Movies like Primetime (2026)
The best movies like Primetime (2026) are Butterfly on a Wheel (2007), Careful What You Wish For (2015) and Cape Fear (1991). If Primetime hooked you with its thriller and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedWe Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)7.5/10 from 3,257 votes
- NewestNo Ordinary Heist (2026)Released 2026
Butterfly on a Wheel (2007)
A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCareful What You Wish For (2015)
A guy gets more than he bargained for after entering into an affair with the wife of an investment banker. Soon, a suspicious death and substantial life insurance policy embroil him in a scandal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCape Fear (1991)
Sam Bowden is a small-town corporate attorney. Max Cady is a tattooed, cigar-smoking, Bible-quoting, psychotic rapist. What do they have in common? 14 years ago, Sam was a public defender assigned to Max Cady's rape trial, and he made a serious error: he hid a document from his illiterate client that could have gotten him acquitted. Now, the cagey Cady has been released, and he intends to teach Sam Bowden and his family a thing or two about loss.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisChatroom (2010)
When strangers Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online in his new 'Chelsea Teens!' chatroom, they're completely seduced by his fast-talking, charismatic character. But beneath the surface lies a much darker truth. William is a dangerous loner, channeling all his energies into cyberspace. He's become an analyser, a calculating manipulator who finds it almost impossible to interact normally with others in the real world, instead turning his hand to manipulating people online.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisDeep Water (2022)
A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisTrust (2010)
A suburban family is torn apart when fourteen-year-old Annie meets her first boyfriend online. After months of communicating via online chat and phone, Annie discovers her friend is not who he originally claimed to be. Shocked into disbelief, her parents are shattered by their daughter's actions and struggle to support her as she comes to terms with what has happened to her once innocent life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStraw Dogs (2011)
A young couple moves to a quaint southern town. Soon their perfect getaway turns out to become a living hell when dark secrets and lethal passions spiral out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
SnoozefestMovies like thisShirley (2020)
A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDerailed (2005)
When two married business executives having an affair are blackmailed by a violent criminal, they are forced to turn the tables on him to save their families.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWoman of the Hour (2024)
An aspiring actress crosses paths with a prolific serial killer in '70s LA when they're cast on an episode of "The Dating Game."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Experiment (2010)
20 men are chosen to participate in the roles of guards and prisoners in a psychological study that ultimately spirals out of control.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWe Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
After her son Kevin commits a horrific act, troubled mother Eva reflects on her complicated relationship with her disturbed son as he grew from a toddler into a teenager.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Postcard Killings (2020)
After suffering a personal tragedy, and desperate for justice, Jacob Kanon, a veteran New York City police detective, embarks on the search for a twisted killer who is leaving a bloody trail of elaborate murders across Europe.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Good Neighbor (2022)
A nightmarish evening unfolds for neighbors David and Robert when they accidentally hit a woman on her bike and flee the scene. While David is increasingly plagued by feelings of guilt, Robert shows no remorse and becomes overbearing and possessive.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisA Thousand and One (2023)
Struggling but unapologetically living on her own terms, Inez is moving from shelter to shelter in mid-1990s New York City. With her 6-year-old son Terry in foster care and unable to leave him again, she kidnaps him so they can build their life together. As the years go by, their family grows and Terry becomes a smart yet quiet teenager, but the secret that has defined their lives threatens to destroy the home they have so improbably built.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMommie Dearest (1981)
Renowned film star Joan Crawford's abuse towards Christina, her adopted daughter, intensifies as her professional and romantic relationships turn sour.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGirl in the Bunker (2018)
When Elizabeth is abducted by a fugitive sexual predator, she realizes she must take matters into her own hands and plot her escape. Based on a true story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFear (1996)
Nicole Walker always dreamed of being swept away by someone special — someone strong, sexy and sensitive who would care for her more than anything else in the world. David is all that and more: a modern-day knight who charms and seduces her, body and soul. But her perfect boyfriend is not all he seems to be. His sweet facade masks a savage, dark side that will soon transform Nicole's dream into a nightmare.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMonster (2003)
In 1989, prostitute Aileen Wuornos befriends and enters a relationship with a young woman named Selby. Determined to straighten out her life, Aileen's limited education lands her back on the corner. She's raped by a trick, who she kills. A string of murder and robbery follows that ultimately leads Aileen to becoming America's first female serial killer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGraphic Desires (2023)
When reclusive Franklin cheats on his partner with a mysterious girl he meets on a dating app, it becomes the start of a deadly obsession.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe River Wild (1994)
Gail and Tom Hartman are struggling to stay together and decide to take a white-water rafting holiday adventure in Montana for their son Roarke's 10th birthday, only to meet up with a pair of mysterious men whose desperation grows, turning their vacation into a nightmare.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJust Cause (1995)
A Harvard professor is lured back into the courtroom after twenty-five years to take the case of a young black man condemned to death for the horrific murder of a child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVillaflor (TBA)
A high-ranking officer infiltrates groups peacefully organizing to demand the release of detained relatives. Argentina was under military rule from 1976 to 1983, a period in which tens of thousands of people disappeared. The abovementioned groups were giving rise to a form of civil resistance at the heart of the dictatorship that was running the country.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & thriller
Sweat (TBA)
A psychological thriller following rising fitness influencer Emma Kent who dreams of matching the success of her idol, social media superstar Kat Highbrook. Her carefully curated world begins to collapse when an encounter with Kat goes horribly wrong, and she is forced into a dangerous arrangement with Trent, an obsessive fan. His unhinged devotion pushes her to choose how far she’s willing to go for fame.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
CASHED (2020)
After a rare night of drinking on her 25th birthday, Jess wakes up to a wicked hangover and surprise unemployment. As she struggles with whether or not to spend her last few bucks on weed, she tries to pick up the pieces of her life and find some peace of mind in the process.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)
Veteran drag queens Vida Boheme and Noxeema Jackson take novice Chi-Chi Rodriguez under their wing on a madcap road trip across the country to compete in the Drag Queen of America pageant in Los Angeles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Quest (1996)
Ghang-gheng, the ancient winner-take-all competition in which the deadliest fighters from around the world employ the most spectacular feats of martial arts skills ever displayed in order to win the prized Golden Dragon. But fighting prowess alone will not be enough for Chris to triumph over such daunting foes.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNo Ordinary Heist (2026)
Inspired by the true 2004 Northern Bank robbery, two feuding bank employees are forced to execute Ireland’s biggest heist after criminals kidnap their families and threaten to kill them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both thriller
Fish Skin Suit (TBA)
While playing at the beach with their grandmother, two children witness an Elvis-like man walk out of the sea. They believe he's the "fishman" lover of a female taniwha, Hine Tai. Meanwhile their parents (played by Kirk Torrance and Nancy Brunning) are busy falling apart, and the mysterious man offers words that are either wise or dangerous. Set in a small seaside town, this magical realist fable was written by Briar Grace-Smith (Cousins) and directed by Peter Burger (What Really Happened - Waitangi). It got six nominations at the 2002 NZ TV Awards, and won for Best Drama, and for James Cowley's cinematography.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Private Parts (1997)
The life and career of shock-jock superstar Howard Stern is recounted from his humble beginnings to his view from the top. Possessing a desire to be an on-air personality since childhood, Stern meanders through the radio world, always with his supportive wife, Alison, by his side. Landing a gig in Washington, D.C., Stern meets Robin Quivers, who will become his long-time partner in crime. When the two move to New York, they face the wrath of NBC executives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Primetime?
The closest matches to Primetime are Butterfly on a Wheel (2007), Careful What You Wish For (2015) and Cape Fear (1991). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Primetime?
Start with Butterfly on a Wheel (2007), the closest match to Primetime.
What is the highest-rated movie like Primetime?
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), rated 7.5/10 by 3,257 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Primetime?
No Ordinary Heist (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Primetime?
Yes: Butterfly on a Wheel (2007), Careful What You Wish For (2015) and Cape Fear (1991).
How are movies similar to Primetime chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Primetime, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.