Manifested by the creator of The Shutter, Parkpoom Wongpoom, Delete is a psychological thriller that explores the relationship dynamics between Lilly (Sarika Sartsilpsupa) and her love interest, Aim (Nat Kitcharit). Their relationship is forbidden but their feelings aren’t restricted due to it. While Lilly is married to a ruthless farm owner, Too Arthit (Natara Nopparatayapon), Aim is in a relationship with a model, Orn (Chutimon Chuengcharoensukying). The four of them are caught in the web of deceit and betrayal. Their situation is intensified with the introduction of a mystical phone that can delete people.
If you have enjoyed this Thai mystery thriller like me, you must be browsing the Internet for shows like Delete. If that’s the case, your search ends right now! Here is a list of 6 shows like Delete that deserve a place on your watchlist!
6. Dr. Brain
The first Korean Apple TV+ show, Dr. Brain, swirls around a genius brain scientist, Sewon Koh (Lee Sun-Kyun) as he investigates the mysterious death of his family. Written by Kim Jin A, Koh Young Jae and Kim Jee-Won with the latter serving as the director, Dr. Brain has been praised for its extraordinary storyline and diverse cast. This is an intense psychological drama adapted from the eponymous webtoon by Hongjacga.
When Sewon’s family members are killed in an accident, his hackles rise. To unravel the mystery, Sewon decides to perform brain syncs with his deceased family members. With private investigator, Kangmu Lee (Park Hee-Soon) on the case as well, searching for truth using the brain sync method proves to be difficult for Sewon. When the memories of the deceased start to interfere with his own, Sewon finds himself trapped in the myriad of memories.
Though Dr. Brain isn’t similar to Delete in terms of relationship complexities and jealousy-driven story points, it connects with Delete on a deeper level. With Dr. Brain’s emphasis on the sci-fi trope and psychological drama, it definitely deserves a place on this list and your watchlist, too.
5. The Last Thing He Told Me
As its name implies, The Last Thing He Told Me is an investigative drama following the events of the disappearance of Owen Michaels. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Sarah Pinborough, this Netflix series has quickly become a well-received thriller. Though critics have found the series to be bland, the reception has been mostly above average.
Owen’s new wife, Hannah, surmises that Owen’s mysterious note that reads “Protect her” is aimed at his daughter, Bailey. The investigation officers believe Owen has disappeared due to strange circumstances that Hannah and Bailey shouldn’t meddle with. He offers them a suggestion to join the Witness Protection Program but due to her reckless naivete, she declines and decides to investigate Owen’s disappearance herself.
As Hannah’s journey propels forward, she finds herself submerged in Owen’s dark past. With secrets flying towards her from all four directions, Hannah is lured into bizarre scenarios. Though The Last Thing He Told Me isn’t walking on the same path as Delete, it will certainly remind you of Lilly’s disappearance and Aim and Too’s struggle to revive her.
4. Behind Her Eyes
Netflix’s noir psychological thriller, Behind Her Eyes, derives inspiration from the eponymous novel. This limited series follows the life of a single mother, Louise Barnsley (Simona Brown) whose attraction towards her new boss, David Ferguson (Tom Bateman) proves to be fatal. Dubbed as a miniseries, Behind Her Eyes is manifested by Steve Lightfoot and directed by Erik Richter Strand.
Louise meets a stranger at a bar who turns out to be his boss the next day. But her attraction towards David doesn’t diminish, instead heightens. They begin their relationship soon after with Louise forming a special bond with David’s mysterious wife, Adele (Eve Hewson). The three of them soon find themselves caught in an absurd triangle. Their complicated relationship becomes even more entangled when their secrets start to unfold and meddle with their relationship.
This sci-fi thriller boasts several Delete-like elements including the genre, sci-fi tropes and hazy relationships. This six-part drama resembles Delete starkly with the characters drawing uncanny similarities as that of Delete’s characters. Behind Her Eyes should most definitely be the next series you watch after streaming Delete!
3. Why Women Kill
The Paramount+ series, Why Women Kill, is a crime anthology series depicting the murders influenced by women. The series unravels the mysteries and conspiracies revolving around the alleged extramarital affairs that lead towards the death caused by a woman. It is a dark dramedy that consists of two seasons. Each season focuses on a complicated relationship between the couple and their extras. With the renewal of a third season, Why Women Kill has become one of the most-watched Paramount+ series.
Be it a housewife who learns about her husband’s infidelity or a woman who seeks another man outside her marriage, unfaithfulness and emotional torment lie in each episode of Why Women Kill. Created by Marc Cherry, this series has been hailed as a unique take on the psychology of women who either cheat or are cheated upon.
Though Why Women Kill isn’t similar to Delete genre-wise, the essence of the series has landed it on this list. Delete is a sci-fi thriller unveiling the events that unfold after Lilly deletes a person and hands over the phone to Aim, who falls victim to the phone. Had the two not discovered each other and the phone, several deaths could have been prevented.
2. The Affair
Created by Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi, The Affair is described as “the Roshomon of relationship dramas” as it explores a myriad of characters and the dynamics of their relationships. The recipient of the Golden Globe Awards, The Affair follows the alleged relationship between a budding author, Noah Solloway (Dominic West) and a waitress, Alison Bailey (Ruth Wilson). Noah is married to the daughter of a business mogul and shares four children with her. But recently he has come to resent Helen for her wealth and has been slowly detaching from her.
On the other hand, Alison has lost her four-year-old son and keeps her husband, Cole, at arm’s length. Their marriage is flailing under the weight of their loss. Unintentionally, much like Lilly and Aim, Noah and Alison begins their affair. But soon, their feelings towards each other soon become deeper and deadly.
This Showtime series is narrated from two perspectives throughout each episode. While there is no phone or any supernatural entity in The Affair, this psychological drama is conceptually akin to Delete. The blistering scars that extramarital affairs leave, the envy-motivated conspiracies and the yearning to find the one are at the heart of both series.
1. The Undoing
Hailed as the most-watched HBO series, surpassing the infamous Game of Thrones in the United Kingdom, The Undoing is an accolade-winning 2020 series. Based on the novel, “You Should Have Known”, The Undoing explores the same genre as Delete. It is a mystery drama thriller centred around four protagonists–Grace Fraser (Nicole Kidman), Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant), Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis) and Fernando Alves (Ismael Cruz Cordova). When Grace, a renowned psychologist, comes across Elena at her son, Henry’s school, she is instantly drawn towards her enigmatic personality.
When Elena is found dead by her son in an open lift, the investigation leads the officers to Grace. Disturbed by Elena’s death, Grace tries to reach her oncologist husband. But she is thrown off-kilter when the detective reveals Jonathan’s disemployment. Later, when the results of a paternity test of Elena’s infant daughter are out, Grace’s world is torn apart. Jonathan is suspected of Elena’s death but he denies the claims. Meanwhile, Elena’s husband, Fernando weaves an intricate plan to push Jonathan’s life into an endless abyss.
The plot chillingly resembles Delete’s storyline, doesn’t it? With the absence of a morbid phone, The Undoing is a conceptual replica of Delete with an added intensity and dark layer.
6 Shows Like Delete: FAQs
It is a psychological thriller revolving around the lives of four characters–Lilly, Orn, Aim and Too–who are disturbed by the intrusion of a morbid phone into their lives.
Yes, the series is eerily similar to Delete in terms of its genre, characters and underlying story arcs.
The Undoing is a dark psychological drama revolving around the intertwined lives of Elena, Grace, Fernando and Jonathan. It follows the events after Elena and Jonathan’s affair is exposed and the former is found dead.
Yes, it is!
Yes, there are trailers available for all of these series.
You can stream these series on Netflix, HBO, Paramount+ and several other streaming services that are mentioned above.