“Monster: The Ed Gein Story” is likely to get people in the mood for more serial killer storytelling, and there are plenty to choose from.
Ed Gein’s story inspired a number of movies, as the new series covered, but the Gein case left its mark across Hollywood and particularly in TV. If you’re looking for something to scratch the itch after your “Monster” binge, there are plenty of offerings ready to go.
From Netflix classics like “Mindhunter” to underseen gems like “Hannibal,” these are the serial killer shows to check out after “Monster.”
Mindhunter
“Mindhunter” is the obvious pick for a serial killer show to binge for a few reasons. First, and most importantly, it remains one of Netflix’s best original series and should be required viewing for anyone with a subscription. Second, it’s a story about the real people who coined the term serial killer and spent a career interviewing the worst of the worst in order to get in the heads of these monsters and catch new ones.
And finally, because “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” tried to pull off its own “Mindhunter” episode in the finale. Set aside the Dollar Store version of these characters and their work and go straight to the source.
You
“You” spent seasons confusing viewers about who to root for. Joe Goldberg spirals deeper and deeper into his dark tendencies throughout the seasons as he becomes obsessed and violent over one new girl after another. That said, Penn Badgley brought a charm and charisma to the character that made it hard not to root for him to find healthy love for real.
Badgley is stellar as the lead character, both through his work on screen and the, at times, even more impeccable voiceover work he does to put us inside Joe’s head as he works his way through problems.
Bates Motel
Another no-brainer option for shows to check out after “Monster: The Ed Gein Story.” Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series goes long into how Gein was a focal inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho.” Well, “Bates Motel” is a multi-season story of the earliest days Patrick and Norma Bates spent at their fated abode.
It’s dark, it’s shockingly fun, and Freddie Highmore absolutely nails the portrayal of a young Norman Bates.
The Killing
“The Killing” blew up in the 2010s on AMC as an American adaptation of a popular Danish crime series. The hook that worked for many was that one major crime took up the focus of one season or more, so the viewers had the time to sink into one mystery through the eyes of great performances from Mirelle Enos and Joel Kinnaman.
If you want your gritty, slow-burn crime drama, this is the ticket.
Mr. Mercedes
Based on a trio of Stephen King novels, “Mr. Mercedes” follows a now-retired police detective, played by Brendan Gleeson, who begins getting harassed by a killer he never caught before his career ended – someone who drove a Mercedes through a job fair line killing a number of people.
Time is split between focusing on the detective and the Mercedes Killer himself, who, like Ed Gein, also has a troubling home life and relationship to his mother.
Hannibal
Another show featuring characters from a movie that Ed Gein helped inspire. “Hannibal” might hold the record for the most criminally underwatched TV show of the 2010s. The series follows a younger Hannibal Lecter as he works with the FBI to track down serial killers, all while doing his own killings – and elaborate dinner parties – while messing with his FBI handler’s mind.
Mads Mikkelson is transcendent as Hannibal, and the series deserved much more than the three seasons and the cliffhanger it ended with.
Dexter
“Dexter” is iconic. If you somehow missed the heyday of the series about a Miami-based serial killer who sates his urges by killing people he thinks are evil, fear not. The show has been rebooted and spun off more than once, so there are plenty of opportunities to catch up and new episodes to check out.
