The Best Detective Shows of All Time

“Ashes to Ashes” is the sequel to another crime drama series on this list, “Life on Mars.” Similar to its predecessor, the main character, a London police detective, inexplicably wakes up in 1981 after being shot in 2008.

The British crime drama is based on a series of novels by Colin Dexter. Each episode is about two hours long and has Chief Inspector Morse solve intriguing cases with his partner.

The Canadian drama series is based on the Detective Murdoch novels by Maureen Jennings. The show follows William Murdoch, who works as a police detective in Toronto in the late 19th and early 20th century and uses unheard of, for the time, forensic techniques.

The Scottish crime drama follows a team of police detectives who investigate crimes in the famous archipelago of Shetland. All but the first season consist of six hour-long episodes.

The two-season show, which is part drama, part comedy, centers on an eccentric detective who investigates cases involving supernatural beings.

Based on the Danish series “Forbrydelsen,” “The Killing” is a crime show about the murder of a 17-year-old girl and the homicide detectives investigating it.

“White Collar” centers on a highly intelligent con artist, forger, and a thief who helps the FBI catch other con artists, forgers, and thieves as part of a work-release program.

Unlike the majority of the TV shows on this list, the main character in “Wire in the Blood” is not a detective but a clinical psychologist who gets inside the heads of serial killers and helps the police solve crimes.

Set in 1920s Melbourne, Australia, “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries” follows a glamourous private detective known for her dagger-sharp wit and pearl-handled pistol.

“Unforgotten” is a British crime drama that follows a team of London detectives who investigate crimes, usually about a missing person’s case or murder committed years, even decades, ago.

“Life on Mars,” titled after David Bowie’s famous 1971 song of the same name, is a detective show that combines science fiction with police crime drama. The main character is a detective who wakes up in 1973, after being in a car accident in 2006, and works as a detective at the same police station.

“Columbo” aired for 13 seasons between 1971 and 2003, producing more than 60 episodes. The crime drama centers on LA homicide detective Columbo. He is known for often leaving the room only to return and say, “Just one more thing”.

Running for only two seasons, the crime drama follows a police detective who — now very rich because of a settlement after serving 12 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit — returns to the police force.

“Pushing Daisies” is about a baker who has the ability to bring dead people back to life just by touching them. He uses this ability to help the police solve murder cases.

“Veronica Mars” is a teen mystery drama that follows a high school — and later college — student who is a private investigator in her spare time. After the show was cancelled, money was raised through Kickstarter for a movie, which was released in 2014.

“Psych” is a part detective, part comedy show about a young crime consultant who gets hired by the police after convincing them he can solve cases using his psychic abilities — which in reality are a very good memory and heightened observational skills.

“Cracker” is a British crime drama that follows an antisocial and arrogant, but also brilliant, criminal psychologist, who works as a consultant for the police.

“State of Play” tells the story of a journalist’s investigation into a murder of a political researcher who was the assistant and mistress of a famous politician. The TV show was adapted into a motion picture in 2009, starring Russell Crow and Ben Afleck.

One of three animated detective shows on the list, “Detective Conan” is a Japanese manga series that centers on a detective transformed into a child while investigating a mysterious organization. He goes on to solve many cases while impersonating other people.

“Foyle’s War” is a British detective drama set during and after World War II. The show follows Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle and the cases he solves. In the seasons taking place after the war, Foyle is a counterintelligence agent.

Even though “Police Squad!” aired for only one season — a total of six episodes — it was so popular that it was turned into the Naked Gun film franchise. The crime comedy is basically a parody of police crime stories.

“Southland” is an American crime TV show that tells the story of several people working for the Los Angeles Police Department, including a rookie cop, detectives, and a woman trying to join the elite SWAT team.

“Forbrydelsen,” meaning “the crime” in English, is a Danish police drama that follows a female detective inspector and the difficult cases she is trying to solve. Each episode covers 24 hours of the investigation.

“Happy Valley” is a British crime drama that revolves around the strong-willed police sergeant Catherine Wood, who lives with her recovering alcoholic and heroin addict sister.

In “Bosch,” an LAPD detective works to solve complicated cases while struggling with the stress of the job.

“Broadchurch” follows the investigation of a young boy’s murder and the effect is has on the town and everyone in it.

Idris Elba plays the titular “Luther,” a detective chief inspector who is one of the best criminal investigators, but he does not always play by the rules and is haunted by his tragic past.

In “Person of Interest,” a former CIA agent and a programmer team up to use surveillance and artificial intelligence to prevent crimes before they happen.

Sci-fi series “Fringe” was a cult classic that ran for five seasons. It follows an FBI agent, an eccentric scientist, and his son who all team up to investigate unexplained phenomena.

One of the few comedies on this list, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” follows the daily lives of the NYPD’s 99th Precinct. Andy Samberg stars as the precinct’s lovable but goofy detective.

The French show “Spiral” tracks criminal investigations not just from the viewpoint of the detectives, but also of the victims and the criminals themselves.

Set before the events that take place in the 1991 movie “Silence of the Lambs,” the show “Hannibal” is the story of a young Hannibal Lecter and his relationship with an FBI criminal profiler.

“Homicide: Life on the Street” is a classic police procedural about a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department’s Homicide Unit.

“Endeavour” is an origin story of sorts for one of the U.K.’s most popular tv crime fighters — Inspector Morse. The show is set in his early years as a police officer in the 1960s and 1970s.

“Monster” is an anime series about a neurosurgeon whose life is altered when he gets involved with a former patient and all his superiors are found dead.

This British show follows Agatha Christie’s great fictional detective Hercule Poirot as he solves various crimes.

“The Bridge” is one of the top foreign detective shows ever. After a body is found on the border of Sweden and Denmark, detectives from both countries must work together to solve the murder.

Though this may not be a traditional detective show, “Daredevil” does feature people doggedly pursuing criminals. Matt Murdock is a lawyer by day and a superhero vigilante by night.

In “Dexter,” a serial killer channels his dark urges for good, pledging to only kill other murderers — all while hiding in plain sight as a member of the Miami Police Department. The show was recently rebooted for 2021, picking up 10 years after where the original show ended.

“The Return of Sherlock Holmes” follows additional cases from the famous fictional detective. The revival series was very popular, though not quite as popular as its original iteration.

“The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is one of the best-reviewed detective shows of all time, following one of the greatest fictional sleuths ever — Sherlock Holmes. The show ran for two seasons in the 1980s.

“Line of Duty” is a series about AC-12, a police anti-corruption unit. The British series broadcast its sixth season in 2021.

A gritty portrayal of a corrupt police officer in Los Angeles, “The Shield” was an incredibly popular show for its seven-season run. Michael Chiklis won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Vic Mackey.

“Forensic Files” is a docu-series that ran for over 400 episodes. The program covers real-life crimes and how forensic science was used to crack the case.

“Twin Peaks” is a much-loved but short-lived detective show from David Lynch that lasted just two seasons in the early 1990s. It tells the story of an FBI agent who investigates a murder in a very strange town.

“Fargo” is a dark anthology series in the same vein as the Coen Brothers film of the same name. It follows Midwestern crooks, cops, and the civilians who get caught in the middle of their schemes.

“True Detective” is an anthology series that follows different heinous crimes and the police departments that investigate them. Over its run, it has featured A-list stars like Mahershala Ali, Matthew McConaughey, Rachel McAdams, and more.

“Death Note” is one of the most popular anime series of all time. It follows a high school student who finds a notebook that allows the user to kill anyone whose name is written in the book. The student then decides to use the notebook to take out criminals.

“Sherlock” is the BBC’s modern adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous detective series. It follows an eccentric but brilliant sleuth and his partner as they seek to solve the most difficult cases.

With an IMDb user rating of 9.3/10, “The Wire” ranks as the best detective show in TV history. The HBO drama follows Baltimore detectives as well as the drug dealers they pursue.