BBC crime drama The Fall hailed as a must-watch thriller, now streaming on Netflix
Fans looking for their next gripping crime drama after The Dark may want to turn their attention to The Fall, the acclaimed BBC thriller starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan.
While The Dark continues its run in ITV’s primetime 9pm slot on Sundays and Mondays, taking viewers into the unsettling world of a detective hunting a serial killer in the Scottish Highlands, The Fall offers a similarly dark and psychologically intense story.
The drama, which originally aired on BBC Two more than a decade ago, is now available to stream on Netflix. Set in Belfast, it follows two men and women locked into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game: a detective determined to catch a serial killer and the apparently ordinary family man secretly responsible for a series of attacks.
Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan lead the cast
At the centre of The Fall are two standout performances.
Gillian Anderson, known for The X-Files and Sex Education, plays Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, the investigator tasked with getting inside the mind of the killer.
Opposite her is Jamie Dornan as Paul Spector, a family man living a secret life as a serial killer. Dornan would later become internationally known for the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, but The Fall was an important early role in his career.
The series was created and written by Allan Cubitt and was filmed and set in Northern Ireland, with Belfast providing the backdrop for the increasingly tense investigation.
What makes the drama particularly compelling is the way it places the investigator and killer at the heart of the story. Rather than relying solely on the mystery of who is responsible, The Fall explores the psychological battle between Gibson and Spector as the investigation closes in around him.
The series originally premiered on BBC Two in 2013 and ultimately ran for three series.
Viewers call The Fall one of the best crime dramas
The drama has developed a strong following among viewers, with IMDb users continuing to praise its performances, atmosphere and deliberately tense storytelling.
One viewer described it as “TV at its best”, calling the series an incredible and addictive thriller that was difficult to stop watching.
Another praised the way the story drew them in, describing it as a perfectly executed programme that kept them on the edge of their seat.
A third viewer called The Fall “superb” and “highly gripping”, predicting that it would eventually be regarded as one of the best crime dramas ever made.
Other praise has focused on the acting and characterisation. One viewer singled out the complex characters and the show’s deliberate pacing, saying the tension made the drama particularly nerve-wracking.
That response is reflected in the show’s wider critical reputation. The Fall has been described as a tense, psychologically driven thriller, with Anderson’s Stella Gibson pursuing Dornan’s Paul Spector through Belfast.
A darker choice for fans of The Dark
For viewers drawn to the unsettling serial-killer investigation at the centre of The Dark, The Fall offers another crime story built around the pursuit of a dangerous murderer.
Its central pairing of Anderson’s determined detective and Dornan’s concealed killer gives the series much of its tension, while the Belfast setting adds to its distinctive atmosphere.
The Fall is currently available to stream on Netflix.
