5 Netflix Miniseries Way Better Than I Will Find You

This article contains discussions of addiction, domestic violence, and sexual assault.

If you're a fan of thriller writer Harlan Coben, you're probably aware that he has a whole collection of small-screen adaptations available to stream on Netflix. In June 2026, "I Will Find You," based on Coben's novel of the same name, hit the streamer — and brought audiences into a twisted, terrifying, and tense story about a man wrongfully imprisoned for the death of his young son. "I Will Find You" stars "Avatar" leading man Sam Worthington as David Burroughs, who's behind bars for the brutal murder of his own child ... but when his former sister-in-law and journalist Rachel Mills ("Severance" star and Emmy winner Britt Lower) shows him some evidence that indicates his son might be alive, David breaks out of prison and decides that he and Rachel must uncover the truth once and for all.

Here's the thing. There are a lot of limited series on Netflix, and a lot of them are very good. In fact, some of them are just better than "I Will Find You," with all due respect to the miniseries based on Coben's work. If you liked "I Will Find You" but want something of even higher quality, we've got you covered; from a super-buzzy chess drama to a show that filmed entirely in one take and took home an armload of Emmys for their effort, here are 5 Netflix miniseries better than "I Will Find You."

Created by Richard Gadd and adapted from the one-man show that he initially premiered during the famed Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019, "Baby Reindeer" took the world by storm when it premiered in the spring of 2024. Gadd stars as Donny Dunn, an aspiring stand-up who works part-time at a bar and meets an odd woman named Martha (Jessica Gunning), who claims to be a high-powered lawyer but comes up short when she tries to pay for her cup of tea. Before long, Martha develops a frightening and damaging obsession centered around Donny, who's grappling with his own trauma ... specifically, sexual assault and mental abuse he suffered at the hands of his former comedy idol and mentor. All the while, Donny is trying to form a functional romantic relationship with Teri (Nava Mau), a proud transgender woman who's helping him examine his own biases — but Martha's mere presence, unsurprisingly, causes plenty of problems.

The thing that makes "Baby Reindeer" all the more unsettling is that it's based on Gadd's real-life experiences (including, apparently, the shattering sexual assault). Gadd and Gunning are exceptionally great as Donny and Martha, two troubled people orbiting one another, and even when you're desperate to tear your eyes away from the heightened horrors found within "Baby Reindeer," you'll realize that you're fully locked in for the show's seven episodes. Tread carefully with "Baby Reindeer," but it's an amazing watch ... even during its toughest moments.

Some mystery shows, including "I Will Find You," can be categorized as "whodunits" — by which we mean that the goal of the narrative is to pin down a culprit. There's an alternate version of this, though, informally called a "howcatchem," and that's a perfect way to describe the 2025 Netflix miniseries "Adolescence." When this series, created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham (the latter of whom also stars in it), kicks off, parents Manda and Eddie Miller (Christine Tremarco and Graham) are shaken to their very core when police invade their home to arrest their 13-year-old son Jamie Miller (Owen Cooper). Why? Jamie was caught on video fatally stabbing his schoolmate Katie Miller to death, and nobody knows why except for him.

"Adolescence" is a daring, difficult show that centers on the dangers of toxic masculinity and the way that "incel" Internet culture can adversely affect the minds of young boys, who can be convinced, by online strangers, that women at large are their enemy. On top of that, director Philip Barantini, who helmed all four episodes, utilized an innovative and astonishing one-shot filmmaking technique, resulting in four single-take episodes — something that's particularly incredible when you watch the show's third episode in which Jamie tangles with forensic psychologist Briony Ashton (Erin Doherty). "Adolescence" is one of the most disturbing limited-run shows on Netflix, and it's also one of the very best.

Even though her adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma" released in 2020, there's a good chance that most audiences associate that year with Anya Taylor-Joy's hit Netflix miniseries "The Queen's Gambit." Based on the 1983 novel by Walter Tevis and adapted for the streamer by Scott Frank and Allan Scott, "The Queen's Gambit" tells the story of Beth Harmon (Taylor-Joy), a young orphaned girl who discovers an uncanny affinity for the game of chess. As Beth grows older, she finds worthier opponents to play — especially after she's adopted by distant couple Alma and Allston Wheatley (Marielle Heller and Patrick Kennedy) — but there's a big problem. Beth is also dealing with multiple substance addictions, and as the series continue, her abuses only grow in scale as she tries to become the world's best chess player in a male-dominated industry.

Taylor-Joy is absolutely amazing as Beth — and she won a Golden Globe for her trouble, with the overall show winning an Emmy for outstanding limited series — and even though Beth can be a prickly and difficult woman due to her addictions, she's surrounded by people who genuinely want to help her create an incredible life, like her chess rival turned allies Benny Watts and Harry Beltik (Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Harry Melling) or her childhood friend Jolene (Moses Ingram). "The Queen's Gambit" doesn't shy away from difficult topics, and that's actually what makes it such a rewarding watch.

There's always a lot of "nepo baby" discourse in Hollywood — referring, of course, to the offspring of famous actors who follow in their parents' footsteps and become stars — but thanks to "Maid," we would argue that Margaret Qualley should be given a pass despite the fact that her mom is Andie MacDowell. Actually, both Qualley and MacDowell appear in this searing limited series helmed by Molly Smith Metzler, which draws from Stephanie Land's unforgettable memoir "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive." Qualley leads the show as a fictionalized version of Land named Alex Russell, who leaves the father of her daughter and her abusive boyfriend Sean Boyd (Nick Robinson) to try and provide a better life for her toddler Maddy (Rylea Nevaeh Whittet). As Alex tries to get work as a maid, secure some form of childcare for Maddy, find a place to live, and just generally survive as a working single mother with no money, her mother Paula Langley (MacDowell) occasionally appears as an obstacle, creating difficulties for Alex with her out-of-control behavior.

Qualley is, put simply, a revelation in "Maid," and it proved that she deserves a spotlight no matter what. "I Will Find You" is about a man trying to find his son, and "Maid," which never shies away from the bureaucratic hurdles faced by struggling young mothers, is about a woman desperately trying to ensure that she's never without her daughter. Thanks purely to Qualley's performance, "Maid" is better.

Mike Flanagan is the go-to horror guy for "Netflix," and it's easy to see why; pretty much all of the limited series he's created for the streamer, including "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Haunting of Bly Manor," are absolutely amazing. We're going to focus in on his 2023 miniseries "The Fall of the House of Usher" for this article, though, because a show about generational trauma definitely feels like it can be linked to "I Will Find You."

Based on various works by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Fall of the House of Usher" essentially spends its entire eight-episode run picking off members of the Usher family, including his illegitimate daughter Camille L'Espanaye (Flanagan regular and the director's real-life wife Kate Siegel), entrepreneur Tamerlane Usher (Samantha Sloyan), and heir and eldest son Frederick Usher (Henry Thomas). This is all set against the backdrop of patriarch Roderick Usher's (Bruce Greenwood) admission that he once made a mysterious deal for wealth and power ... only to see misfortune befall his family. If you need a wild family drama after "I Will Find You," try "The Fall of the House of Usher."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).