Loved ‘DTF St. Louis’? These weird mystery shows are next
Loved ‘DTF St. Louis’? These weird mystery shows are next
These shows tap into the same mix of secrets, shame, weirdness, and suspense that makes ‘DTF St. Louis’ work.
“DTF St. Louis” is one of my favorite shows to come along in a really long time. It’s weird, funny, heartbreaking, and has that kind of slow-burn mystery that keeps pulling you into the next episode. What I loved most is how it takes this very adult mess, cheating, shame, loneliness, all of it, and turns it into something sad, tense, and funny at the same time.
And that’s what makes it tough to follow up. You don’t want some generic thriller that’s all plot and no personality. You want something funny, uncomfortable, and a little rotten around the edges. Something where ordinary people get dragged into secrets, lies, paranoia, or some deeply awkward situation they absolutely do not know how to handle. So if you finished “DTF St. Louis” and want more dark comedy mystery energy, these are the shows I’d watch next.
DTF St. Louis
A love triangle among three adults experiencing middle-age malaise leads to one of them ending up dead.
Loved ‘DTF St. Louis’? Watch: ‘The White Lotus’
“The White Lotus” is one of the best shows on TV, and the similarities to “DTF St. Louis” are pretty obvious. There’s a murder mystery in both, but with “The White Lotus,” you don’t know who is dead, in addition to not knowing who killed them. Instead, you’re trying to guess which of creator Mike White’s (mostly deplorable) guests at the luxury resort end up dead as you watch them sunbathe in their resentment, lust, insecurity, and egomania.
Apart from the murder-mystery, where “The White Lotus” really lines up with “DTF St. Louis” is tone. Both shows understand that adult dysfunction can be tragic and ridiculous at the exact same time. Both use ensemble casts well, and both slowly reveal secrets instead of dumping them on you. The big difference is that “The White Lotus” is broader and more openly satirical about class and wealth, while “DTF St. Louis” is more intimate, bruised, and locked into midlife malaise, infidelity, and crime. But if you’re looking for the most direct next watch that’s going to give you a similar vibe, “The White Lotus” is it, on top of just being a really great show, I know you’re going to enjoy.
The White Lotus
Follow the exploits of various guests and employees at an exclusive tropical resort over the span of a week as with each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel’s cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself.
Check out: ‘The Chair Company’
“The Chair Company” takes one humiliating office moment and turns it into a full spiral. Tim Robinson plays Ron Trosper, a middle manager whose chair collapses in front of his coworkers, which is already enough to ruin a normal person’s life for a while. But then that embarrassment becomes the doorway into a much bigger conspiracy involving the chair company itself. It sounds ridiculous, which is part of why it works.
That makes it a smart follow-up to “DTF St. Louis.” Both shows start with adults living recognizable, kind of disappointing lives, then suddenly tip into mystery. In “DTF,” it’s infidelity and murder. In “The Chair Company,” it’s workplace humiliation and conspiracy. Now, the big difference is style. “DTF St. Louis” stays closer to crime drama and emotional wreckage, while “The Chair Company” is more surreal, cringe-forward, and openly unhinged. Tim Robinson’s comedy (and this show) isn’t for everyone, but if you dug the weirdness of “DTF St. Louis,” this provides weirdness in spades.
The Chair Company
After an embarrassing incident at work, suburban family man William Ronald Trosper finds himself investigating a far-reaching conspiracy.
Watch next: ‘The Shrink Next Door’
“The Shrink Next Door” is a different flavor of dark, but it absolutely belongs here. Based on a true story, it stars Will Ferrell as Marty, a lonely, anxious man whose seemingly friendly psychiatrist, Dr. Ike (played by Paul Rudd), slowly inserts himself into every corner of his life. Before long, it’s not really therapy anymore — it’s control, it’s manipulation, and it’s humiliation stretched out over time.
What connects it to “DTF St. Louis” is how both shows mine adult relationships for secrecy, shame, and dark comedy. In both, you’re watching people get pulled deeper into something obviously bad for them, but in a painfully human way. The difference is pace, where “The Shrink Next Door” is even slower and more character-study than murder mystery, but it has that same ability to make you laugh a little, then feel weird for laughing because of how messed up this situation is.
The Shrink Next Door
Inspired by the true story of Marty and the therapist who turned his life around…then took it over. When he first meets Dr. Ike, Marty just wants to get better at boundaries. Over 30 years, he’ll learn all about them—and what happens when they get crossed.
Wildcard pick: ‘The ’Burbs’
“The ’Burbs” takes nice, tidy suburban life and immediately makes it feel suspicious. It follows a newly married couple who move into a quiet neighborhood that should be calm and normal, except obviously it’s not. Strange neighbors, buried secrets, weird behavior at the house across the street, the whole place starts giving off that “something is deeply off here” energy almost right away.
It works as a follow-up to “DTF St. Louis” because both shows are interested in what’s hiding underneath everyday adult life. In “DTF,” its affairs, shame, and midlife dissatisfaction turn deadly. In “The ’Burbs,” it’s suburban politeness masking secrets and danger. The vibe is a little different because “The ‘Burbs” leans more into tongue-in-cheek mystery and horror-comedy, while “DTF” is more grounded in relationship mess and emotional collapse. But both are about regular people realizing they’re much closer to something sinister than they thought. Fair warning, this one’s a slow burn, but once it gets going, you’ll be hooked.
The ‘Burbs
Set in present-day suburbia, a young couple returns to the husband’s childhood home. Their world is upended when new neighbors move in across the street, bringing old secrets of the cul-de-sac to light, and new deadly threats shatter the illusion of their quiet little neighborhood.
More to watch after finishing ‘DTF St. Louis’:
‘Dead to Me’ | Netflix
Dead to Me
A hotheaded widow searching for the hit-and-run driver who mowed down her husband befriends an eccentric optimist who isn’t quite what she seems.
‘Patriot’ | Prime Video
Patriot
To prevent Iran from going nuclear, intelligence officer John Tavner must forgo all safety nets and assume a perilous “non-official cover” — that of a mid-level employee at a Midwestern industrial piping firm.
‘Deadloch’ | Prime Video
Deadloch
Two vastly different female detectives are thrown together to solve the murder of a local man in the sleepy seaside hamlet of Deadloch.
‘Bodkin’ | Netflix
Bodkin
A ragtag crew of podcasters sets out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets.