Each of writer/creator/director Steven Conrad's series has been distinctive, which is to say, unsettling and off-kilter. Patriot; Perpetual Grace, LTD, and the tough-to-stream Ultra City Smiths each has a style and tone that sets it apart from anything else on television, and also each other. They've also all struggled to break out amid a bustling streaming pack, though that may well be changing: only a few episodes in, Conrad's new HBO series DTF St. Louis is building buzz.

The shows follows Floyd Smernitch (Stranger Things' David Harbour), a married sign language interpreter with a fading sex life and a weird penis (it's a plot point) who saves the life of local meteorologist and recumbent bicyclist Clark Forrest (Jason Bateman). The two become friends, and Clark introduces Floyd to a dating app for married people looking for side action. They both sign up, but within a few weeks, Floyd is found dead, and the police investigate it as a murder (no spoilers: this all happens within the first act of the first episode). Linda Cardellini stars as Carol, Floyd's wife, who's also having an affair with Clark.

To DTF's credit, I'm not sure there's another show exactly like it, but the 10 I've highlighted below all manage to juggle a similarly smart, quirky, and slightly surreal tone while unraveling plots rich in secrets and lies in unexpected settings. Stream DTF St. Louis on HBO Max, then sample these other series between episodes.

You May Also Like

Patriot (2015 – 2018)

Shot through with a vein of black comedy that wouldn't feel out of place in a Coen brothers movie, Patriot is the story of a beleaguered intelligence officer who just cannot catch a break. Michael Dorman is John Tavner, tasked with ensuring that the leading candidate for the presidency of Iran doesn't win. An elaborate plan to support a more moderate rival candidate sees him taking on a non-official cover identity and getting a job at a Milwaukee piping firm. After he blows the interview, he needs to eliminate his hapless competition for the job, then borrow urine for the drug test, efforts that wind up exposing him to extortion, and things spiral from there. As the screwups began to stack higher and higher, John's situation becomes ever more precarious (and darkly hilarious—his musical talent means that a lot of exposition comes in the form of extremely specific folk songs that he performs at open mics under yet another assumed name). The show comes from DTF St. Louis's very own creator Steven Conrad, so while the genre isn't a 1:1 match, the tone certainly is. Stream Patriot on Prime Video.

Patriot (2015 – 2018)

Learn More

Deadloch (2023 – )

Both a twisty crime procedural and a brilliant satire of the genre, this Australian import follows Dulcie Collins (Kate Box), the fastidious senior sergeant of the police force in the fictional town of Deadloch. When a body turns up on the beach, Dulcie is joined by Madeleine Sami's Eddie Redcliffe, a crud, generally obnoxious detective brought in to help solve the case. Their unraveling of the web of secrets in the tiny Tasmanian town is addictive, and as an added bonus, cop thriller tropes are mercilessly mocked throughout. A new season is dropping soon. Stream Deadloch on Prime Video.

Deadloch (2023 – )

at Prime Video

Learn More

at Prime Video

The Chair Company (2025 – )

Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin followed up their Netflix sketch show I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson with this... cringe comedy/thriller? Somehow this surreal, genre-defying caper broke HBO Max records, and deservedly so. Robinson plays Ron Trosper, a middle manager in charge of building a new shopping mall. A collapsing chair during a public presentation sends Ron on a quest to uncover a massive conspiracy—he's convinced that the broken chair is just the first rung in a ladder of sabotage. The show sends us along with him on a darkly funny, sometimes horrific, journey down a rabbit hole that still, nonetheless, feels like a reflection of a modern American work culture that's no less nuts than Ron's conspiracy of chairs. Stream The Chair Company on HBO Max.

The Chair Company (2025 – )

at HBO Max

Learn More

at HBO Max

The Shrink Next Door (2021)

A dark comedy that also happens to be based on a true story, this miniseries stars Will Ferrell as Marty Markowitz and Paul Rudd as his therapist, Dr. Ike Herschkopf. Over the course of nearly thirty years, the good doctor ingratiated himself into Marty's life while collecting payments of several million dollars. Ferrell and Rudd play against type, leaning into the show's central mystery: how the hell does a reasonable person give someone so much control over their existence? It's by no means grim, as the show also recognizes that there's a core absurdity to the relationship between the two. Stream The Shrink Next Door on Apple TV+.

The Shrink Next Door (2021)

at Apple TV+

Learn Mor

10 Shows Like 'DTF St. Louis' You Should Watch Next