If You’re Craving More Dark, Heartbreaking Shows Like ‘Baby Reindeer,’ Start Here
Baby Reindeer will likely shock you and leave you upset. Shows like that can be hard to watch but sometimes that’s exactly what you need. If you finished the Netflix series and are looking for more heartbreaking stories, we have the perfect picks for your next binge.
These are the kinds of shows that have that one moment where you just start sobbing no matter how many times you’ve seen it. And if this is your first time with them, I am both jealous of you and feel bad for what’s ahead.
I May Destroy You
Content warning: sexual assault
Like Gadd, Michaela Coel has been open about experiencing sexual assault. Her series I May Destroy You is both a means of artistic expression as well as a coping outlet. It left audiences both praising Coel’s ability as a writer and a performer but also watching what happens to Arabella (Coel) isn’t easy.
Fleabag
Fleabag, which also started as a one-person stage show like Baby Reindeer, lays out the twisted life of Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and how far she will go to be her own self-destructive force. The first season focused heavily on Fleabag’s friendship with her friend, who has recently died, complete with an emotional ending. Season 2 somehow managed to hit just as hard, if not harder, and if you’re looking for an obsession that will never leave you, Fleabag is the show for you. We will never forget you, Hot Priest (Andrew Scott).
The End of the F***ing World
What happens when James (Alex Lawther) wants to become his true form and take on serial killing? Well, The End of the F***ing World happens. A show about a psychopath trying to navigate life as a normal teenager goes left when Alyssa (Jessica Barden) decides that he is the man for her. This is a very twisted show but one that will become a favorite of yours to suggest to other people.
I Am Not Okay With This
Being a teenager is hard. Being a teenager who is dealing with high school and her sexuality on top of having superpowers? Impossible. A show that I will forever be mad got canceled, I Am Not Okay With This follows Sydney (Sophia Lillis) as she is growing up in Pennsylvania, trying to control her emotions, her life as a teenager, and her newfound power. It is a very dark comedy and well worth the watch.
WandaVision
Baby Reindeer features Richard Gadd working out his grief and trauma in the series. WandaVision is the perfect companion piece in the sense that it explores grief and coping but through an easier lens. Watching Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) recreate her own sitcom scenarios to cope is highly relatable.
It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
Healing can be something you do with someone else and It’s Okay to Not Be Okay does that with a children’s book author and an employee in a psychiatric hospital. Starring Seo Ye Ji and Kim Soo-hyun, the series is a romantic comedy but it also tackles harder issues about past relationships and trauma and is a must-see.
You
While Baby Reindeer is about overcoming trauma caused by someone else, it is also about a stalker. So why not dive into You afterward? Joe (Penn Badgley) is a serial killer who stalks women and romanticizes his life with them before eventually killing them in some form. You is a lighter watch than Baby Reindeer but scratches a similar itch.
Fatal Attraction
Yes, I did leave all the stalker stories until the bottom of the list. Fatal Attraction is based on the film of the same name and follows Alex (Lizzy Caplan) in her obsession with Dan (Joshua Jackson) after the two have a workplace affair. Everyone who has seen Fatal Attraction knows how messed up it can be. It’s shocking how far Alex is willing to go to show Dan his treatment of her was not okay but the series does a pretty good job of not putting it all on Alex.
Swarm
If you haven’t watched Swarm yet, I am jealous! The Prime Video series follows Dre (Dominique Fishback) as she navigates her obsession with a singer that takes her on a path of debt, destruction, and murder. Fishback is absolutely incredible in this and it shines a light on the obsession many have with celebrities. It’s also just very good.
Killing Eve
Eve Polastri (Sandra Oh) is trying to capture an assassin named Villanelle (Jodie Comer). Instead, they become caught up in a cat-and-mouse game of mutual obsession (and love if you ask me and half the internet). The series, which ended in 2022, left fans both wanting more and upset and I will let you explore the show for yourself.
(featured image: Neflix)
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