Thai Netflix shows like Girl From Nowhere
It’s been over a month since Season 2 of Girl From Nowhere aired, and viewers are already itching for the third season.
Netflix series, Girl From Nowhere, gave audiences a unique blend of creepy magical realism and social commentary. Those themes were delivered with multiple twists that only added to the show’s mystery. And that’s only part of why the show was so addictive.
Though we can’t directly summon new episodes of the beloved series, we’ve compiled a list of Thai Netflix shows like Girl From Nowhere to watch whilst waiting – and hoping – for Nanno’s return.
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1. Sleepless Society: Insomnia – Khun Fan Luang
Similar to how we’ve all been trying to figure out where exactly Nanno came from, the protagonist from Sleepless Society: Insomnia is trying to solve mysteries from her own past.
As the title suggests, the series’ main character, Aiya experiences chronic insomnia. She’s kept awake by a recurring nightmare, where she sees her mother murdering an unknown victim in her childhood home.
Image credit: Meow Ja
Wanting to get to the bottom of what the dream means, Aiya makes the journey back to her old place.
However, the insomnia persists as she’s piecing the story together. Sleep deprivation makes it difficult for Aiya to distinguish between what’s really happening and what’s an insomnia-induced hallucination. It’s totally a mind-bending experience for her, as well as viewers, to figure out what’s real and what isn’t.
Bonus: The show already has multiple seasons so the wait between episodes won’t break your heart like Girl From Nowhere.
2. The Scent Of Love – Klin Kasalong
The Scent Of Love, or Klin Kasalong in Thai, is a drama centred around twins with a complex relationship. If The Shining and Alone have taught us anything, it’s that twins in horror films are not exactly good omens.
While we understand sibling relationships can get complex, most problems are laid to rest when they pass away. Similar to how Nanno vs Yuri may eventually play out, the sisters’ issues span over multiple lifetimes.
However, instead of fighting over who’s the best harbinger of justice, the twins in Klin Kasalong are feuding because they both fall in love with the same man every time they reincarnate.
Alternating between the siblings’ past lives and the present, viewers are taken through their complicated relationship that has twists comparable to Girl From Nowhere.
Okay, yes, siblings fight. But, do they take it as far as tying the other to a tree?
Image credit: T News
Season 2 of Girl From Nowhere had fans thinking hard about reincarnation, divine forces, and rivalry. Klin Kasalong delivers on all three fronts. So, for those who are looking for a rivalry similar to Yuri and Nanno’s, we’d recommend this particular drama.
3. The Stranded – Kwaeng
Something that Girl From Nowhere fans loved – and sometimes hated – about the show is that they had to solve a new mystery in every episode. For those who are looking to recreate the suspense that comes with trying to dissect and re-dissect a Thai drama, we have just the show for you.
In Netflix’s first Thai original series, Kwaeng, or The Stranded, a group of students are stuck on an island after a devastating tsunami. In true Lord of the Flies fashion, the students have no way of contacting anyone from the outside world.
As they try to make it from one day to the next, exhaustion and desperation begin to cause friction within the group. The tensions ultimately lead to past issues making their way to the surface, which then bring about waves of conflict between the characters.
Image credit: Bangkok Post
Members of the group thus have to navigate the rough terrain of a seemingly sentient island, whilst also trying to uphold what little solidarity they have.
Bonus: James Teeradon a.k.a Nannai makes a cameo in one of the episodes.
4. ThirTEEN Terrors – Phuean Hian.. Rongrian Lon
ThirTEEN Terrors is probably the first answer Thais will give when asked for recommendations on shows like Girl From Nowhere. The show is a horror anthology series, where each episode focuses on a different student’s experience with the supernatural and their questionable ethics. Hmm…sound familiar?
Like Girl From Nowhere, the series delivers social commentary through the lens of secondary school students who are struggling with adolescent issues. However, ThirTEEN Terrors takes supernatural occurrences and characters to another level.
Instead of just one entity, ala Nanno, delivering justice, it’s the souls that haunt the school that dictate the characters’ destiny. Keep in mind, though, that these are spirits who have been wronged and aren’t too picky about their victims.
Image credit: DJs World
So, for those who are looking for a series similar Girl From Nowhere, but with more ghouls and gore, ThirTEEN Terrors should be top your viewing list.
Note: The show is leaving Netflix on 1st July 2021. So, we’d recommend watching this spooky show ASAP.
5. Blood & Treasures – Pidsawat
In recent years, Thai drama producers have definitely adhered to the saying, “A love story for the ages.” – approaching themes of love and reincarnation from every possible angle. TBH we’re living for it.
In this series we’re about to recommend, you’ll get a bit of both, and then some.
Pidsawat – or Blood & Treasures in English – follows Akkanee, an archaeologist and antique enthusiast. Even the least seasoned horror buffs know that when antiques are involved, the ghost in the story isn’t going to be a particularly jolly one.
Enter Sarochanee, the series’ female lead. Sarochanee is the reincarnation of Ubon, a woman who was assigned cursed to protect the Kingdom’s treasures since the Ayutthaya era.
Like in every good drama, both lead characters’ pasts are linked.
Image credit: TV Pool Online
Something that appealed to many Girl From Nowhere fans was seeing antagonists being held accountable for their actions.
So, if you enjoy watching justice and karma play out onscreen, and love a seeing strong female lead being the bringer of penance, then Blood & Treasures is right up your alley.
6. In Family We Trust – Loed Kon Khon Jang
Retribution and karma were major themes in Girl From Nowhere. For those who are keen to see underdogs overcoming the odds in their fight for justice, then In Family We Trust is for you.
In Thai, the series’ title is Loed Kon Khon Jang which translates to “blood thickens, people fade”. *Ooh, spooky*
Image credit: Marketeer Online
As the drama’s name suggests, the show revolves around family drama and betrayal. The series follows the Jiraanans, a rich family whose wealth has trickled down through four generations.
At the very top of the family tree sits the OG tycoon, grandpa Jiraanan or Ah Gong – a title that many Thai-Chinese families still use to refer to their grandfathers.
As he passes away, his descendants use violence and trickery to secure what they believe to be their “fair” share of the wealth. In fact, the first successor, Ah Gong’s eldest son, is quickly murdered.
Image credit: Bangkok Post
As the show progresses and family members work towards solving the case, audience members are shown each family member’s true motivations.
Even though there isn’t a Nanno to expose everyone’s hypocrisy and vengeful retribution, viewers are able to watch the characters dig their own graves as well as take satisfaction in one of the character’s zealous attempts to bring about justice.
Bonus: James Teeradon plays one of the members of this rich family.
7. The Gifted – Nak Rian Palang Gift
Remember how Nanno managed to always expose each school’s dark secret(s)? If you’re into seeing students shed light onto the lows and woes of the academic system, then we’d highly recommend checking out The Gifted.
The series follows Pang, the main character, who attends a school with a tiering system. Pang was put in a class for gifted students with superpowers after proving his superb scholastic abilities over the years.
Image credit: Pantip
Throughout the series, he slowly discovers the jarringly unequal treatment that students in lower tiers receive at his academic institution. After this realisation, Pang starts a movement against the system and calls for equal treatment for every one of his classmates. We stan an advocate for the people.
The show’s Thai title translates to “Students with gifted powers”
Image credit: Wikipedia
The way the show addresses unequal treatment reminds us of Liberation, minus the Girl From Nowhere getting impaled on a flagpole.
If you don’t have Netflix yet, you’re able to catch up with this series on Line TV.
8. THE LEAKED – Lood
We’ve said it once, and we’ll say it again: Girl From Nowhere was absolutely wild from start to finish. The show’s pilot episode was centred around a teacher who would assault- and film – his female students then later blackmail them against coming forward.
Now, if that’s not social commentary on the dangers of the internet and predatory behaviour, then we don’t know what is.
Image credit: Gorgeous BKK
Netflix’s series, Lood, whose title translates directly to “Leaked” in English, explores similar themes. The show follows the lives of high-school students and the different dangers they face – and cause others – on social media.
Screenshot: หลุด • THE LEAKED
Similar to Girl From Nowhere, Lood is an anthology series in which each episode revolves around a different character’s experience with the web – sometimes the lead is the victim, and sometimes not.
At the end of each episode, each perpetrator is shown the effects of their calamitous actions. So, retribution-enthusiasts, start binging.
Suspenseful Netflix shows like Girl From Nowhere
Girl From Nowhere provides a unique perspective into the nuances of navigating crime and justice in Thailand’s schooling system, and by extension society at large. The show also delivers its meaningful messages with dark humour and quality cinematography, which is probably how it climbed up to Netflix’s Top 10 Lists across the globe.
Luckily for Nanno fans, there are other Thai television series that explore similar themes and also contain ongoing mysteries and suspense.
Give these shows like Girl From Nowhere a try, and hopefully you’ll end up loving yet another Thai series so much, you’ll temporarily forget about the agonising wait for a third season.
Have you seen any of these shows? What do you think? Let us know which other shows should make the list.
Cover images adapted from (clockwise from left): Netflix, Bbo Bay, Netflix
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