List Rules Vote up the best shows that depict crime and law enforcement that are currently airing new episodes on TV or a streaming service.
Television fans love TV crime shows for so many reasons. Crime and criminal shows come in so many shapes and sizes that it can be hard to nail down which one is really the best. Sometimes they're funny, sometimes they're romantic, and sometimes they're pure dramas. Crime shows often include the best TV policemen and detectives, memorable characters with strong problem solving skills. Best of all though, they give us a look at crime from all different angles.
On Orange is the New Black, you see the perspective of inmates, The Good Wife shows the legal side of it all, Jessica Jones proves that just because you have super powers doesn't mean that crime is easy, and Criminal Minds takes fans inside the minds of the worst of the worst.
Some of the best crime series have already come and gone. Shows like The Mentalist and White Collar have ended and great older TV crime shows like The Sopranos and Murder, She Wrote have long since passed into crime show history. Along the way, viewers have also been subjected to some truly awful crime shows. Luckily, right now, there are plenty of great crime shows to choose from. Whether you like your investigations with a touch of humor or with heaps of suspense, there's something for everyone nowadays when it comes to crime dramas on TV.
Check out this list of the top crime shows currently on TV in 2018 and upvote the series you think are the greatest.
list ordered by
1
347 140
Criminal MindsShemar Moore, Matthew Gray Gubler, Thomas Gibson Criminal Minds is an American police-procedural television program that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based ...more
2
258 131
SherlockBenedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs Sherlock is a British television crime drama that presents a contemporary adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes detective stories. Created by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, it ...more
3
254 121
Law & Order: Special Victims UnitMariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural, legal, crime drama television series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced. In the style of the ...more
4
224 123
NCISMark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, Pauley Perrette NCIS is an American police procedural drama television series, revolving around a fictional team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which conducts criminal ...more
5
239 166
How to Get Away with MurderViola Davis, Billy Brown, Alfred Enoch How to Get Away with Murder (ABC, 2014) is an American drama television series created by Peter Nowalk. A law professor (Viola Davis) at a prestigious Philadelphia university and five of her ...more
6
185 129
The BlacklistJames Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Klattenhoff The Blacklist is an American crime drama television series that premiered on NBC on September 23, 2013. Raymond "Red" Reddington, a former U.S Navy officer turned high-profile ...more
7
64 32
MindhunterJonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, Anna Torv Mindhunter (Netflix, 2017) is an American drama series based on the book Mind Hunter: Inside FBIs Elite Serial Crime Unit written by Mark Olshaker and John E. Douglas. Set in 1979, the series ...more
8
139 114
Blue BloodsDonnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes Blue Bloods is an American police procedural drama series shown on CBS in the United States and Canada and on Sky Atlantic in the United Kingdom. The series is filmed on location in New York ...more
9
142 113
ElementaryJonny Lee Miller, Lucy Liu, Aidan Quinn Elementary is an American crime drama series that presents a contemporary update of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's character Sherlock Holmes. The series was created by Robert Doherty and stars Jonny ...more
10
60 33
Gabby Gellerman added SupernaturalJared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Katie Cassidy Supernatural (The CW, 2005) is an American fantasy horror television series created by Eric Kripke. Two brothers, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), follow their father's ...more
11
132 106
Hawaii Five-0Leonard Freeman, Alex Kurtzman, Peter M. Lenkov Hawaii Five-0 is an American police procedural drama television series and a remake of the original 1968–80 television series. The series is produced by K/O Paper Products and 101st Street ...more
12
136 119
Jessica JonesKrysten Ritter, Mike Colter, Rachael Taylor Jessica Jones (Netflix, 2015) is an American web television series created by Melissa Rosenberg, based on the Marvel Comics character. Following the tragic end of her brief superhero career, ...more
GothamBen McKenzie, Donal Logue, David Mazouz Gotham (Fox, 2014) is an American crime drama television series developed by Bruno Heller, based on the DC Comics characters from the Batman franchise. The story behind Detective James Gordon's ...more
14
120 107
NCIS: Los AngelesChris O'Donnell, Daniela Ruah, Barrett Foa NCIS: Los Angeles is an American television series combining elements of the military drama and police procedural genres, which premiered on the CBS network on September 22, 2009. NCIS: Los ...more
15
107 95
Chicago PDJason Beghe, Jon Seda, Sophia Bush Chicago P.D. is an American police procedural television drama series created by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead as a spin-off from Chicago Fire. The series originally premiered on NBC as a ...more
16
105 97
LutherIdris Elba, Warren Brown, Dermot Crowley Luther is a British crime drama series starring Idris Elba as the eponymous character DCI John Luther. Written by Neil Cross, the first series, comprising six one-hour long episodes, premiered ...more
17
42 33
carlybobarly added OzarkJason Bateman, Laura Linney, Esai Morales Ozark (Netflix, 2017) is an American crimeozark drama series created by Bill Dubuque. Financial planner Marty Byrde (Jason Bateman) must suddenly relocate his family (Laura Linney) from Chicago ...more
Orange Is the New BlackTaylor Schilling, Danielle Brooks, Taryn Manning Orange Is the New Black is an American comedy-drama series created by Jenji Kohan and first released on Netflix on July 11, 2013. The series, produced by Tilted Productions in association with ...more
19
94 103
HomelandClaire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Rupert Friend Homeland is an American political thriller television series developed by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa based on the Israeli series Hatufim, which was created by Gideon Raff. The series stars ...more
20
83 94
alissa5320 added ScandalKerry Washington, Henry Ian Cusick, Columbus Short Scandal (ABC, 2012) is an American political thriller television series created by Shonda Rhimes. A former White House Communications Director (Kerry Washington) starts her own crisis management ...more
21
86 100
bigcraig added FargoBilly Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks Fargo (FX, 2014) is an American black comedycrime drama anthology television series created by Noah Hawley, and inspired by the 1996 film. Various chronicles of deception, intrigue and murder ...more
22
14 7
InstinctAlan Cumming, Bojana Novakovic, Daniel Ings Instinct (CBS, 2018) is an American police procedural and drama television series created by Michael Rauch, based on James Patterson's Murder Games. A former CIA agent (Alan Cumming) who has ...more
Siersha 2 added Happy ValleySarah Lancashire, Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran Happy Valley (BBC One, 2014) is a British crime drama television series created by Sally Wainwright. Catherine Cawood (Sarah Lancashire) is the sergeant on duty when flustered and nervous ...more
24
12 6
DeceptionJack Cutmore-Scott, Ilfenesh Hadera, Amaury Nolasco Deception (ABC, 2018) is an American crime procedural drama created by Chris Fedak. After his career as a magician is ruined by scandal, Las Vegas illusionist Cameron Black (Jack Cutmore-Scott) ...more
25
25 26
Luke Albright added BoschTitus Welliver, Jamie Hector, Amy Aquino Bosch (Amazon Video, 2014) is an American police procedural web television series created by Michael Connelly. An LAPD homicide detective (Titus Welliver) works to solve the murder of a ...more
26
92 112
SuitsGabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle Suits is a USA Network legal drama created by Aaron Korsh that stars Patrick J. Adams as Michael "Mike" Ross and Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter. The first episode debuted on June 23, ...more
27
24 27
Ray DonovanLiev Schreiber, Paula Malcomson, Eddie Marsan Ray Donovan is an American television crime drama series created by Ann Biderman for Showtime. The twelve-episode first season premiered on June 30, 2013. The pilot episode broke records of ...more
28
10 8
SWATShemar Moore, Stephanie Sigman, Alex Russell S.W.A.T. (CBS, 2017) is an American drama series based on the 1975 series of the same name. Locally born and bred S.W.A.T. lieutenant Hondo Harrelson (Shemar Moore) is torn between loyalty to ...more
29
8 9
Law & Order True CrimeEdie Falco, Anthony Edwards, Josh Charles Law & Order True Crime (NBC, 2017) is an American true crime anthology series created by Dick Wolf as part of the Law & Order franchise. The first season, a dramatization of the trial of ...more
30
7 8
TakenClive Standen, Gaius Charles, Brooklyn Sudano Taken (NBC, 2017) is a Franco-American drama series developed by Alexander Cary, based on the film trilogy. Former Green Beret Bryan Mills (Clive Standen) must overcome a personal tragedy, in ...more
31
5 7
Good GirlsChristina Hendricks, Mae Whitman, Retta Good Girls (NBC, 2017) is an American crime drama series created by Jenna Bans. Struggling to make ends meet, three suburban housewives (Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman) decide to ...more
32
13 18
The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime StoryPenélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Ricky Martin The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (FX, 2018) is the second season of the FX true crime anthology television series American Crime Story. Based on the book by Maureen ...more
33
19 28
WentworthDanielle Cormack, Nicole da Silva, Kate Atkinson Wentworth is an Australian television drama series. It was first broadcast on SoHo on 1 May 2013. The series serves as a contemporary reimagining of Prisoner, which ran on Network Ten from 1979 ...more
34
4 8
BorderlinerTobias Santelmann, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Benjamin Helstad Borderliner (Netflix, 2018) is a Norwegian noir crime drama series that involves a police officer (Tobias Santelmann) visiting his hometown where he investigates a local man's apparent suicide.
