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| Shows Like Last Seen |
If Last Seen has already pulled you into its tense world of missing-person mystery, fractured family ties and a desperate investigation that refuses to stay inside the lines, there is plenty more to watch once the six episodes are over. The Australian thriller centres on former detective Ian Ridley, now working as an emergency dispatcher, whose ordinary shift changes dramatically when he believes he hears the voice of his daughter Maggie, who disappeared 11 years earlier. From that point, the series turns grief, obsession and unanswered questions into a race against time, making it an easy choice for viewers who enjoy mysteries where the emotional stakes matter just as much as the central puzzle.
For anyone already searching for shows like Last Seen, the following 21 series cover everything from missing-person investigations and cold cases to psychological mysteries, troubled detectives and protagonists who really should know when to stop digging but, naturally, never do. Some are closer in story, while others share the atmosphere, pacing or character-driven tension that makes Last Seen so compelling.
Shows Like LAST SEEN
1. The Missing (2014)
The Missing is one of the strongest choices for anyone drawn to Last Seen's central mystery. The British crime drama follows Tony and Emily Hughes after their young son disappears during a family holiday in France. Years pass, but Tony remains determined to uncover what happened, while the investigation continues to expose painful secrets and unanswered questions.
The similarity is obvious without being a carbon copy: both stories revolve around a missing child, a parent unable to accept that the search is over and an investigation that stretches far beyond the original disappearance. Like Last Seen, it understands that the mystery is only half the story; the real tension comes from watching what years of uncertainty do to people.
2. Broadchurch (2013)
Broadchurch takes a different route but delivers the same slow-burning combination of investigation, grief and suspicion. The series begins when a young boy is found dead in a seemingly peaceful coastal community, prompting detectives Alec Hardy and Ellie Miller to investigate.
What makes it similar to Last Seen is its focus on how a mystery changes an entire community rather than simply giving viewers clues every ten minutes. The investigation becomes increasingly personal, relationships come under pressure and practically everyone seems to have something they would rather keep quiet. It is the sort of series where saying, “I trust this person,” is usually a spectacularly bad decision.
3. The Sinner (2017)
The Sinner is ideal if the psychological side of Last Seen interests you more than the missing-person premise itself. Each season follows a troubling mystery in which detective Harry Ambrose attempts to understand why an apparently ordinary person has become connected to a disturbing event.
Like Last Seen, the series is less interested in simply asking what happened than why it happened. The investigation gradually becomes a journey through memory, trauma, relationships and hidden motives. Ambrose is also the kind of investigator who keeps pushing long after the sensible stopping point, which makes him a particularly good companion for Ian Ridley's increasingly personal search.
4. The Fall (2013)
The Fall follows detective superintendent Stella Gibson as she investigates a series of crimes in Belfast while trying to understand the person responsible. The series is colder and more methodical than Last Seen, but its psychological tension and character-focused storytelling make it a natural recommendation.
The connection comes through its atmosphere. Both shows create a feeling that something is wrong even during relatively quiet scenes. The investigation is not simply about collecting evidence; it is about understanding people and anticipating what they might do next. If the tense, gloomy side of Last Seen is what keeps you watching, The Fall belongs firmly on the list.
5. Mare of Easttown (2021)
Mare of Easttown follows Mare Sheehan, a detective investigating the death of a young woman in a small Pennsylvania community while dealing with considerable problems in her own life.
The series shares Last Seen's interest in detectives who cannot completely separate their professional responsibilities from their personal experiences. Mare's investigation becomes tangled with family pressures, old relationships and the complicated history of her community. The result is a mystery with emotional weight rather than a simple sequence of clues. It is gritty, character-driven and occasionally grimly funny, which is a rather good combination for viewers who prefer their mysteries to come with actual people attached to them.
6. Sharp Objects (2018)
Sharp Objects is a strong recommendation for viewers who want something darker and more psychological after Last Seen. Amy Adams stars as journalist Camille Preaker, who returns to her hometown to investigate the disappearance and death of young girls.
The similarities are found in the way the mystery becomes inseparable from the protagonist's own past. Camille is not approaching the case as a completely detached outsider, and the town itself seems to hold memories and secrets that refuse to stay buried. Like Last Seen, it uses isolation and personal obsession to create tension, although Sharp Objects takes a much more inward-looking approach.
7. The Night Of (2016)
The Night Of begins when a young man becomes caught up in a murder investigation after a night in New York goes horribly wrong. The HBO limited series then examines the investigation, legal process and consequences that follow.
While the story is very different from Last Seen, the two share a fascination with uncertainty. The viewer is constantly encouraged to question what really happened, who can be trusted and how much of the truth is being revealed. Its deliberate pace also gives the mystery room to breathe, making it particularly suitable for viewers who prefer suspense built through character development rather than constant twists.
8. The Chestnut Man (2021)
The Chestnut Man is a Danish crime thriller about two detectives investigating a series of murders connected by small handmade figures found at the scenes.
This one is for viewers who enjoyed Last Seen's mystery element and want something more procedural. The investigators gradually uncover connections between apparently unrelated events, while the bleak Scandinavian setting adds another layer of unease. Like Last Seen, the story works because the investigation keeps opening new questions rather than neatly closing the previous ones. Every answer seems to have another question waiting behind it. Very considerate of the mystery, really.
9. The Killing (2007)
The original Danish The Killing follows detective Sarah Lund as she investigates a young woman's murder, with the case eventually stretching into politics, family relationships and the wider community.
Its connection to Last Seen lies in its patient approach to investigation. Rather than rushing through the mystery, The Killing spends considerable time examining suspects, evidence and the emotional consequences of the case. Lund's determination also echoes Ian's refusal to let an unresolved case disappear into the background. If you enjoy stories where one investigation gradually consumes nearly everyone involved, this is an obvious next stop.
10. Unforgotten (2015)
Unforgotten centres on detectives investigating historical cases that have remained unresolved for years, often decades. Each story gradually uncovers how a long-forgotten event continues to affect the people connected to it.
That makes it particularly relevant to Last Seen, where the disappearance of Maggie remains an open wound more than a decade later. The series understands that time does not necessarily make unanswered questions disappear. Sometimes it simply gives people more years to hide things. Its strength is in combining detective work with the personal consequences of finally revisiting the past.
11. The Tourist (2022)
The Tourist follows a man who wakes up in an Australian hospital with no memory of who he is or why someone apparently wanted him gone.
It is less directly comparable to Last Seen, but the Australian setting, mystery structure and constant uncertainty make it an entertaining follow-up. Both series build their stories around a central question that keeps changing as new information appears. The Tourist also knows how to balance tension with dry humour, making it useful for anyone who likes their thrillers intense but not so relentlessly miserable that watching them starts to feel like unpaid overtime.
12. The Stranger (2020)
The Stranger is a British mystery thriller in which a seemingly random revelation about a man's family sends him searching for answers while exposing a much larger web of secrets.
The similarities with Last Seen come through the escalating investigation. One discovery leads to another, personal relationships become part of the mystery and the protagonist finds himself going further than he originally intended. The show also plays with the idea that people close to us may be hiding entire parts of their lives. In mystery television, that is rarely a reassuring discovery.
13. Safe (2018)
Safe begins when a teenage girl disappears from a seemingly secure gated community, forcing her father to search for answers while discovering uncomfortable secrets about the people around him.
The parental desperation makes it a natural recommendation for Last Seen viewers. Both stories place a parent at the centre of a search and use the disappearance as a doorway into deeper mysteries. Safe is more focused on secrets within a community, while Last Seen leans more heavily into the psychological impact of a long-running disappearance. Either way, “quiet neighbourhood” quickly proves to be a marketing term rather than a guarantee.
14. The Valhalla Murders (2019)
The Icelandic series The Valhalla Murders follows detectives investigating a series of linked killings while uncovering connections to a troubled institution from the past.
The series shares Last Seen's bleak atmosphere and its interest in how old events can influence present-day investigations. The setting also does plenty of heavy lifting, creating a sense of isolation that makes every development feel more significant. For viewers who enjoy slow-building mysteries where the past gradually becomes impossible to ignore, this is a particularly good choice.
15. Black Spot (2017)
Black Spot is a French-Belgian mystery thriller set in an isolated town surrounded by a vast forest, where a police chief investigates a string of strange cases while confronting the community's secrets.
Its connection to Last Seen is primarily atmospheric. Both stories use isolation as part of the mystery rather than simply treating the location as scenery. The environment feels like another character, and the deeper the investigation goes, the more unsettling the surroundings become. Black Spot also leans into the mysterious side of crime drama, making it a good option for viewers who like their investigations with an extra layer of uncertainty.
16. The Valhalla Murders (2019)
The Valhalla Murders deserves a place among the more atmospheric choices for Last Seen viewers because its investigation repeatedly circles back to events from the past. Two detectives are drawn into a case that reveals disturbing connections between several victims and an institution from years earlier.
The strongest similarity is the way old events refuse to stay buried. Last Seen builds its premise around a disappearance that happened 11 years earlier, while The Valhalla Murders shows how historical secrets can continue shaping the present. Both understand that a case does not necessarily become less important simply because everyone has stopped talking about it.
17. The Victim (2019)
The Victim is a Scottish drama that examines the aftermath of a child's death and the conflicting perspectives of the people left behind. Rather than functioning as a straightforward detective story, it focuses heavily on questions of identity, blame, grief and justice.
That makes it a particularly interesting companion to Last Seen because both are interested in the emotional consequences of a child-related mystery. The Victim is more of a character study, while Last Seen is structured around an active search, but both ask how far someone might go when they believe the official version of events is wrong.
18. Stay Close (2021)
Stay Close follows several people whose apparently separate lives become connected by an old disappearance and a secret from the past.
It is a good choice for viewers who enjoyed the way Last Seen turns one mystery into a much larger network of questions. The story jumps between characters and slowly reveals how their histories overlap, creating the familiar feeling that every new answer has the potential to complicate everything. It is also packed with the kind of revelations that make you reconsider what you thought you knew about the characters.
19. The Capture (2019)
The Capture follows British detective Rachel Carey as she becomes involved in a case where video evidence may not be as trustworthy as it appears.
The connection to Last Seen comes through its central distrust of appearances. Last Seen asks whether Ian has genuinely recognised his daughter's voice, while The Capture repeatedly challenges the reliability of what people see and believe. Both therefore turn perception itself into part of the mystery. If you enjoy a thriller that makes you question your own assumptions, this one should keep you busy.
20. Vigil (2021)
Vigil follows detective Amy Silva as she investigates a mysterious death connected to a submarine crew, taking the investigation into an extremely confined environment where almost everyone has something to hide.
The claustrophobic atmosphere is the major link to Last Seen. Last Seen begins within the restrictive environment of emergency dispatch before opening out into the wider Australian landscape, while Vigil uses the submarine as a pressure cooker for its entire investigation. Both create tension by placing investigators in environments where getting answers is difficult and leaving is not exactly straightforward.
21. The Cry (2018)
The Cry is a British-Australian psychological drama centred on the disappearance of a baby during a trip to Australia, with the investigation becoming increasingly complicated as the story examines the parents and the events surrounding the disappearance.
For Last Seen viewers, the obvious connection is the missing-child storyline, but the more interesting similarity is the psychological uncertainty surrounding the case. The series keeps asking viewers to reconsider what they think they know about the people involved. It is less of a conventional detective thriller and more of an emotional mystery, making it a worthwhile choice if the human side of Last Seen is what stayed with you after the credits rolled.
Viewers who enjoy slow-burning mysteries, emotional character work and stories built around unanswered questions may find Ian Ridley's search particularly gripping, especially because the central mystery is tied so closely to his family.
Others may prefer a faster procedural structure and could find the psychological focus more demanding. The emergency-dispatch setting also gives the opening episodes a distinctive sense of pressure before the story expands into a broader search. That split is hardly surprising: some viewers want their mysteries solved yesterday, while others quite enjoy being dragged through every uncomfortable question first.
My take is that Last Seen has the right ingredients for a proper thriller binge: a missing child, an investigator with something deeply personal at stake, an unanswered question from more than a decade ago and one mysterious phone call capable of blowing everything apart.
Patrick Brammall's Ian Ridley also gives the premise an interesting emotional centre because this is not simply a detective following clues; it is a father refusing to let the past become a closed chapter. The Australian setting adds plenty of character too. If you like mysteries that make you suspicious of practically everyone, Last Seen should be right up your street. Just don't expect your nerves to get a holiday.
For viewers looking for the closest matches to Last Seen, The Missing, Safe, The Cry, Unforgotten and Mare of Easttown are arguably the best places to begin, while The Sinner, Sharp Objects and The Capture are stronger choices if the psychological mystery is what hooked you. The Tourist and Vigil are worth adding when atmosphere and setting matter just as much as the investigation itself.
Ultimately, Last Seen sits comfortably among modern mystery thrillers that turn an investigation into something deeply personal, so there is no shortage of shows to fill the gap afterwards. Which of these 21 series have you already watched, and which one would you put at the top of the list for fellow Last Seen fans? Share your pick — because apparently one unresolved mystery is never enough.