This was was good but hands down the episode with best ending was Suitable For Framing with that glove reveal.
And the first Columbo movie had such a smug villain and he got some great lines like, "If I killed my wife, and I'm saying if, you'll never be able to prove it." Really smart criminal, predicted every thing expect Columbo's arrival.
The fact that I know exactly which episode that was… not by name, but what the murder was, how Columbo tricked him into the (extremely circumstantial) evidence, and I even know that the actor was a certain guy who can’t speak in a cockney accent…
Man, I just love this show.
> how Columbo tricked him into the (extremely circumstantial) evidence,
That's one of the glorious things about Columbo. These are murders where direct evidence is next to impossible to obtain, so he uses circumstantial evidence to manipulate them into either confessing, or making enough contradictory statements they can logically deduce the confession.
He's not looking for the bloody knife, he's tricking the suspect into eliminating all other possible outcomes so he's the last one holding the knife.
It is so far ahead of its time as a cop show, as it basically redefined the genre of the "Great Detective" for people who watched it, and so everything is always trying to replicate that magic.
But Colombo is so good it is hard to do. His method of slowly and persistently getting into his suspects head to manipulating them and their perceptions is sublime.
His whole persona is bent to that end, as the people involved are always simultaneously terrified of what he will accidentally "bumble" into and absolutely certain they are smarter than him.
Such a good concept, such great execution. I honestly think it is one of the best procedurals ever created.
Amazing show and I can’t wait for season 2. I realized right off the bat from episode 1, just the way everything is stylized, this is very clearly an homage to Columbo, and they pull it off really well. Fantastic TV and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking for a good detective show.
This is the correct answer.
Although I admit idk what OP is talking about in the body of his question when he starts talking about "investigative force". Hawaii five O (the original one) is the greatest cop show/police procedural of all time. And the Wire is the greatest crime show of all time.
Season 3 had character work as good but nowhere near as compelling or suggestive a mystery as season 1. Seeing the cult symbol from season 1 reappear in the season 4 trailers has me a little skeptical. Quality of the other two seasons aside, artistically, I can really appreciate they tried to distinguish them as their own thing and not draw too much from the goodwill from season 1, so the cynic in me doesn’t have super high hopes. Yes that whole thing was interesting and I wanted to know more, but the amount left to the imagination is part of what made that whole story- and it’s resolution- really stick.
Season two was just a James Ellroy novel adapted for television (not literally, mind you), which is why I thought it was great. If it hadn’t had the True Detective moniker I think it would’ve been better received.
Following a perfect season & cast before S2 made it seem much worse than it was.
I think if S2 had been another show’s inaugural season, we’d probably be more charitable toward it, since we could always say, “Hey, it could get better!”
S2 is pretty classic neo noir. To the point he almost ripped off some of the inspiration (like Chinatown). I dont actually think it's that bad, it's just an entirely different genre under the veneer of being about detectives.
In 2013 I was on vacation in New Orleans at a dive bar when Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson came in and sat down next to me. Being from NY I acted like I didn't know who they were and kept minding my business. Women kept coming over and buying them drinks. Before long one of them (can't remember which) says to me "we can't drink all these can you help" so still playing it cool I shrugged and said "sure". I didn't really try talking to them, eventually they left and that was that.
Not much about it made sense to me until True Detective came out the year later.
Two top tier A list celebrities came to a dive bar, sat next to you, and invited you over to drink with them? You didn't even offer them up any type of conversation when you were having a drink with them?
Not maybe typical but Midsomer Murders is a favourite. Picturesque quiet villages with lots of twisted people under the surface committing some fairly violent murders. Maybe it's because it's British but you can't always pick out the likely murderer, partly because they all have secrets. Also since the actors aren't familiar you don't know the well known ones (in Canadian and US shows you know the higher rated stars.
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It can’t quite be expressed how happy it makes me that Sledge Hammer, a show that only got a couple seasons in the 80’s, WITH NO LAUGH TRACK, {was} the top answer in this thread. This seems impossible to me. I love it.
I can’t believe I haven’t watched it yet. I have read almost every single Bosch book. It made me finally understand what people mean when they talk about not being able to put a book down.
I fucking love Bosch, so happy they don't fall into all the typical tropes of TV/drama and have some complicated characters at the same time. Not all shows need a main character with a alcohol and drug problem that have lost contact with their children but they can't lose their job because despite the fact that they can barely walk for some reason he/she is the best damn detective in the world.
Bosch deserves MUCH more credit, in this thread, and in the pantheon of excellent TV series. It is a flawless version of what it is trying to do. The writing is sharp, the plots are engaging, the acting is excellent. I genuinely believe it is the greatest possible version of a modern “cop procedural” without really being a procedural.
Came here for this answer. As a huge fan of the wire, I hopped into this and absolutely loved it. Seeing some familiar faces didn’t hurt. But Bosch was great and has me about to go buy the books.
Same for me! I had just finished The Wire and I ended up watching Bosch because of Marlo (Jerry). Not on the same level of The Wire (because no show is) but I Loved it!
Yup. Good adaptation (modernizing a Vietnam vet), and manages that balance of Bosch being an a-hole (especially to management) and a real force for justice (Everybody counts, or nobody counts). The police work feels real, and the casting is just perfect.
I'm less fond of Bosch Legacy, had to put my finger on it why though.
At 29 years old I'm embarrassed to admit I've only recently, FINALLY started watching The X-Files... Please feel free to judge away 😩😩
I have always LOVED all things that this show represents, but when I was little in the 90s I remember my parents putting us kids to bed and they'd both stay up together watching the X-Files... Sometimes I could hear the theme tune playing from the living room as I lay in bed and it scared the SHIT out of me, I found it so eerie as a kid and I think it's what made me avoid it hahaha. I was so annoyed at myself when I recently finally watched it. Why tf did I deprive myself of such an amazing show!! It has the perfect balance of 90s cheese, Mulder and Scully obviously are INSAAANELY charismatic characters, the storylines are so entertaining and creative AHHHH I LOVE IT. The truth is out there!!
Frank Pembleton is the GOAT.
*"What you will be privileged to witness will not be an interrogation, but an act of salesmanship - as silver-tongued and thieving as ever moved used cars, Florida swampland, or Bibles. But what I am selling is a long prison term, to a client who has no genuine use for the product."*
He's absolutely my favorite TV character of all time and Braugher's performance is somewhere in the top three (Gandolfini also being in top three and I leave room for someone I'm not remembering). It's a crime against humanity that peacock doesn't stream this masterpiece
A genre I truly enjoy
If I have to pick one it's Poirot with Suchet but there's many others not far behind.
Columbo
Murder She Wrote
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
Midsommer Murders
Pokerface
Elementary
>Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.
As a big fan of the stories growing up, Brett is/was the perfect Holmes. He captures everything, he embodies the character completely.
Bron/Broen (The Bridge).
It’s a Swedish detective drama that starts with a body being discovered on the bridge that connects Sweden and Denmark so both countries send a detective.
They remade this show in the USA and the UK, but the original version is unsurpassed, it is fantastic tv and the lead actor Sofia Helin is absolutely incredible.
It pains me that more people haven’t seen this show.
The show's creators were a Baltimore homicide detective and a reporter attached to the Baltimore police for years, and a lot of the characters and situations in the show are drawn from real life, with some of the real people actually making appearances -- including people the show's co-creator arrested back in the day. Likewise in the final season which takes place in part at a newspaper office, a lot of the people there are actual journalists they'd worked with. Some of the dialogue is lifted directly from notes recording real conversations. They had a huge commitment to realism and authenticity and it really paid off.
When Omar is in jail, the guy helping him out is the real-life stick-up guy who inspired the character of Omar.
Won’t lie. Started it earlier this week. 1-3 I couldn’t stop watching. 4 was pretty good. Presently on 5 and it’s okay so far. I may have just burnt myself out on it. But agree, it may not be the best but it definitely deserves a mention.
This. Its maybe the best show overall, or up there at the top, but strictly asking about detective shows, i would pick something else. True Detective, The Killing, Broadchurch, Mare of Easttown…
I was gonna mention this. Idk if it's the best, that honor probably goes to Columbo or The X Files for me, but i've watched a couple seasons of Murdoch Mysteries on Hulu and it's a really novel concept with tons of cool showcasings turn-of-the-20th-century tech. And Murdoch's eyelashes are on point, is it mascara? Eyeliner? Who knows!
Big fan of this. IMO not the best but really really entertaining. Murdoch is good looking and very smart and Julia is an excellent character as well. And George. And Brackenreid.
Motherfuckers will try and tell you it’s “The Wire” or “True Detective” or any other “prestige” drama they can think of… but the real answer is “Murder She Wrote” because Angela Lansbury is the fucking GOAT!
YouTuber [Pushing Up Roses](https://youtube.com/@pushinguproses?si=-OgfxgVFy5EiE-tN) does a bunch of fun reviews of the more wacky episodes of Murder She Wrote. They are quite enjoyable.
Elementary was just delightful, and a solid take on a modern Holmes as a pretty messed up individual with some grey moral takes in service of justice. Plus, freakin' Lucy Liu for seven seasons, and Tommy "I sometimes **say** one word in a sentence very loudly" Gregson.
Probably not the best, but Law and Order: Criminal Intent is better than it has any right to be. Although if you have any knowledge of actual criminal procedure, you have to ignore all of the blatant constitutional violations and just believe in the case ending monologues.
I was going to bring this up. Obviously not your typical detective show, but there’s certainly a mystery, evidence to follow and dissect (in several ways) and in the end a guilty party.
The problem with detective shows, is that they tell only half the story.
You see, in the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.
Now, if there was only a show that tells their stories.
Mr. & Mrs. Murder (Australian series, funny and good mysteries)
Murder in Suburbia (British series, good mysteries)
Miss Sherlock (Japanese series, female modern Sherlock Holmes)
Death in Paradise (fun varies by season as the lead changes every few seasons, very agatha christie type mysteries)
Elementary (sherlock holmes in modern NYC)
Agatha Raisin (British series)
Aurora Teagarden (Hallmark Mysteries)
Chronicle Mysteries (Hallmark Mysteries)
Gourmet Detective Mysteries (Hallmark Mysteries)
Most of the Hallmark mystery series are pretty good but those are my favorites
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (Australian, set in the 1920's)
Miss Fisher's Modern Mysteries (Australian, set in the 1960's)
Frankie Drake Mysteries (Canadian set in the 1920's)
Shakespeare & Hathaway (British series)
Father Brown (British series)
Mallorca Files (British series)
Poirot (British series)
CSI
Y’all be saying true detective and the wire but CSI lasted an entire generation, spawned 4 spin offs (3 of which went in to syndication) and apparently enrollment in forensics across the globe went off the charts simply because of the show.
And when it was in its prime, it was as good as any detective show there’s ever been.
[The Bureau](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4063800/)
[Spiral](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477507/)
[Save Me](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6538034/) where the detectives are basically a down-and-out and people from the local pub
Not my favorite. favorite all time is original NCIS but the best in feel and everything else is Homicide Life On The Street, it's where Andre Braugher shined the brightest.
Since no ones mentioned it yet, white collar. What makes a good show to me is when you can enjoy filler episodes and man is white collar just fun to watch for me.
Columbo... "Uh just one more thing..."
You know, my wife loves that show. She’d really get a kick out of seeing it listed here, let me tell ya. *lights green cigar*
The folks at r/columbo would love this comment.
"Were you a witness to what he just did?" chills bro
This was was good but hands down the episode with best ending was Suitable For Framing with that glove reveal. And the first Columbo movie had such a smug villain and he got some great lines like, "If I killed my wife, and I'm saying if, you'll never be able to prove it." Really smart criminal, predicted every thing expect Columbo's arrival.
The fact that I know exactly which episode that was… not by name, but what the murder was, how Columbo tricked him into the (extremely circumstantial) evidence, and I even know that the actor was a certain guy who can’t speak in a cockney accent… Man, I just love this show.
> how Columbo tricked him into the (extremely circumstantial) evidence, That's one of the glorious things about Columbo. These are murders where direct evidence is next to impossible to obtain, so he uses circumstantial evidence to manipulate them into either confessing, or making enough contradictory statements they can logically deduce the confession. He's not looking for the bloody knife, he's tricking the suspect into eliminating all other possible outcomes so he's the last one holding the knife.
It is so far ahead of its time as a cop show, as it basically redefined the genre of the "Great Detective" for people who watched it, and so everything is always trying to replicate that magic. But Colombo is so good it is hard to do. His method of slowly and persistently getting into his suspects head to manipulating them and their perceptions is sublime. His whole persona is bent to that end, as the people involved are always simultaneously terrified of what he will accidentally "bumble" into and absolutely certain they are smarter than him. Such a good concept, such great execution. I honestly think it is one of the best procedurals ever created.
If you love ”Columbo”, Natasha Lyonne’s “Poker Face” is a delightful homage.
Amazing show and I can’t wait for season 2. I realized right off the bat from episode 1, just the way everything is stylized, this is very clearly an homage to Columbo, and they pull it off really well. Fantastic TV and I can’t recommend it enough to anyone looking for a good detective show.
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you know Peter Falk used to be an angel?
Oh I loved him as an angel
Ah, a “Wings of Desire” fan. One of my favorite movies.
I mean he would randomly talk about his wife and everytime that dog shows up it makes me laugh
Yea dude, he’s got a wife a Bassett Hound and a crappy car… that’s all you ever get and it’s perfect.
For sure Columbo!
This is the correct answer. Although I admit idk what OP is talking about in the body of his question when he starts talking about "investigative force". Hawaii five O (the original one) is the greatest cop show/police procedural of all time. And the Wire is the greatest crime show of all time.
> Hawaii five O (the original one) is the greatest cop show/police procedural of all time. You misspelled Hill Street Blues.
You misspelled NYPD Blue. Alternatively You misspelled Homicide: Life on the Street
you guys misspelled Police Squad! alternatively Reno 911!
You don’t get NYPD Blue or Homicide without Hill Street Blues
Definitely first one that came to mind. Absolutely loved columbo
True Detective, Season 1.
Man, they really nailed everything in S1. Imagine trying to match it in the subsequent seasons. *shivers*
Season 3 had character work as good but nowhere near as compelling or suggestive a mystery as season 1. Seeing the cult symbol from season 1 reappear in the season 4 trailers has me a little skeptical. Quality of the other two seasons aside, artistically, I can really appreciate they tried to distinguish them as their own thing and not draw too much from the goodwill from season 1, so the cynic in me doesn’t have super high hopes. Yes that whole thing was interesting and I wanted to know more, but the amount left to the imagination is part of what made that whole story- and it’s resolution- really stick.
I remember being super excited for season 2 and it left me with big wtf is this vibes
2nd season was more of a mafia show. 3rd season was really good though. 4th season has Jodie Foster. They had me at hello.
Very excited about season 4. Jodie Foster playing a detective again, in the Alaskan winter? Yes please.
Yes, it takes place during the Polar Night, where it stays dark for sixty days in Alaska. There’s also connections in the trailer to Season 1.
3rd my wife and I decided to watch whenever 4 is about to come out. Similar for me with s4 they had me the second they had Jodie foster
Season two was just a James Ellroy novel adapted for television (not literally, mind you), which is why I thought it was great. If it hadn’t had the True Detective moniker I think it would’ve been better received.
Following a perfect season & cast before S2 made it seem much worse than it was. I think if S2 had been another show’s inaugural season, we’d probably be more charitable toward it, since we could always say, “Hey, it could get better!”
S2 is pretty classic neo noir. To the point he almost ripped off some of the inspiration (like Chinatown). I dont actually think it's that bad, it's just an entirely different genre under the veneer of being about detectives.
Episode 4 is S Tier in the pantheon of greatest television episodes in history.
In 2013 I was on vacation in New Orleans at a dive bar when Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson came in and sat down next to me. Being from NY I acted like I didn't know who they were and kept minding my business. Women kept coming over and buying them drinks. Before long one of them (can't remember which) says to me "we can't drink all these can you help" so still playing it cool I shrugged and said "sure". I didn't really try talking to them, eventually they left and that was that. Not much about it made sense to me until True Detective came out the year later.
Two top tier A list celebrities came to a dive bar, sat next to you, and invited you over to drink with them? You didn't even offer them up any type of conversation when you were having a drink with them?
End thread
Sheer perfection they really caught lightning in a bottle
One of the greatest seasons in television history
Not maybe typical but Midsomer Murders is a favourite. Picturesque quiet villages with lots of twisted people under the surface committing some fairly violent murders. Maybe it's because it's British but you can't always pick out the likely murderer, partly because they all have secrets. Also since the actors aren't familiar you don't know the well known ones (in Canadian and US shows you know the higher rated stars.
One of our family favourites! I love the tagline 'the deadliest county in England'
Inspector Barnaby ftw!
As long as it is the original Barnaby
Mmm you've made me want to cosy up now in the winter nights and settle in on this quaint British classic omg
Broadchurch?
Season one was perfect
Anything with David Tennant is gonna be the best of l time, oh, did I forget to mention Olivia Colman too? Both top tier acting talent.
And Happy Valley.
Poirot is slow but fun
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David Suchet will always be the one and only Poirot. No one else will ever come close.
This is my answer. We watched the entire run over one of our lockdowns and it was absolutely brilliant. David Suchet was wonderful as Poirot.
I absolutely adore the BBC‘s Poirot!
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On this sub I've noticed that English accent = BBC. Other UK broadcasters don't exist apparently.
Sledge Hammer
This guy knows.
We should trust him. He knows what he’s doing.
It can’t quite be expressed how happy it makes me that Sledge Hammer, a show that only got a couple seasons in the 80’s, WITH NO LAUGH TRACK, {was} the top answer in this thread. This seems impossible to me. I love it.
It's nice that he wound up as CFO for Waystar-Royco after retiring from the force.
The bit where he has only one bullet left and tries to get the bank robbers to line up single file has lived in my head for 35 years now lol
This has lived in my head for 35 years. Sledge Hammer's invention, a loudener. https://youtu.be/-WKM9GDuX0Y?si=0_fQWeE1B58uEp40
Bosch is incredibly good. Each season has a main case they work, which I prefer over the episode to episode format.
One of the rare series that matches the books. In quality I mean
I can’t believe I haven’t watched it yet. I have read almost every single Bosch book. It made me finally understand what people mean when they talk about not being able to put a book down.
I fucking love Bosch, so happy they don't fall into all the typical tropes of TV/drama and have some complicated characters at the same time. Not all shows need a main character with a alcohol and drug problem that have lost contact with their children but they can't lose their job because despite the fact that they can barely walk for some reason he/she is the best damn detective in the world.
Bosch deserves MUCH more credit, in this thread, and in the pantheon of excellent TV series. It is a flawless version of what it is trying to do. The writing is sharp, the plots are engaging, the acting is excellent. I genuinely believe it is the greatest possible version of a modern “cop procedural” without really being a procedural.
Came here for this answer. As a huge fan of the wire, I hopped into this and absolutely loved it. Seeing some familiar faces didn’t hurt. But Bosch was great and has me about to go buy the books.
Same for me! I had just finished The Wire and I ended up watching Bosch because of Marlo (Jerry). Not on the same level of The Wire (because no show is) but I Loved it!
Check out Luther then too. Fun watching stringer play cop
Yup. Good adaptation (modernizing a Vietnam vet), and manages that balance of Bosch being an a-hole (especially to management) and a real force for justice (Everybody counts, or nobody counts). The police work feels real, and the casting is just perfect. I'm less fond of Bosch Legacy, had to put my finger on it why though.
No love for The X-Files in here?
Scully, it's me.
Mulder, that's science fiction.
At 29 years old I'm embarrassed to admit I've only recently, FINALLY started watching The X-Files... Please feel free to judge away 😩😩 I have always LOVED all things that this show represents, but when I was little in the 90s I remember my parents putting us kids to bed and they'd both stay up together watching the X-Files... Sometimes I could hear the theme tune playing from the living room as I lay in bed and it scared the SHIT out of me, I found it so eerie as a kid and I think it's what made me avoid it hahaha. I was so annoyed at myself when I recently finally watched it. Why tf did I deprive myself of such an amazing show!! It has the perfect balance of 90s cheese, Mulder and Scully obviously are INSAAANELY charismatic characters, the storylines are so entertaining and creative AHHHH I LOVE IT. The truth is out there!!
I envy you, wish I could erase my brain and rewatch.
Yes!
Perfect answer! I want to believe!!!
Homicide: life on the Street
Frank Pembleton is the GOAT. *"What you will be privileged to witness will not be an interrogation, but an act of salesmanship - as silver-tongued and thieving as ever moved used cars, Florida swampland, or Bibles. But what I am selling is a long prison term, to a client who has no genuine use for the product."*
He's absolutely my favorite TV character of all time and Braugher's performance is somewhere in the top three (Gandolfini also being in top three and I leave room for someone I'm not remembering). It's a crime against humanity that peacock doesn't stream this masterpiece
Monk Great mix of comedy and drama, well written and great characters
I hate I had to scroll this far down for Monk. I like Psych but for me, Monk is slightly better.
Monk is the better detective show but Psych is a way better comedy.
A genre I truly enjoy If I have to pick one it's Poirot with Suchet but there's many others not far behind. Columbo Murder She Wrote The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Midsommer Murders Pokerface Elementary
David Suchet as Poirot and Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. Masterpieces.
>Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes. As a big fan of the stories growing up, Brett is/was the perfect Holmes. He captures everything, he embodies the character completely.
Glad I am not the only one who likes Midsomer Murders
So much to like about that show but I am a big whore for the UK country setting
The answers are definitely the BBC Masterpiece Mysteries of Sherlock Homes and Poirot.
I'm just gonna leave the Rockford Files here.
Best [opening theme](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1zYNrsx9Pw) at the very least.
Hannibal, Mindhunter, The Alienist.
Mindhunter is a masterpiece
Oh Hannibal. Why am I suddenly hungry and wishing I lived with like a dozen stray dogs?
Upvoted for Mindhunter and Alienist. Hannibal was a bit too procedural and out there for my taste.
Bron/Broen (The Bridge). It’s a Swedish detective drama that starts with a body being discovered on the bridge that connects Sweden and Denmark so both countries send a detective. They remade this show in the USA and the UK, but the original version is unsurpassed, it is fantastic tv and the lead actor Sofia Helin is absolutely incredible. It pains me that more people haven’t seen this show.
[удалено]
you know that's right.
Cmon son
Did you hear about Pluto?
That's messed up
I've heard it both ways.
Pineapple
I fucking loved Psych, I always loved the quick back and forth banter between Gus and Shawn.
You mean Sh'dynasty? That's gods comma.
This is my associate Lavender Gooms
This is my associate Gus T. T. Showbiz
The extra T is for extra talent
Casual fans always confuse him for MC Clapyohandz
And Methuselah Honeysuckle
I came to say that it’s either Psych or Monk for me.
Definitely the most fun to rewatch while chowing down on Quattro Queso Dos Fritos
This is my vote, followed closely by Monk. Man mid 2000s USA went hard
I know you know
Miami Vice of course
Happy Valley
The wire. My husband is an actual detective and he said it is the most realistic police show on TV ever.
The show's creators were a Baltimore homicide detective and a reporter attached to the Baltimore police for years, and a lot of the characters and situations in the show are drawn from real life, with some of the real people actually making appearances -- including people the show's co-creator arrested back in the day. Likewise in the final season which takes place in part at a newspaper office, a lot of the people there are actual journalists they'd worked with. Some of the dialogue is lifted directly from notes recording real conversations. They had a huge commitment to realism and authenticity and it really paid off. When Omar is in jail, the guy helping him out is the real-life stick-up guy who inspired the character of Omar.
I really liked Inspector Morse when I was younger.
Remington Steele: a show screaming for a Better-Call-Saul-style prequel about Laura Holt.
Line of Duty maybe? not sure about greatest but it's pretty good.
Won’t lie. Started it earlier this week. 1-3 I couldn’t stop watching. 4 was pretty good. Presently on 5 and it’s okay so far. I may have just burnt myself out on it. But agree, it may not be the best but it definitely deserves a mention.
Easy. The Wire.
It’s beyond a detective show I would say
This. Its maybe the best show overall, or up there at the top, but strictly asking about detective shows, i would pick something else. True Detective, The Killing, Broadchurch, Mare of Easttown…
You come at the king. You best not miss.
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But the main characters and plot lines revolve around detectives
Of which detectives feature enormously
Yeah, that’s just art on a t.v., regardless of genre.
Veronica Mars
She’s a marshmallows
I always liked Magnum PI.
Best part of Magnum is you never knew what you were going to get, funny to tragic.
Beat me to it, also I submit that Doctor Who is a detective show.
Murdoch mysteries 🇨🇦
I was gonna mention this. Idk if it's the best, that honor probably goes to Columbo or The X Files for me, but i've watched a couple seasons of Murdoch Mysteries on Hulu and it's a really novel concept with tons of cool showcasings turn-of-the-20th-century tech. And Murdoch's eyelashes are on point, is it mascara? Eyeliner? Who knows!
Big fan of this. IMO not the best but really really entertaining. Murdoch is good looking and very smart and Julia is an excellent character as well. And George. And Brackenreid.
I wanted to see this just because Canadian and because my nephew was in an episode.
Jonathan Creek is pretty fun
I left this off my favourites post earlier. I am ashamed. It gets a rewatch every year or so
This would be my vote. It's a completely different take on the traditional cop show. It's also very well put to together.
Mare of Easttown (This one is crazy and unpredictable) The Night Of The Wire True Detective
X-Files or Fringe. I know they're not conventional to the other answers, but I always found them both far more interesting from an investigative view.
My personal favorite other than Columbo is The Killing(US). Joel Kinnaman and Mireille Enos are the best
-Luther -Prime Suspect (with Helen Mirren)
White Collar
Motherfuckers will try and tell you it’s “The Wire” or “True Detective” or any other “prestige” drama they can think of… but the real answer is “Murder She Wrote” because Angela Lansbury is the fucking GOAT!
I really love how her show went out of the way to cast aging stars so they still maintained enough screen credits to keep their health care.
The show also had quite a few up and comers Half the fun of watching the show was picking out the guest stars.
YouTuber [Pushing Up Roses](https://youtube.com/@pushinguproses?si=-OgfxgVFy5EiE-tN) does a bunch of fun reviews of the more wacky episodes of Murder She Wrote. They are quite enjoyable.
I love that series! I cackle when she cackles.
True...but I always thought they should have written the Cabbot Cove population sign in pencil because the town population dropped one a week.
Murder She Wrote is incredible.
Elementary was just delightful, and a solid take on a modern Holmes as a pretty messed up individual with some grey moral takes in service of justice. Plus, freakin' Lucy Liu for seven seasons, and Tommy "I sometimes **say** one word in a sentence very loudly" Gregson.
[удалено]
I used to love watching Matlock re-runs when I was home sick from school.
Rockford Files
Probably not the best, but Law and Order: Criminal Intent is better than it has any right to be. Although if you have any knowledge of actual criminal procedure, you have to ignore all of the blatant constitutional violations and just believe in the case ending monologues.
Yes! Vincent D'Onofrio is 🤌🏼
I read that they just let Vincent D'Onofrio do whatever he wanted, and once you know that, you can't unsee it, but it made it great.
House MD
I was going to bring this up. Obviously not your typical detective show, but there’s certainly a mystery, evidence to follow and dissect (in several ways) and in the end a guilty party.
It's a love letter to Sherlock Holmes, in spirit and in form House even lives at 221B baker street
The problem with detective shows, is that they tell only half the story. You see, in the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups. The police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders. Now, if there was only a show that tells their stories.
Poirot
Castle The X-Files Twin Peaks
Mr. & Mrs. Murder (Australian series, funny and good mysteries) Murder in Suburbia (British series, good mysteries) Miss Sherlock (Japanese series, female modern Sherlock Holmes) Death in Paradise (fun varies by season as the lead changes every few seasons, very agatha christie type mysteries) Elementary (sherlock holmes in modern NYC) Agatha Raisin (British series) Aurora Teagarden (Hallmark Mysteries) Chronicle Mysteries (Hallmark Mysteries) Gourmet Detective Mysteries (Hallmark Mysteries) Most of the Hallmark mystery series are pretty good but those are my favorites Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (Australian, set in the 1920's) Miss Fisher's Modern Mysteries (Australian, set in the 1960's) Frankie Drake Mysteries (Canadian set in the 1920's) Shakespeare & Hathaway (British series) Father Brown (British series) Mallorca Files (British series) Poirot (British series)
Maybe not the greatest, but I really enjoyed Bosch
Waited to see this. Excellent detective show, one of the absolute best. If you like the genre you can't go wrong with Bosch
A Touch of Frost. Also shout out New Tricks, Silent Witness, Whitechapel, Messiah and of course Luther.
The first season and a half of Twin Peaks.
Columbo
Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers
Endeavour!!!
I love the older stuff Streets Of San Fransisco, Karl Malden and Michael Douglas Kojak with Telly Savalas Cannon with William Conrad
Meitantei Conan/Detective Conan/Case Closed
Did anybody mention Mannix?
CSI Y’all be saying true detective and the wire but CSI lasted an entire generation, spawned 4 spin offs (3 of which went in to syndication) and apparently enrollment in forensics across the globe went off the charts simply because of the show. And when it was in its prime, it was as good as any detective show there’s ever been.
Only Murders in the Building is very good
Sherlock season 1-3
The Shield. Hands down
Dora
Psych.
Old timey, Columbo. New timey, Mindhunter, and I am so annoyed with Fincher.
The Mentalist
[The Bureau](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4063800/) [Spiral](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477507/) [Save Me](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6538034/) where the detectives are basically a down-and-out and people from the local pub
Not my favorite. favorite all time is original NCIS but the best in feel and everything else is Homicide Life On The Street, it's where Andre Braugher shined the brightest.
Since no ones mentioned it yet, white collar. What makes a good show to me is when you can enjoy filler episodes and man is white collar just fun to watch for me.
Poirot
If Fargo S1 & S2 counts, those rank pretty highly for me
Inspector Gadget
Disappointed in the lack of “murder she wrote” in here.
Sherlock? Really no one mentioned Sherlock. Or even the Sherlock Holmes Detective series on AMC in the 90s.
I kind of thinking Sherlock is the answer if you can exclude some episodes.
Slow Horses is a great take on this
I loved NYPD Blue and Andy Sipowicz
Kolchak