What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedMr. Mercedes
Stephen King · Book · 2014
If you loved Mr. Mercedes, start with Mr. Mercedes (David E. Kelley, 2017) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Mr. Mercedes across media.
What hooked you in Mr. Mercedes was the visceral collision between obsessive, damaged investigators and the dark, calculated motivations of their adversaries.
Start with the source
Adaptation
Mr. Mercedes
David E. Kelley · Series · 2017
Films on the same thread
Mr. Brooks
Bruce A. Evans · Film · 2007
Shares a thread with Mr. Mercedes: Psychological Thriller.
Like the retired detective in Mr. Mercedes, you will be drawn to this exploration of internal conflict and the moral ambiguity that defines a dangerous, complex cat-and-mouse game.
M
Film · 1931
Shares a thread with Mr. Mercedes: Psychological Thriller.
The intense societal paranoia and the desperate hunt for a killer in this classic echo the high-stakes pressure and psychological tension found throughout the pages of Mr. Mercedes.
Memories of Murder
Film · 2003
Shares 2 threads with Mr. Mercedes: Obsession, Psychological Thriller.
If the race against time in Mr. Mercedes kept you up at night, this procedural will satisfy your craving for obsessive investigations into the minds of sadistic killers.
It
Andy Muschietti · Film · 2017
Shares a thread with Mr. Mercedes: Good vs Evil.
Much like the character dynamics in Mr. Mercedes, this story highlights how unlikely allies must confront profound fears and dark secrets lurking within their own small town.
Series on the same thread
Only Murders in the Building
Steve Martin · Series · 2021
Explores: True Crime Obsession, New York City, Intergenerational Friendship.
For fans who enjoyed the amateur investigation elements of Mr. Mercedes, this series captures that same gripping true crime obsession through a witty and engaging lens.
Midsomer Murders
Anthony Horowitz · Series · 1997
Explores: Small Town Secrets, Investigation, Rural Crime.
The veteran detective dynamic in this series mirrors the classic police procedural elements that anchor the narrative of Mr. Mercedes while focusing on dark, local mysteries.
Mr. Robot
Sam Esmail · Series · 2015
Shares a thread with Mr. Mercedes: Psychological Thriller.
If the social commentary and anti-establishment themes of Mr. Mercedes resonated with you, this techno-thriller provides a similarly intense look at how individual obsession combats corporate conspiracy.
IT: Welcome to Derry
Andy Muschietti · Series · 2025
Explores: Childhood Trauma, Ancient Evil, Group of Friends.
This mystery shares the small-town dread and the focus on group dynamics that made the hunt for the killer in Mr. Mercedes so unsettling and deeply personal.
Podcasts on the same thread
Small Town Murder
James Pietragallo, Jimmie Whisman · Podcast · 2026
Explores: provincial life, tragic irony, forensic breakdown.
If you appreciated the sociological observations and the focus on the darker side of humanity in Mr. Mercedes, this podcast offers a similarly unflinching look at crime.
S-Town
Serial Productions · Podcast · 2024
Explores: small-town isolation, eccentricity, social decay.
This deep dive into rural isolation and character study mirrors the atmospheric tension and focus on the hidden rot of a community found in Mr. Mercedes.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Mr. Mercedes a book or a television show?
Mr. Mercedes originated as a novel written by Stephen King in 2014. It was later adapted into a television series that premiered in 2017. Both versions follow the story of a retired homicide detective racing to stop a psycho-loner planning a mass casualty event.
What is the plot of the Mr. Mercedes book?
The book features a retired detective haunted by an unsolved case involving the slaughter of eight people. He teams up with unlikely allies to hunt down a psycho-loner who is planning to blow up thousands of people in a heart-pounding cat-and-mouse suspense thriller.
Should I read the Mr. Mercedes book before watching the 2017 television series?
Reading the 2014 Mr. Mercedes book before watching the 2017 television adaptation allows you to experience the original suspenseful narrative as Stephen King intended. Both formats cover the retired detective's race to stop the killer, though the television show offers a different visual interpretation of the source material.
Does the Mr. Mercedes television series follow the same story as the book?
The 2017 television series is an adaptation of the 2014 novel Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King. It depicts the same central conflict involving a retired homicide detective pursuing a killer who intends to commit a mass bombing, maintaining the suspenseful cat-and-mouse dynamic established in the original book.