Watchworthy

5.3k voters

The Best Serial Cop Dramas of All Time

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated January 13, 2021 41.1k votes 5.3k voters 188.0k views93 items

List RulesVote up your favorite police dramas that unfold their complex stories episode-by-episode.

The best serial cop dramas of all time include long-running police television shows that managed to combine elements of mystery and suspense, captivating viewers along the way. TV fans might also enjoy best true crime TV shows and best British detective series. Top TV cop dramas have long been a major part of American television (with many ranking among the best TV shows of recent momory), and they've remained popular for decades. This list includes some of the greatest police TV dramas ever, so be sure to vote for your favorites, and vote down any programs you really didn't like.

A truly great television cop drama combines interesting, unique story lines with fast-paced action and a solid script. Having an extraordinarily strong ensemble cast doesn't hurt, either. What's the best cop show ever on TV? Many fans will argue that it's the brilliant, David Simon-created HBO drama The Wire. Others might maintain that the FX drama The Shield, which starred Michael Chiklis, is the greatest of all time. Another great example is the CBS drama Criminal Minds, the story of FBI agents who profile criminals. And, love them or hate them, it's hard to deny that the Law & Order franchise programs are almost always solid choices, too.

Older, classic serial cop dramas are also included on this list of the best cop shows, because they paved the way for more modern police procedurals. Among them: The ABC crime drama The Untouchables (1959 to 1963) and the long-running classic Dragnet. And of course, no list of the best serial cop dramas ever would be complete without Columbo, which starred the late, great Peter Falk as homicide detective Lt. Frank Columbo.

Hopefully everyone will find at least one or two favorite cop series among these fantastic serial cop dramas and vote the best to the top!

Photo:

...more

Try the free app

1
287
166
Justified
Timothy Olyphant, Nick Searcy
Premiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Neo-Western
More Justified
The Best Seasons of 'Justified'#143 of 389 TV Shows That Only Smart People Appreciate
2
557
351
Columbo
Peter Falk, Mike Lally
Premiered: 1968
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
More Columbo
The Best Seasons of Columbo#254 of 640 The Best TV Shows To Binge Watch
3
640
418
Law & Order
Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin
Premiered: 1990
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama, Legal drama, Legal
More Law & Order
All The Detectives From 'Law & Order,' RankedThe Best Law & Order SVU Guest Stars
4
598
387
Southland
Michael Cudlitz, Shawn Hatosy
Premiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Crime drama
More Southland
#349 of 538 TV Shows Canceled Before Their Time#129 of 252 The Best TV Shows Streaming On Hulu
5
581
370
Hill Street Blues
Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren
Premiered: 1981
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
6
924
494
The Wire
Dominic West, Lance Reddick
Premiered: 2002
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
More The Wire
The Best of The WIRE CharactersThe Best Seasons of 'The Wire'
7
455
292
The Mentalist
Simon Baker, Robin Tunney
Premiered: 2008
Genres (Tv): Police procedural, Mystery, Drama

8
736
489
NCIS
Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly
Premiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Drama, Thriller
More NCIS
The Best Actors On NCISThe Greatest Guest Stars on NCIS, Ranked
9
527
345
Castle
Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic
Premiered: 2009
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Crime, Drama, Mystery
10
792
526
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni
Premiered: 1999
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama, Live action, Legal drama
More Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
29 Of The Best Memes We Could Find All About 'Law & Order: SVU'The Most Infuriating 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' Tropes
11
457
214
Sherlock
Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
Premiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Mystery
More Sherlock
Small Details From 'Sherlock' That Only A Super Sleuth Would NoticeRanking the Best Seasons of 'Sherlock'
12
565
313
Hawaii Five-O
Jack Lord, James MacArthur
Premiered: 1968
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Crime, Drama
More Hawaii Five-O
#12 of 76 The Best CBS Shows of All Time#40 of 43 The Best TV Shows That Lasted 10+ Seasons
13
617
385
NYPD Blue
Dennis Franz, Gordon Clapp
Premiered: 1993
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Crime, Drama, Live action
More NYPD Blue
#216 of 339 The Best TV Shows of The Last 20 Years#51 of 381 The Greatest TV Dramas of All Time
14
701
484
The Shield
Michael Chiklis, Catherine Dent
Premiered: 2002
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Action
More The Shield
The Best Seasons of 'The Shield'#9 of 67 The Best FX Original Shows
15
379
314
Miami Vice
Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas
Premiered: 1984
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
16
338
253
Cold Case
Kathryn Morris, Danny Pino
Premiered: 2003
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
17
370
180
Magnum, P.I.
Tom Selleck, John Hillerman
Premiered: 1980
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Drama, Adventure film
18
285
226
The Closer
Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons
Premiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
More The Closer
#56 of 336 The Best Female-Led TV Shows#108 of 239 The Greatest TV Shows for Women
19
365
239
Person of Interest
Jim Caviezel, Taraji P. Henson
Premiered: 2011
Genres (Tv): Crime drama, Action, Sci-fi
More Person of Interest
The Best Seasons of Person of Interest#32 of 313 The Best Sci-Fi Television Series Of All Time
20
316
252
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Kathryn Erbe, Vincent D'Onofrio
Premiered: 2001
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama, Live action, Legal
21
331
226
Monk
Tony Shalhoub, Bitty Schram
Premiered: 2002
Genres (Tv): Police procedural, Comedy-drama, Mystery
More Monk
The Best Seasons of 'Monk'#91 of 474 The Funniest TV Shows of All Time
22
266
215
The Streets of San Francisco
Karl Malden, Michael Douglas
Premiered: 1972
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Adventure film, Action
More The Streets of San Francisco
#65 of 272 The Best '70s TV Shows#64 of 242 The Best Ever Police Procedural Series
23
701
294
Blue Bloods
Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan
Premiered: 2010
Genres (Tv): Action/Adventure, Police procedural, Crime, Drama, Adventure film
24
851
392
Criminal Minds
Shemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler
Premiered: 2005
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Crime, Suspense, Drama
More Criminal Minds
The Best Seasons of 'Criminal Minds'How Accurate Is The Depiction of Behavioral Analysts In 'Criminal Minds?'
25
302
239
Dragnet
Jack Webb, Harry Morgan
Premiered: 1952
Genres (Tv): Crime Fiction, Police procedural, Drama
More Dragnet
#31 of 70 The Best Crime Fighting Duo TV Series#283 of 396 The Best TV Shows to Rewatch