode runtimes, as well as praising the innovative take on Alcott's novel.
Rough Diamonds
We're heading to Antwerp in Belgium next. Rough Diamonds centers around Kevin Janssens' Noah Wolfson, a young man who bravely broke away from his Orthodox Jewish upbringing to start a new life. However, he finds himself back in the community after the tragic death of his brother, Yanki.
Back in Antwerp, Noah discovers the desperate state of his family's fortunes as their diamond-trading business is under siege from two opposing forces. On one side, there's a determined and ambitious local prosecutor, and on the other, a ruthless new gang from the darker corners of the criminal underworld.
Critics have been fulsome in their praise for the show's intricate storytelling, strong performances and twisty plotlines.
Giri/Haji
To London now, and a gripping drama from The Lazarus Project creator Joe Barton.
Starring Takehiro Hira, Kelly Macdonald, Yōsuke Kubozuka, Will Sharpe, Masahiro Motoki, Justin Long, Anna Sawai, and Charlie Creed-Miles, this eight-parter is set in London and Tokyo, with dialogue in both English and Japanese.
Things begin with Hira's Kenzo Mori being sent to London to find his brother, who was previously assumed to be dead. His brother has been accused of murdering the nephew of a Yakuza member, which threatened to start a gang war in Tokyo.
To avoid this, Kenzo must navigate the unfamiliar territory of London to uncover whether his brother is alive, guilty, or both. To help him, he teams up with a British police detective, MacDonald's Sarah Weitzmann. As the pair investigate further, things get murkier and murkier and threaten the peace in both London and Japan.
Despite not gaining a second season, critics adored the show, as you can see from its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Law According to Lidia Poët
Finally, let's head to late 1880s Italy. Loosely inspired by the life of Lidia Poët, Italy's first modern female lawyer, this series has already secured a second season.
The show charts Poët's determined pursuit of a legal career, only to encounter the harsh reality of her "illegal" status and impending disbarment. While preparing her appeal, she lands a position at her brother Enrico's law firm. Unsurprisingly, she becomes more deeply involved than her elder brother ever anticipated, embarking on a new case with each episode.
Critics have showered praise upon Matilda de Angelis for her captivating performance and infectious energy in the lead role alongside the show's elegant aesthetics and tight scripting.
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