If you binged Black Doves in the last week, you’ll be left heading into this weekend with an all too familiar feeling.
Netflix releasing shows all at once so you can binge them is great if you don’t have the patience to come back week after week.
If you do that though, you can sometimes be left having binged all the episodes of a show in one go and be left with nothing else to watch.
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If, like me, that’s what you did with Black Doves and now have nothing to watch, we’ve put together four options for you on Netflix, and one of them is a brutal crime drama done by the exact same creator.
Giri/Haji
Giri/Haji is the previous show produced by the creator of Black Doves.
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With a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is a co-production between Netflix and the BBC, and can be watched on either.
Joe Barton created both shows, with Giri/Haji unfortunately being cancelled after two seasons and Black Doves guaranteed at least to meet that, if not surpass it.
Giri/Haji is a crime thriller about a Tokyo detective who takes on the London underworld after the death of his brother.
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Don’t worry either, as is often the worry with cancelled shows, it doesn’t end on a cliffhanger, with one fan saying: “There is a sequence in the last episode (I won’t give it away) that is one of the most beautiful scenes I’ve seen in TV.”
Another said: “Holy sh*t it gave me shivers. How beautifully they choreographed it. Amazing”.
A third added: “Definitely worth watching. It has a very definite ending and doesn’t need another season. It’s a complete story and a great story”.
So, if you are after a show with near-perfect reviews and continuing the vibes that Joe Barton brings to Netflix British telly, this is your perfect next watch.
The Hour
If you are less led by who is behind the screen and more so care about who appears in front of it, The Hour is for you.
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Unfortunately, Keira Knightley has appeared in very few TV shows, but Ben Whishaw starred in this 2011 period TV series.
Another BBC show which you can watch on Netflix, it follows a journalist, played by Whishaw, getting dragged into a web of mystery, murder, and deceit.
The show has a rating of 8/10 on IMDb and 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with one review from David Thompson of The New Republic saying: “The most complex and absorbing story playing on film (and in English) at the moment.
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“This is narrative, character, and intrigue such as have gone out of fashion.”
If you came out of Black Doves and wanted some more Whishaw, this is your best bet.
Pieces of Her
One aspect of Black Doves that many fans really appreciated was how generally, thriller shows such as that one, do not tend to have female leads.
While this is true, Pieces of Her is an example of another female-led mystery thriller on Netflix with a huge star anchoring it.
The show focuses on a young woman whose perception of her mother is forever changed after she discovers her past may be more dark and violent than she realised.
Starring Toni Colette in the lead role, one 10/10 review on IDMb said: “It was packed with heaps of suspense and was so captivating.
“The cast did a stellar job in bringing the characters to life with charisma.
“The ending was excellent and unpredictable.
“I highly recommend this series especially if you like suspense and mysteries and thrillers.”
I’m convinced.
The Night Agent
I know, I know, recommending one of the biggest shows on Netflix isn’t exactly unearthing a hidden gem.
That said, The Night Agent is successful for a reason, it is a tense and gritty thriller with a fascinating but slightly different core idea, similar to Black Doves.
With a second season coming out in January of 2025, now is the perfect time to either rewatch or catch up on one of the big shows around.
Daniel D’Addario of Variety said in their review: “It’s a pleasure to see a show better than it might have been, when so often the opposite is true: The Night Agent sparks with curiosity and intrigue, a richly detailed show that propels viewers forward with a relentless pace.”
Topics: Netflix, TV, TV and Film, BBC
Michael Slavin