Right now you can watch The Serpent in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix — and it earns its twists rather than manufacturing them. The 1-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 388 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Tahar Rahim sets the tone, and the ensemble matches it scene for scene. Put it on tonight on Netflix and see for yourself.

Part of the current wave of titles people are actually watching, The Serpent earns its spot. The plotting gives The Serpent its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. The remarkable story of how murderer Charles Sobhraj was captured. As the chief suspect in unsolved murders of young Western travellers across India, Thailand and Nepal’s ‘Hippie Trail’ in 1975 and 1976, Sobhraj had repeatedly slipped from the grasp of authorities worldwide to become Interpol's most wanted man, with arrest warrants on three different continents. Credit to Tahar Rahim and Jenna Coleman for grounding it — this is a cast that earns the twists. It was aired in 2021. The Serpent is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in The Serpent. Fans of Cape Fear will recognise the sensibility here immediately. A contained run means every episode is doing real work. Tahar Rahim carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.

The Serpent wrapped up in 2021, created by Richard Warlow and Toby Finlay — and 1 season is available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.