10 Shows Like 'Phony' You Should Watch Next
More twisty mysteries and stories of false identities to stream now.
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What if you knew your mom wasn't really your mom, but no one believed you? That's the improbable but entertaining premise of Hulu's Phony, which stars Sam Nivola as a teenager who wakes up from a car accident and quickly comes to believe that his mother (Friday Night Lights' Connie Britton) is an imposter. Of course, no one believes him. I'm not sure I believe him, but it'll be pretty boring if it turns out that he just had a really bad concussion the whole time.
It's a coming-of-age drama and a surreal mystery with hints of comedy, and though it borrows elements from other shows, it stands apart for the skill with which it blends everything together. While you wait to see how the story plays out, here are 10 more twisted mysteries to stream now.
Apple Cider Vinegar (2025)
A twisty-turny (and well-reviewed) bit of fake identity folderol, Apple Cider Vinegar stars Kaitlyn Dever as Belle Gibson, a real-life Australian cancer survivor (except not really!) With a cheeky sense of humor and a willingness to distort reality, the show follows the wellness influencer as she fakes multiple cancer diagnoses in order to better market her alternative, MAHA-esque app and remedies to the unwitting. As her livelihood comes under threat, her lies grow more elaborate. Stream Apple Cider Vinegar on Netflix.
Search Party (2016 – 2022)
Alia Shawkat stars here as Dory Sief, an aimless millennial who decides, after seeing a missing-person poster for a college acquaintance, that she's going to make it her purpose to track her down—with the extremely begrudging support of her friends. But neither Chantal nor her disappearance are anything like what Dory expects. The show shifts focus from season to season. Initially a darkly comic take on a Nancy Drew-style mystery, it later finds the gang desperate to cover up a mostly unintentional murder, and getting in deeper each season. It's a funny, smart, and weird and shares talent with Phony in the form of writer/producer Anthony King, who serves as co-showrunner on the new series. Stream Search Party on Netflix.
The 'Burbs (2026 – )
This one's largely about adults, so it skips the coming-of-age angle central to Phony, but it has a quirky mystery, gaslighting, and a protagonist whose sanity is questioned by just about everyone all the same. This fun and very loose adaptation of the 1989 Tom Hanks film finds Keke Palmer's Samira and Jack Whitehall's Rob moving back to his impossibly safe and tidy hometown. Their house happens to be across the street from a dilapidated Victorian eyesore that may or may not have been the location of a murder a couple of decades before—a murder of a girl who made the mistake of trying to get away. As Samira adjusts to new motherhood and life on the cul-de-sac, she learns that even the nicest of her neighbors have secrets, and comes to suspect that her husband knows more about the missing girl than he's letting on. Stream The 'Burbs on Peacock.
Cruel Summer (2021 – )
When pretty, popular girl Kate Wallis (Olivia Holt) goes missing without a trace in 1993, awkward Jeanette Turner (Chiara Aurelia) steps in to fill the gap, modeling herself after Kate, working her way into the missing girl's social circle, and getting close with her boyfriend. That's all going great until Kate reappears two years later, accusing Jeanette of having witnessed the events around her disappearance and keeping quiet. Whoops. There's even more going on, as the show shifts back and forth between 1993, 1994, and 1995 to slowly reveal the missing pieces. Stream Cruel Summer on Hulu.
Fool Me Once (2024)
Based on a Harlan Coben novel, Fool Me Once is a bit more of a political thriller than a coming-of-age thing, but we're still in "what the hell is up with my family?" territory: Michelle Keegan plays Maya Stern, a former special ops pilot dealing with the murder of her husband, whom she then impossibly catches playing with their daughter on a nanny cam. The resulting mystery ties into the earlier death of her sister and leads to a web of conspiracy involving her husband's family and a shady pharmaceutical company. Stream Fool Me Once on Netflix.
Mask Girl (2023)
A vibe match more than anything else, this dark and twisty mystery with a slightly surreal sense of humor also features a single mom who is definitely not what she appears to be. Kim Mo-mi (Lee Han-byeol, initially), the Mask Girl of the title, is a uniquely complicated woman; she always wanted to be a K-Pop idol, but it was always made clear to her that she's not nearly pretty enough for that kind of stardom. So, in order to fill that void, she's got a side hustle. On top of her boring office job, she puts on a blonde wig and a mask to perform as a camgirl for anonymous men. It's a means to express herself creatively and sexually with a level of control—until a mistake causes her to lose that control, a co-worker discovers her secret life, and desperation leads to murder. The show shifts perspectives continually, feeling most like Phony when it focuses on Mo-mi's daughter. Stream Mask Girl on Netflix.
The Girlfriend (2025 – )
Flipping things around a bit, albeit in a similar "am I just being paranoid?" vein, The Girlfriend deals with a mom who may or may not be freaking out for no reason. Starring Robin Wright as Laura Sanderson, a wealthy art gallery owner in London whose son (Laurie Davidson) brings home a new, working-class girlfriend, Cherry Laine (Olivia Cooke)—immediately strikes Laura as not-our-kind. But is there more to it? Can someone with the name "Cherry Laine" truly be trusted? There's definitely something off, and we're kept guessing as to whether or not this is the story of a dangerous con artist or an overbearing mom—or maybe a little of each. Stream The Girlfriend on Prime Video.
How to Get to Heaven From Belfast (2026)
Coming from Irish playwright and Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee, this show eschews the relatively subtle dark comedy of Phony for something much more gloriously surreal. Three high school friends from Belfast reunite after learning that an estranged bestie has died unexpectedly—except that maybe she didn't; a mixed blessing given that they all have secrets that they were hoping would be buried with the maybe departed. Now they're off to investigate the mystery of the murder(?), which turns into a hunt for the friend that they only thought they knew, while inadvertently revealing plenty of secrets of their own. The tone is all over the place in a way that somehow works, with flashes of sincerity balancing out the comedy. Stream How to Get to Heaven From Belfast on Netflix.
The Art of Sarah (2026)
Shin Hye-sun offers up a phenomenal performance as Sarah Kim (well: sort of), a wealthy businesswoman who is discovered, at the series' opening, under a sewer grate. The police detective charged to investigate quickly finds inconsistencies in the woman's identity, and after interviewing Sarah's friend and business associate, comes to feel that neither woman is exactly (or anything, like she seems. Though it takes itself more seriously than Phony, it's still an addictively twisty mystery built around a constructed identity. Stream The Art of Sarah on Netflix.
Fake Profile (2023 – 2026)
There's a lot going on in this steamy, telenovela-esque drama. Camila Román (Carolina Miranda) finally meets Fernando Castell (Rodolfo Salas), a Tinder match, in Las Vegas, and things get very hot very quickly—he's everything he seemed to be and then some. If anything, she's the sketchy one: a dancer, not a nurse as she said, and with a possessive ex following her around. Still, it's all going great until she decides to surprise Fernando after he flies back to Colombia (which: never do that), and gets a totally different dude when she asks for him at his work. And that's just the beginning! Stream Fake Profile on Netflix.
