WhileThe Missingcame out the same year asTrue Detectiveand dealt with similar themes, it has been underrated compared to the latter. Crime shows are a staple of TV today, and some of the most successful andlongest-running TV shows of all timeare crime procedurals. Still, the crime genre has some underrated gems, with manyBritish murder mysteriesflying under the radar. This may be because British crime shows tend to be grittier and more serious than their American counterparts, thoughTrue Detectivehad its dark and disturbing moments.
The eerie, mystery-laden anthologyTrue Detectivecenters around detectives investigating some of the scariest mysteries out there, including conspiracies and murders. While there are some crossovers in the timeline,each season ofTrue Detectivecan stand on its own as each focuses on a different team of detectives. While the series was riveting, with seasons 1 and 4 being standouts, it could be far-fetched at times and prioritized disturbing visuals over the crime itself. A show that came out in the same year asTrue Detectiveand was just as good, however, is the British TV seriesThe Missing.
The Missing Was An Anthology Detective Series About Missing Children
The Missing’s Extra Layer Of Mystery Won The Show Several Award Nominations
The Missingstars Tchéky Karyo as the retired Detective Julien Baptiste, who worked on the case of Oliver, a young boy who went missing while he and his family were on holiday in France. Baptiste returns to the case many years later after a new piece of evidence reveals that Oliver could be alive. Season 2 ofThe Missingconcerns another missing child, this time in Germany, and Baptiste comes out of retirement again to help with the case. ThoughThe Missingonly lasted for two seasons, the popular Baptiste had a spin-off series that also ran for two seasons.
Many crime dramas bring in more gore to keep the viewers' attention.
Shows likeThe MissingandTrue Detectiverisk being similar, and while many crime dramas bring in more gore to keep the viewers' attention,The Missinghas a different strategy. When Oliver’s father, Tony, played by James Nesbitt, discovers that one of the searchers is a pedophile, he kills him. Tony’s cover-up formed a second point of tension throughoutThe Missing, and Nesbitt was nominated for several awards for his role.WhileTrue Detectiveoften took its action to extremes,The Missingkept much of its story plausiblewhile staying character-driven.
The Missing’s Focus On The Missing Children’s Parents Made It More Grounded
The Missing’s Baptiste Spin-Off Was Well-Received By Critics
The Missingdoesn’t show much of the child’s suffering and instead focuses on the parents and their different ways of handling the situation. This allowed for better character development and stopped the show from entering the territory of horror movies.Having a child go missing is enough of a real-life horror story, soThe Missingwriters' decision to center the parents rather than the kidnapper kept the show more grounded in reality, and scarier as a result. Baptiste was also critically praised for his realism and way of thinking carefully through every action he took.
10 Gritty TV Crime Dramas For Fans Of True Crime
While there are plenty of true crime shows currently streaming, there are also many traditional crime dramas that true crime fans will enjoy.
The Missingseason 1 was compelling enough, withThe New York Timesreview saying, “The Missing is imaginatively written, well cast, chillingly believable and quite addictive.” However, season 2 was even better received, and with Julien Baptiste looking as though he would become one ofthe best TV detectives around, he was given a spin-off.Baptistealso starred Fiona Shaw, known for playing Carolyn Marten inKilling Eve, and introduced more twists and turns. This madeBaptistea good successor toThe Missingbut gave the show a wider scope that was more in line with shows likeTrue Detective.
How The Missing Was Different From True Detective
True Detective Season 5 Could Learn From The Missing’s Best Parts
WhileTrue DetectiveandThe Missingaired in the same yearand covered murder and missing children, there are some key differences between the shows.True Detectivechanged its detectives each season, introducing new characters and big names to keep the show fresh. On the other hand,The Missingkept Julien Baptiste as the familiar face of the show, with a new case every season.The Missingalso stayed grounded, focusing on the parents and their reactions to the events happening around them, whileTrue Detectiveintroduced wider conspiracies, which were ambitious but did not always land successfully.
Total episodes
2014
2
16
91%
Baptiste (The Missing spin-off)
2019
12
86%
4
30
79%
True Detectivehas sometimes been criticized for being inconsistent. The first season was highly praised for their character-driven stories, andTrue Detectiveseason 4 was the most-watched season, but other seasons were bogged down by plot details and complex time jumps.True Detectivehas been renewed for season 5, and if it is to replicate season 1’s success, it could learn fromThe Missing. The main storylines inThe Missingwere relatively simple, but its characters were compelling, making them the focus rather than several ideas at once.True Detectivecould keep its biggest ideas if it takes some character development tips fromThe Missing.
