Yes, the search for a missing child may seem like a tired trope, but the ones listed here are genuinely suspenseful and far from predictable.
Broadchurch (Netflix): If you haven’t seen this three-season (so far) thriller about a boy thrown from a cliff in a seaside Dorset town, I’d guess you’re new to the whole concept of streaming TV series.
The Missing (Netflix): A little British boy vanishes while on vacation in France, and while a French detective leads the ultra-twisty investigation, his heartbroken parents pursue their own leads amid a fractured relationship. This is one of the most harrowing suspense stories around. Three seasons that will make you late for work the next mornings.
The Disappearance (“Disparue”) (Acorn TV via Amazon): One reviewer said that watching this French police thriller is “like playing Twister in a tornado.” When a beautiful teenager goes missing in Lyons, the mystery is gripping, the acting is stellar, and what happens to her friends and family is almost as absorbing as what happened to her. One season. No Second
No Second Chance (Netflix): This is also from France, though adapted from a thriller by the American writer Harlan Coben. From the outset, you literally won’t know what hit you. A doctor hunts for her kidnapped baby, and bad guys, suspicious cops, neighborhood secrets, and lies add up to one sensational season.