9 Perfectly Cozy Mystery Series To Watch During Lockdown

Like any other crime-junkie, I'm a sucker for intense psychological thrillers with messed up characters and mind-boggling twists. 

But every once in a while, all that intensity gets a bit too much for me & I start craving some good ol' fashioned cozy mysteries that remind me of Agatha Christie books. Mysteries that make me want to cuddle my pillow and sip on a hot cup of coffee while I watch them.

Now the world is going through a quasi-apocalypse and no one has the patience to slog through 3 paragraphs of introductory blah-blahs, so without further ado, here's the list full of perfect boredom-busters.

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

This series revolves around the personal and professional life of Phryne Fisher (Essie Davis), a glamorous and sassy amateur sleuth in 1920s Melbourne.

She wears haute-couture, climbs buildings with her bare hands, sashays through jazz clubs with a pistol in her purse, lives her life unapologetically on her own terms, and gets quite worked up over feminist issues.

Add to the mix a top-hat-and-overcoat-wearing perfectly gentleman Police Inspector and what more do you need? Not to mention that the side characters here are really endearing -- Phryne's butch lesbian doctor friend, her shy assistant who is continually shocked by Phryne's life choices and a sweet young constable. 

This is a wholesome entertainer with nail-biting mystery plots and a sweet romance.

Elementary

A refreshing take on everyone's favourite detective, the one and only Sherlock Holmes, this series introduces a twist by portraying both Watson(Lucy Liu) and

Moriarty(Natalie Dormer) as women. Being a die-hard fan of BBC's Sherlock, I was quite skeptical about this show. 

But what I loved the best about this series is the beautiful platonic relationship between Holmes(Jonny Lee Mille) and Watson. I honestly cannot remember any other TV series that portrayed such a deep friendship between a man and a woman without ever bringing in a romantic angle. 

Moreover, this is series humanizes Sherlock more than any other adaptation, intimately exploring his drug addiction and personal struggles.

And since the series has an episodic structure, with each 45 minute long episode following a different case, it is quite easy to follow.

Castle

Castle revolves around Richard Castle, a celebrated mystery writer who

decides to team up with NYPD detective Kate Beckett to solve the case of a serial killer who recreates murder scenes from Castle's books. 

While working the case, Castle realizes that this is the antidote to his crushing writer's block and Beckett realizes that there are certain benefits to have a sharp mystery writer tag along with her.

There is a total of 8 seasons that explore different cases the team works and of course, a cozy mystery cannot be complete without some drama about the personal lives of characters, so there is a lot of that too.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

You may call me a biased fan, but I'd say that Brooklyn Nine-Nine is the best TV series to ever exist. Period.

A police-procedural comedy, this show follows a team of odd and quirky detectives of the 99th precinct in Brooklyn. With a gay black police captain, two badass Latina detectives and characters are who are the farthest from the stereotypes we usually see, this series kicks the ball out of the park with every freaking episode.

In its 7 seasons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has bravely and competently handled issues like racism, homophobia, workplace harassment, coming out to your family, infertility, and whatnot. No matter what mood you are in, this series is the perfect watch for all times.

Sherlock

Can it be called a cozy mystery series per se? Probably not. Sherlock is far

more nuanced than your typical cozy mystery. But any mystery series list that I make will inevitably feature this one. There can be no exceptions.

BBC's adaptation of Sherlock with Benedict Cumberbatch's iconic portrayal of the eponymous character has amassed a cult following since it came out in 2010 & not without good reasons. This series is the epitome of how cinematic adaptations can not just add to, but also elevate existing works of literature to a whole new level.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is a science fiction horror show rather than a typical cozy

mystery series, but it still checks off all the boxes that we look for in cozy mysteries.

Set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana in the 1980s, this series follows the disappearance of 12-year-old Will Byers. As his mother and friends launch a desperate investigation, they unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries involving secret government experiments, unnerving supernatural forces, and a very unusual little girl.

I absolutely love all the characters in this series, a majority of whom are teenagers. With all the wtf-is-happening moments and the teen-drama-moments, it is literally not possible to stop binging this series.

Home Before Dark

Home Before Dark was released recently on Apple Tv+ and while it's not

anything ground-breaking, you will have fun watching this one.

Home Before Dark revolves around a 9-year old aspiring journalist Hilde Lisko, who moves back to her father's hometown with her family. While struggling to adjust with this change, she starts unearthing a 30-year old cold case that everyone, including her own father, tried to bury.

You might feel skeptical about whether a 9-year old can truly solve a murder or report on it for that matter, but this series is inspired by the real-life story of Hilde Lysiak; so there go all your questions.

Murder, She Wrote

This is the OG cozy mystery series that ran for 12 seasons from 1984-1996. It follows Jessica Fletcher (played by Angela Lansbury), a retired English teacher

and a successful mystery writer, who solves murders in her quaint little town, Cabot Cove.

This town, if it actually existed, would have been the murder capital of the world with its hilariously unrealistic number of murders. 

The show is extremely enjoyable though and quite reminiscent of Christie's Miss Marple. Angela Lansbury, with her warm voice and gentle behaviour, feels like everyone's favourite grandma who occasionally passes sassy comments and solves murders.

Alta Mar

Alta Mar is the first Spanish-language series I watched, and though there are

far better Spanish series, Alta Mar presents a really enjoyable mystery.

The entire series takes place on a luxurious cruise ship that is sailing from Spain to Rio de Janeiro in the 1940s when mysterious deaths start occurring on board. If that doesn't immediately hook you in, then let me tell you that it revolves around two orphaned sisters and includes conspiracies, betrayals, and cutesy romantic moments.

Amongst all the mystery-thriller series I've watched, these nine are the coziest by far. Make yourself some french fries and a cup of cold coffee (or if you are like me, emotionally blackmail your dad into making them for you) and have a cozy-mystery-marathon, either all by yourself, or with your friends (virtually of course).

Happy Binging.