Novocaine

What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedNovocaine

Dan Berk · Film · 2025

If you loved Novocaine, start with Your Friends & Neighbors (Jonathan Tropper, 2025) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Novocaine across media.

If Novocaine gripped you, it is because you enjoy watching ordinary people navigate high-stakes, bizarre circumstances through sheer, stubborn resilience.

Books on the same thread

So Far Gone

So Far Gone

Jess Walter · Book · 2025

Shares a thread with Novocaine: Kidnapping.

Like the protagonist of Novocaine, the lead in So Far Gone is an unlikely hero forced into a desperate, suspenseful rescue mission that tests his personal limits.

The Scared Stiff

The Scared Stiff

Donald E. Westlake · Book · 2013

Shares a thread with Novocaine: Black Comedy.

The Scared Stiff captures the same darkly comedic tone found in Novocaine, featuring desperate characters whose poor decisions lead to dangerous, life-altering consequences for their quiet lives.

Outrunning Danger

Outrunning Danger

Gina Bell · Book

Explores: hiding in plain sight, identity crisis, survival.

Fans of Novocaine will appreciate this story of a person hiding in plain sight, as both narratives focus on the survival instincts of an individual whose ordinary life unravels.

Doctor Sleep: A Novel

Doctor Sleep: A Novel

Stephen King · Book · 2013

Explores: Addiction Recovery, Redemption, Good vs Evil.

Much like the accidental hero in Novocaine, the protagonist here must step up to save a child from a dangerous threat, turning a personal journey into a high-stakes struggle.

Series on the same thread

Your Friends & Neighbors

Your Friends & Neighbors

Jonathan Tropper · Series · 2025

Shares a thread with Novocaine: dark comedy.

Your Friends & Neighbors mirrors the dark humor and moral descent seen in Novocaine, following a man who finds an unexpected, dangerous thrill in his sudden criminal lifestyle.

High Potential

High Potential

Drew Goddard · Series · 2024

Explores: Unlikely Partnerships, Brilliant Outsider, Single Parent.

If you enjoyed the fish-out-of-water dynamic in Novocaine, you will value how this show pairs an unconventional outsider with a detective to solve crimes through sheer intellect.

M.I.A.

M.I.A.

Bill Dubuque · Series · 2026

Explores: family legacy, underworld survival, ambition.

This story echoes the dangerous, neon-lit transformation of an everyday person seen in Novocaine, as Etta is forced to navigate a lethal underworld following a sudden family tragedy.

Pluribus

Pluribus

Vince Gilligan · Series · 2025

Shares a thread with Novocaine: Dark Comedy.

Pluribus features the same brand of reluctant heroism found in Novocaine, placing an ordinary person at the center of a chaotic situation that requires an impossible, life-changing response.

Podcasts on the same thread

CounterClock

CounterClock

Audiochuck · Podcast · 2025

Explores: unsolved homicide, seeking justice, historical mystery.

The investigative persistence in CounterClock reflects the same drive for truth found in Novocaine, keeping you focused on the grit required to uncover hidden, dangerous realities.

The Deca Tapes

The Deca Tapes

Lex Noteboom · Podcast · 2025

The Deca Tapes taps into the claustrophobic tension of Novocaine, challenging you to piece together the survival of individuals trapped in a mystery they did not choose.

Keep exploring

Common questions

Is Novocaine based on a book or other source material?

Novocaine is an original 2025 film directed by Dan Berk. There are no source-material or adaptation siblings for this title in our catalog, so it is a standalone story.

What is the central premise of Novocaine?

Novocaine follows an everyman named Nate whose girlfriend is kidnapped. Nate discovers that his physical inability to feel pain becomes an unexpected strength as he fights to rescue her.

Who directed the 2025 movie Novocaine?

The film Novocaine was directed by Dan Berk. It centers on a protagonist named Nate who leverages his unique condition to navigate a dangerous situation after his partner is taken.

Does Novocaine feature a character who cannot feel pain?

Yes, the main character in Novocaine is Nate, an everyman who lacks the ability to feel pain. He uses this specific condition as a tactical advantage while attempting to get his kidnapped girlfriend back.

Want picks for your taste — not just one title's?

Try Tangent

Free, 30 seconds, no account.