This article contains references to violence and assault.
Detective and crime TV shows are always being produced, and while some make headlines, there are plenty that fly under the radar. However, that doesn’t mean these shows are any less compelling or lack the drive to capture audiences' attention. While the crime procedural uses many of the elements of the detective series, there’s a central difference between them. Procedurals focus on a new crime every week, whilemost prestige detective shows look at an overarching narrative that takes many twists throughout a season.This creates further opportunities for character development and narrative turns.
Plenty ofdetective TV shows likeSherlockfollow the story of a central investigator who’s tortured by their past but is also the best at what they do. However, the other characters who make up these dramas' ensembles are equally important, as the mystery of who committed the crime and how they got away with it is what drives the plot forward.Underrated detective TV shows often spend ample time exploring their charactersand make the viewer care deeply about what happens to all of them. Even if these shows only had one season, they still present fully-formed narratives.
Stumptown
Cast
Created by Jason Richman and starring Cobie Smulders, Stumptown is a Drama and Crime series that ran for one season between 2019 and 2020. Smulders played Dex Parios, an ex-Marine who became a private investigator to help pull herself and her brother out of debt.
Cobie Smulders stars inStumptownas the PI Dex Parios, and though she’s best known for playingRobin onHow I Met Your Mother, Smulders is unrecognizable in her role. Set up as a traditional crime-of-the-week police procedural,Stumptowngrows more serialized as it progresses, with Dex’s development playing a central role.Smulders is joined by Jake Johnson, who plays Grey, Dex’s friendand the type of guy always getting himself into trouble. Their friendship plays a key role in how the overarching plot of the series unfolds.
Getting to know Dex and seeing her struggle is the biggest draw of the show.
Despite its short run, there’s a lot to recommendStumptown, especially for audiences looking for a short but thrilling watch. Getting to know Dex and seeing her struggle is the biggest draw of the show. She must balance the responsibilities of her personal life with her growing attachment to her cases.Stumptownworks because Dex is a flawed character who isn’t an all-knowing savant but a regular personwith the grit, determination, and intelligence to take on the biggest criminals in town.
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9Ridley (2022–Present)
A British drama that unfolds slowly but deliberately
British police procedurals are some of the best within the genre,as heavyweights likeBroachchurchandThe Fallhave revolutionized the detective series landscape.Ridleywill likely join the ranks of these exciting projects, as the show is currently in its second season, and the stakes will be higher than ever. Adrian Dunbar plays the titular Alex Ridley, a retired Detective Inspector who is pulled back into the thick of an investigation. His protégé, Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh), has now taken his place in the department.
10 Best PBS Masterpiece TV Shows
PBS’s Masterpiece programming has been making period TV shows for many years, and their best dramas exemplify why the network is great.
Farman seeks Ridley’s help in a mystifying case that begins with the death of a farmer in town.The chemistry between Dunbar and Waugh is what propels the story forward,and their ability to handle the many twists and turns of the case keeps the audience rooting for them. ThoughRidleyhas a slower pace than some of its contemporaries, the series has enough surprises that the viewer will never get bored.
Ridleyairs as part of the PBS Masterpiece series in the U.S.
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The Sinner
The Sinner is a crime anthology series created by Derek Simonds that ran for four seasons on the USA Network. Bill Pullman is the star in each season, which all examine a different crime committed by the unlikeliest of culprits. The series was originally supposed to be an eight-part mini-series, but the success of season 1 caused USA to continue it as an anthology.
It speaks to the quality ofThe Sinnerthat the series went on for as long as it did. Though it was initially imagined as a miniseries,The Sinnersoon developed into a full-blown anthology TV show that features a new slate of incredible actors each season.Bill Pullman anchors each installment as Harry Ambrose, the detectiveinvestigating the improbable and devastating murders that the show revolves around. Highlights of the seasons include Jessica Biel, Matt Bomer, and Carrie Coon.
What makesThe Sinnerdifferent from other crime TV shows is that the culprit of the crimes is often clear.
What makesThe Sinnerdifferent from other crime TV shows is that the culprit of the crimes is often clear. It’s the journey touncovering their motivations that become the thrust of the plot.Ambrose knows that only truly terrible things will drive innocent people to violence, and he attempts to uncover how deeply these conspiracies and secrets go within seemingly idyllic small towns. Each season sees the past weigh deeply on Ambrose as he encounters the worst of humanity.
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Top of the Lake
Top of the Lake is a mystery drama series directed by Jane Campion and Garth Davis. It stars Elisabeth Moss as Detective Robin Griffin, who investigates the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl in the remote town of Laketop, New Zealand. The series delves into complex themes such as crime, motherhood, and societal dysfunction, set against a haunting and isolated backdrop.
Elisabeth Moss has starred in many excellent TV series, fromMad MentoThe Handmaid’s Tale, buther lesser-known show,Top of the Lake, deserves the same level of recognition.She plays Detective Robin Griffin, and though Griffin isn’t investigating a murder but a disappearance, the subject matter ofTop of the Lakeis still difficult. Dealing with issues of sexual violence,Top of the Lakeis a heavy show, but it deals with these topics with empathy.
WhileTop of the Lakeseason 2 doesn’t quite live up to the tight narrative of season 1,it’s still an interesting continuation and explores the central characters even further. Gwendoline Christie joins the cast as Griffin in season 2, and her performance and dynamic with Moss is a significant part of the season’s success, as well as the introduction of Nicole Kidman. Set in New Zealand in season 1 and Australia in season 2, the show utilizes its setting well, juxtaposing beautiful visuals with tragic circumstances.
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Sugar
“Sugar” is a contemporary, unique take on one of the most popular and significant genres in literary, motion picture and television history: the private detective story. Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell stars as John Sugar, an American private investigator on the heels of the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel, the beloved granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he will also unearth Siegel family secrets; some very recent, others long-buried.
Not only one of the best crime series but also one of thebest sci-fi TV shows of 2024,Sugarhas an unexpected twist that makes the series all the more compelling. Deeply in conversation with classic Hollywood film noir movies of the decades past,Sugaris stylistically gorgeous and isn’t afraid to be referentialin its plotting and aesthetics. WhileSugarwould be an incredible watch without the genre-bending aspects of the story, they raise the stakes and put a ticking clock on Sugar’s investigation.
Colin Farrell is John Sugar, a PI who gets entangled in the disappearance of a young woman in a story similar to that of classics likeChinatown.
Colin Farrell is John Sugar, a PI who gets entangled in the disappearance of a young woman in a story similar to that of classics likeChinatown. WhereSugarseason 2 will take John on his quest for justice and understanding the impulses of humanity is up in the air, asSugarhas been recently renewed for season 2(viaVariety). How the series will up the ante and include even more insight into Sugar’s past is sure to keep audiences guessing until the series' conclusion.
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A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Pip Fitz-Amobi, a determined young investigator, is set on uncovering the truth behind schoolgirl Andie Bell’s murder five years prior. Sal Singh, Andie’s boyfriend, confessed before his own death, but Pip doesn’t believe he’s guilty. Teaming up with Sal’s brother Ravi, she dives into a web of secrets to find the real killer.
Based on the novel of the same name by Holly Jackson,A Good Girl’s Guide to Murderencompasses the first installment of the series, which follows Pip as she attempts to uncover the mystery of a cold case that plagues her town. Played by Emma Myers, known for her role as Enid onWednesday,Pip is a fiercely determined protagonist who, despite her age and lack of resources, will not be deniedfrom getting to the bottom of a mysterious murder.
It’s quickly revealed thatPip has a personal connection to the case, as she feels responsiblefor the young woman’s death. While most of the town believes one story about the crime, Pip knows that there’s something deeper going on and soon learns awful truths about the people closest to her. As she delves further into the crime, Pip realizes the bitter cost of the truth and that she’s the kind of person who’s willing to pay it.
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Monsieur Spade
Based on the works of Dashiell Hammet, Monsieur Spade is a mystery crime-drama series created for AMC by Scott Frank and Tom Fontana. The series follows Detective Sam Spade years into retirement, now living in France. His peaceful era is interrupted by a former foe who begins a string of murders, forcing Sam to return and uncover the truth about the town he now inhabits.
The character Samuel Spade is the iconic detective created by the writer Dashiell Hammett in the 1930 novel,The Maltese Falcon. ThoughHumphrey Bogart is considered the definitive Spadethanks to his portrayal in the 1941 film, Clive Owen reinvents the investigator inMonsieur Spade, an exploration of what Spade might have become after the events of the novel. Set in the early 1960s, Spade is living in France, away from the action, when he gets sucked back into a case.
Older and more disillusioned, this Spade is a product of his time and doesn’t quite know where he fits into the changing world.
Monsieur Spadeis an interesting continuation of the original version of Spade, which saw him as the archetypal noir detective who was always one step ahead. Older and more disillusioned, this Spade is a product of his time and doesn’t quite know where he fits into the changing world.This is a compelling backdrop for the murders that disrupt the idyllic countrysidehe’s inhabiting and makes for stronger character development next to the intriguing plot.
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All 6 Actors To Play Samuel Spade (Including In Monsieur Spade)
Originated in the seminal work of fictional, The Maltese Falcon, the infamous detective, Sam Spade, has been brought to life by iconic actors.
Presumed Innocent
An eight-episode limited series based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Scott Turow. Starring Gyllenhaal in the lead role of chief deputy prosecutor Rusty Sabich, the series takes viewers on a gripping journey through the horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney’s office when one of its own is suspected of the crime. The series explores obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.
Presumed Innocentis a different kind of detective show, as the series doesn’t focus on the investigator as the main character but the suspect. Jake Gyllenhaal plays Rusty Sabich, a lawyer who works as a prosecutor for the city of Chicago who’s accused of killing his colleague after it comes to light that they were having an affair. A remake of the original 1990 movie of the same name,both versions ofPresumed Innocentdraw inspiration from the 1987 by David E. Kelley.
The plot heats up as the investigators look into Rusty’s past and his marriage,while his colleagues and friends turn away from him, as they’re the people who will be pursuing the case in court. It’s a complex and interweaving story that makes the audience question if Rusty is the killer with every new episode. Whether or not the audience is on Rusty’s side, each character in the series must draw their own conclusions and decide if they want to trust him or see him tried in court.
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The ethics of investigation are called into question inThe Lady in the Lake, the thriller series based on Laura Lippman’s novel of the same name. Moses Ingram plays Cleo Johnson, a woman who was murdered in 1960s Baltimore, and Natalie Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a woman who grows frustrated with her life and leaves her family to investigate the murder of a young girl. Jumping between the women’s perspectives,The Lady in the Lakeslowly intertwines their stories and shows the parallels between them.
With this strong social commentary and thrilling murder cases,The Lady in the Lakeis a layered addition to the genre.
Additionally,The Lady in the Lakeexplores how the media and police overlook and disregard crimescommitted against marginalized groups, which is what happens to Cleo. Though Maddie becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of the young girl and Cleo, she still operates within a position of privilege in the world and is using these crimes as a means to escape her unsatisfying life. With this strong social commentary and thrilling murder cases,The Lady in the Lakeis a layered addition to the genre.
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Three Pines
Chief Inspector Armand Gamache investigates a series of murders in the seemingly idyllic village of Three Pines. As he delves into the dark secrets and hidden pasts of the villagers, Gamache must navigate complex relationships and unravel long-buried mysteries, revealing that evil can lurk in even the most picturesque places.
Based on the novels by Louise Penny,Three Pinesfollows the many investigations of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, who’s brought to life by Alfred Molina in the series. The series is set in the titular town of Three Pines, Quebec, which is wracked by murders that it falls to Armand to get to the bottom of.Three Pinesis a callback to the detective stories of oldand sees Armand slowly put together the pieces of the crimes similar to the classic murder mystery detectives his character was inspired by.
Molina was the perfect choice to play Armand Gamache, as he embodied the kindness and empathy that Armand brings to every case. Even in the face of violence and destruction,Armand is sure to find the silver lining and believe the best in the people around him.This is an important perspective, especially in a crime thriller, as the tough subject matter can weigh on the audience. However, his insight and intelligence are what makesThree Pinesworth watching.
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