What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Tunnel
Ben Richards · Series · 2013
If you loved The Tunnel, start with The Bridge (Hans Rosenfeldt, 2011) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 films and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Tunnel across media.
If you loved The Tunnel, you crave stories where complex, gritty investigations expose the deep moral rot festering beneath society.
Start with the source
The source
The Bridge
Hans Rosenfeldt · Series · 2011
Adaptation
Pagan Peak
Cyrill Boss · Series · 2019
Books on the same thread
The Black Echo
Michael Connelly · Book · 2002
Shares a thread with The Tunnel: Police Procedural.
Like the uneasy partnership in The Tunnel, this story forces a detective to navigate the blurred lines between justice and personal vendetta while confronting deep-seated institutional corruption.
The Narrows
Michael Connelly · Book · 2005
Shares a thread with The Tunnel: Police Procedural.
The Tunnel excels at high-stakes serial killer hunts, and this narrative mirrors that intensity by forcing investigators to confront an obsessive, elusive predator within a dark urban landscape.
The Disappeared
Kristina Ohlsson · Book · 2014
Shares a thread with The Tunnel: Police Procedural.
Fans of The Tunnel will recognize the grim, atmospheric tension here as a gruesome discovery triggers a complex investigation that uncovers devastating secrets with far-reaching societal consequences.
The Constant Gardener
John Le Carré · Book · 2001
Explores: Corporate Corruption, Pharmaceutical Industry, British Foreign Policy.
Much like the social commentary found in The Tunnel, this story uses a central murder investigation to expose the dark, systemic corruption hidden behind layers of international diplomacy.
Films on the same thread
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Niels Arden Oplev · Film · 2009
Shares 2 threads with The Tunnel: Nordic Noir, Psychological Thriller.
This film shares the cold, Nordic Noir aesthetic of The Tunnel, pairing an unlikely investigative duo as they peel back the layers of misogyny and corruption in society.
The French Connection
William Friedkin · Film · 1971
Shares a thread with The Tunnel: Police Procedural.
If you appreciated the relentless, gritty pursuit of a criminal in The Tunnel, you will find a similar sense of obsessive, high-stakes police work in this classic procedural.
The Chaser
Na Hong-jin · Film · 2008
Explores: Moral Ambiguity, Cat and Mouse, Descent into Darkness.
Mirroring the descent into darkness found in The Tunnel, this film follows a desperate investigator navigating a morally ambiguous underworld to track down a brutal, elusive serial killer.
The Batman
Matt Reeves · Film · 2022
Shares a thread with The Tunnel: Psychological Thriller.
This film echoes The Tunnel by centering on a serial killer who challenges the hero to confront the systemic moral decay and corruption defining their fractured city.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Archers
Podcast
Explores: family life, community, farming.
While The Tunnel focuses on crime, this serialized drama mirrors its commitment to deep, character-driven storytelling set against the backdrop of a specific, immersive community environment.
Kill List
Podcast
Explores: Dark Net, Murder for Hire, Technological Crime.
This investigative journey into the dark net mirrors the investigative rigor of The Tunnel, exposing how modern technology facilitates a hidden, lethal crusade against innocent people.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Tunnel based on a previous series?
Yes, The Tunnel is a British-French adaptation of the 2011 television series The Bridge. Both shows feature detectives from two different countries forced to collaborate on a cross-border investigation, mirroring the premise where Karl Roebuck and Elise Wasserman solve crimes in the Channel Tunnel.
Are there other shows similar to The Tunnel that I should watch?
If you enjoyed the investigative style of The Tunnel, you should watch The Bridge from 2011 or the 2019 series Pagan Peak. These shows share the same procedural DNA and focus on detectives working across borders to solve complex criminal cases.
What is the central mystery in The Tunnel?
The Tunnel follows detectives Karl Roebuck and Elise Wasserman as they investigate a serial killer known as the Truth Terrorist. The killer leaves the upper-half of a French politician and the lower-half of a British prostitute in the Channel Tunnel to highlight various social problems.
How does the Truth Terrorist in The Tunnel justify their crimes?
The Truth Terrorist in The Tunnel claims to be on a moral crusade. The killer uses the murders of a French politician and a British prostitute to draw public attention to specific social problems, forcing the detectives to confront these issues during their investigation.