10 Best Shows Like Bored To Death That You Should Watching Update 04/2024

Shows Like Bored To Death

10. Bored To Death – Stream On HBO Max

Bored To Death

Bored to Death, a hilarious half-hour crime comedy written by acclaimed New York novelist Jonathan Ames, has a similar premise and tone to Only Murder in the Building. With a similar amount of self-consciousness, the show follows Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman), a failing writer who begins moonlighting as an amateur detective with his bumbling pals Ray and George (Zach Galifianakis) (Red Danson).

Similarly to Charles, who uses his previous experience as an actor on an 80s detective show called Only Murders to learn the ropes, Jonathan on Bored to Death uses old crime novels to brush up on his knowledge. As far as plot is concerned, neither show strays from focusing on its quirky cast rather than the city itself.

9. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency – Stream On HBO Max

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, the first show to be filmed in Botswana, Africa, is one of the most charming detective comedies to watch, along with Only Murders in the Building. When Precious Ramotswe (Jill Scott) opens the first female-owned detective agency in her country, we follow her story. The show is a must-see for its combination of humor, originality, and upliftment.

Precious solves a wide range of crimes, from kidnapping and illegal smuggling to mysterious hospital deaths and more, with the help of her hilariously frazzled assistant Grace (Anika Noni Rose). Aside from promoting female empowerment, the warm and vibrant setting exudes a positive energy that not even Steve Martin and Martin Short could match.

8. Castle – Stream On DirecTV

Castle

Fillion is hilarious as the eponymous mystery crime novelist, who learns that someone is stealing the sadistic plots from his best-selling books. As a result, he and his partner Kate are able to gain entry to the NYPD’s homicide unit and dig up information on the assailant (Stana Katic).

The meta-narrative of Castle’s comedic crime stories mirrors the self-reflexivity of Only Murders in the Building, where the three leads share an obsession with true-crime podcasts, only to start their own when a real murder occurs in The Arconia.

7. Monk – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

For his hilarious roles as Adrian Monk, the titular homicide detective, Tony Shalhoub won three Primetime Emmys. However, his stellar career was cut short due to his crippling OCD. When he accepts a new consultant position, his predicament sets off a chain of hilarious mishaps.

Although the plot revolves around a tragic event that befalls Monk, the show uses a light, comedic approach that allows the main character to triumph despite his OCD. Only Murders in the Building has a non-stop hilarity and discomfort level that’s eerily reminiscent of having over 300 phobias while being required to investigate gore-filled crime scenes.

6. Psych – Stream On Amazon Prime And Peacock

Psych

It’s currently streaming on Peacock and follows the wild adventures of Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez), an amateur sleuth who pretends to have psychic powers that can be used to solve crimes. Psych is one of the most entertaining and long-running detective comedy series. Because of this, the police decide to hire him, and he and his best friend Burton (Dule Hill) are left with the task of keeping their word.

Psych will appeal to fans of Only Murders in the Buildings because it emphasizes the finding of true friendship in an unlikely place, which is similar to the premise of a novice detective getting in over their head and dealing with deadly consequences.

5. My Life Is Murder – Stream On Acorn TV

Watch My Life is Murder if you want to laugh out loud at a lighthearted detective comedy. In Alexa Crowe, Lucy Lawless stars as an intrepid investigator who takes on the establishment and solves the most cryptic crimes while juggling her daily misadventures in Australia. Alexa Crowe To put it another way, it’s Veronica Mars for grownups.

My Life Is Murder, like Only Murders in the Building, should be commended for casting actors over the age of 50, a trend that would have never occurred a generation ago. Furthermore, Alexa’s approach to solving crimes is every bit as capable, playful, and witty as Martin and Short’s.

4. Search Party – Stream On HBO Max

Search Party

Search Party, an HBO original series, will appeal to fans of Only Murders in the Building looking for a darker brand of comedy with sinister overtones. Show follows a group of self-absorbed twentysomethings who begin an amateur investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a former college classmate in this show.

In the morbid half-hour sitcom, the traditional half-hour comedy format is combined with ground-breaking originality, and self-absorbed characters are still easy to root for when put in dangerous situations. Like Mabel (Selena Gomez) in Only Murders in the Building, Dory’s (Alia Shawkat) storyline is tender and touching in unexpected ways.

3. Death In Paradise – Stream On Britbox

It’s impossible to watch Death in Paradise without laughing out loud. Death in Paradise follows a smarmy British TV detective who isn’t very good at his job. Ben Miller plays DI Richard Poole, a British middle-aged detective who despises sunshine and leisure and is sent to the Caribbean to solve a murder. The show follows his grumpy exploits.

Only Murders in the Building’s DI Poole is the quintessential quirky TV sleuth who can’t adjust to his new surroundings in the fish-out-of-water crime comedy. The anthological sequels, which each feature a different lead detective, capitalize on his displeasure in paradise to great effect.

2. Queens Of Mystery – Stream On Acorn TV

Queens Of Mystery

Queens of Mystery may be the closest thing to a gender-swapped version of Only Murders in the Building given the age of their target demographic. A whodunit series of murders in a posh English hamlet is solved by four middle-aged crime writing sisters who pool their resources and knowledge from the past.

The three sisters enlist the help of their 28-year-old niece Matilda (Olivia Vinall), just as George and Oliver did with Mabel in Only Murders in the Building. This opens their eyes to a wealth of new cross-generational information that is crucial to solving the murders.

1. Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency – Stream On Hulu

However, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency has the same whimsical tone, tenor, and temperament as Hulu’s new crime comedy despite the addition of supernatural elements. starring Samuel Barnett as the title character, an eccentric spiritual investigator who uses kismet to solve crimes with his equally eccentric partner Todd (Elijah Wood).

Because of its focus on absurd humor and bizarre oddity characters, Only Murders in the Building is able to keep its audience entertained and empathize with the show’s bumbling detectives at the expense of actually resolving the case. In fact, on both shows, it’s not their excellent work that makes them likeable; rather, it’s the complete opposite.