20 TV Mysteries That Viewers Actually Had a Chance to Solve

Mysteries thrive on TV because it’s a show and an activity. Some people may be fine sticking with the mindless, passive experience of a sitcom or reality competition, and there’s a time and a place for those, but a good whodunit turns the viewer into a detective, too, scouring the screen for clues and making little notes in case the color of the shirt worn by the witness turns out to be meaningful. Is there anything more satisfying than shouting “I knew it!” when the killer is finally revealed? Yes, but not a lot.

These days, unfortunately, many series prize pulling the rug out from under the viewer more than giving them a fair shot to solve the mystery itself. They hide information until the very last second or even twist the plot in such a way that rips a bunch of holes in it just for the shock value. That’s why Redditor goldenapple212 was left beseeching r/Television for “the ‘fairest’ yet still complex TV mysteries where the audience can really solve it on their own.” Specifically, they were looking for series that “have actually been sophisticated yet nevertheless ‘fair’ mysteries where truly enough information is provided so that an intelligent person, giving it a decent amount of thought, can really solve the mystery on their own,” and Reddit was very redd-y with answers.