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What to watch after you've watched 'Jessica Jones'

Which compelling films and TV shows should you try next when you're done bingeing on Marvel's troubled detective?

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
3 min read
Watch this: What to watch when you've finished 'Jessica Jones'

Just watched "Jessica Jones" and you're jonesing for more? Here's our list of suggestions for other movies and TV shows you might enjoy if you were gripped by the dark and compelling Netflix show about Marvel's troubled superhero-turned-private eye.

First, a couple of obvious recommendations. "Jessica Jones" starred Krysten Ritter in the title role, and Ritter played a pivotal role during season two of "Breaking Bad", another gripping and often brutal drama. Meanwhile David Tennant, who played the chilling bad guy, made his name in a much nicer role as the titular time-traveler in "Doctor Who". If you haven't already seen them, both shows are well worth your time.

On a Marvel tip, we also recommend "Daredevil", the first collaboration between Marvel and Netflix, set in the same gritty world as "Jessica Jones". It's more of a traditional crime-fighting show, but they're not directly tied together, so you don't have to watch it if punch-ups aren't your cup of tea. And we also heartily recommend the Marvel comic "Alias" that introduced the character of Jessica Jones, in 2001. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Michael Gaydos, the series was the first title of Marvel's decidedly adult MAX imprint, which set the grown-up tone of Marvel's Netflix shows. The series has been collected in four books, while the character of Jessica Jones has continued in the comics as an ally of the Avengers superteam.

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"Fringe" takes on supernatural mysteries.

Fox

Time to go further afield. Our next pick: "Fringe". Like "Jessica Jones", this cult show is headlined by an ass-kicking investigator taking on the unexplained. Olivia Dunham, played by Anna Torv, leads an FBI team investigating weird and supernatural mysteries in this cult show that draws on classics like "The X-Files", "Lost" and "The Twilight Zone". Created by the "Star Trek" team of JJ Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, the show ran for five seasons.

Though it features a private eye with superpowers, "Jessica Jones" isn't really a superhero story. Instead it ventures into dark psychological territory, reminiscent of the recent crop of compelling Scandinavian dramas like our next suggestion, "The Killing". Facing intrigue and politics while trying to solve a series of murders, Detective Inspector Sarah Lund, played by Sofie Gråbøl, may not have superpowers but she does have a super pullover. Later remade in the US, "The Killing" began life in Denmark in 2007 and ran for three seasons, winning an international audience and paving the way for other "Scandi-Noir" dramas such as "The Bridge".

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Oh, I do like a DC beside the seaside: Olivia Colman and David Tennant investigate in "Broadchurch".

Colin Hutton/BBC

Another twisty-turny drama to be remade in the US is British mystery series "Broadchurch", starring "Jessica Jones" villain David Tennant. He's on the side of the good guys in this drama about a missing boy whose disappearance reveals secrets and lies in a close-knit small town. Tennant reprises the role in the US remake "Gracepoint", complete with an American accent, but we recommend the original, which is set to shoot a third season in 2016. Tennant's suave and manipulative villain Kilgrave is the most chilling aspect of "Jessica Jones".

Another show with a repellent yet seductive monster at its heart is "Hannibal", starring Mads Mikkelsen as the infamous fictional serial killer and gourmand Dr. Hannibal Lecter. Only for the strong of stomach, the show plates up several courses of gory twists and turns as smooth cannibal Lecter makes a meal of his relationship with a troubled FBI agent. Recently cancelled after three seasons, the mouthwatering show is nonetheless full of flavour.

Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood is the setting for "Jessica Jones" and the rest of Marvel's Netflix shows. For more atmospheric drama on the mean streets of New York, try the classic movie "Klute". Jane Fonda won the 1971 best actress Oscar for her role in this slow-burning, steamy drama directed with cold-eyed intensity by Alan J Pakula. Donald Sutherland also stars as a private eye.

Looking for something a little lighter to cleanse the palette after the bleakness of "Jessica Jones"? Check out "Veronica Mars". This 2004 show starred Kristen Bell as a teenage detective looking to solve the murder of her best friend, among other things. You could think of it as "Young Jessica Jones". The show lasted for three seasons followed by a crowdfunded movie backed by fans in 2014.

What do you think of our suggestions? What movies and TV shows do you recommend to fans of "Jessica Jones"? Let us know in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter.