Detective shows can be more creative than they first appear. While these series tend to follow certain formulas, with the main characters discovering clues and solving crimes, this can be done in many different ways.Sherlock Holmesis often the blueprint for crime, and some ofthe best TV shows based on crime bookshave been directly adapted from or influenced bySherlock Holmes.
That said, detective shows can be experimental, with manyrecent crime shows featuring a lot of action, while others mix genres entirely, combining crime with horror and sci-fi. The best crime drama shows of all time tend to involve detective work at some point, but detective shows are a slightly different niche, with the focus on analysis rather than the crime itself.
Dexter
Cast
Dexter is a television series following Dexter Morgan, a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro Police who secretly leads a dual life as a vigilante serial killer. Released in 2006, the show focuses on Dexter’s internal conflict as he hunts down criminals who elude justice within the legal system.
Dexter Morgan was a TV character that had not been seen before, which was becoming increasingly rare for detective shows.Dexterturned the detective concept on its head, as the murderer not only had a moral code, but worked with law enforcement, too. The show gave us not just a compelling antihero, but several iconic killers, like Trinity.
Dexter’s controversial endingdid not do the show any favors, with multiple attempts to retcon the original conclusion. However, the spin-offs are worth watching, and the upcoming Trinity Killer series is set to bring back the best things about the original show. The later seasons might have dipped in quality, but the concept alone makesDexterone of the best detective shows of all time.
Twin Peaks
Conceived by Mark Frost and David Lynch in 1990, Twin Peaks is a supernatural mystery-drama series that brings FBI Agent Dale Cooper to the quiet town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a young woman named Laura Palmer. As Dale continues his investigation of her death, he learns that Laura’s life wasn’t as she advertised it, and the town itself is hiding far more secrets than they let on. The show received a revival for a third and final season two decades later to resolve the cliffhanger left at the end of the second season.
David Lynch and Mark Frost’sTwin Peaksis a bizarre blend of genres that has become a timeless classic. The show’s central question, “Who killed Laura Palmer?” has become legendary, and that core mystery quickly evolves into something far more unconventional.Twin Peaksmay be a detective show at heart, but it incorporates supernatural elements and a disconcerting tone throughout.
Both the character and the show have influenced TV series of all genres since, makingTwin Peaksone of the most important TV shows of all time.
Special Agent Dale Cooper’s calm presence is an anchor point for the chaos. Both the character and the show have influenced TV series of all genres since, makingTwin Peaksone of the most important TV shows of all time. Not all reboots work, but ofall three seasons ofTwin Peaks, the rebooted third installment is arguably better than the first two.
The X-Files
The X-files takes the police procedural formula and applies it to sci-fi mysteries. Conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder and skeptic Dana Scully team up to solve cases surrounding alien invasions and other unexplained, paranormal phenomena.
The X-Filescontains many of the tropes commonly found in detective shows, like a mismatched partnership. However,The X-Filesis in a league of its own for the sci-fi and horror themes that define the show. Mulder and Scully are forced to work together when Scully is asked to supervise Mulder’s work, but her skeptical nature is soon challenged.
The X-Filesshowcases two extremely different approaches to paranormal phenomena, giving us the best parts of typical detective shows, but with a twist. That said, Mulder and Scully’s evolving relationship is the heart ofThe X-Files, and the character development over the 11 original seasons and spin-offs makes the show stand the test of time, earning its 85% Rotten Tomatoes audience rating.
Luther
Modern-day Sherlock Holmes John Luther, played by Idris Elba, uses his brilliant detective skills to solve murder cases with the unlikely help of murderer Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson). The BBC crime thriller aired for five seasons and continued with the 2023 feature film Luther: The Fallen Sun.
Lutheris not only a fantastic detective show, but it is undoubtedly one ofIdris Elba’s best TV shows. Elba’s character, DCI John Luther, is a detective who is not afraid to push the boundaries of the law to solve cases. This is an increasing problem for him as he works to take down criminals while avoiding prison himself.
While many detective shows dedicate a large amount of time to technical procedure,Lutheris gritty, intense, and Elba is fantastic in the title role. That said, he has an impressive range of co-stars too, with Ruth Wilson’s highly intelligent psychopath, Alice Morgan, being both a foil and a potential love interest at different times during the show.
Sherlock
In this incarnation of Sherlock from creators Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman assume the roles of Sherlock and Watson as they establish their partnership and begin solving strange mysteries throughout the U.K. and beyond. Set in a more 2010’s modern setting, Sherlock’s eccentric and complex nature is accentuated as he solves seemingly supernatural crimes with unparalleled intellect while struggling to connect with others on a human level. Meanwhile, Watson blogs the stories summarizing their cases while building a strained but caring friendship with his new partner.
The 2010 seriesSherlockis one ofthe bestSherlock Holmesadaptationsof all time, as well as a fantastic detective show in its own right. The series keeps the heart of the original stories while updating them for a modern audience, which means thatit could even surprise fans of Arthur Conan Doyle’s original Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman have perfect chemistry as Sherlock and Watson, and their bickering is extremely quotable. The series gives Watson more of a backstory and uses clever details like placing text onscreen to illustrate Sherlock’s thought processes. While the quality of the show eventually dropped, with too many implausible twists, there were no bad episodes in the first few seasons.
Monk
Starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk follows the titular detective, a private investigator with OCD who helps solve crimes with the San Francisco Police. On the side, he also investigates the death of his wife, who was killed by a car bomb. Bitty Schram, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford also star.
Two ofMonk’s eight seasons have an impressive 100% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the show has one of the most interesting detective characters of all time. Few detective shows address mental illness in a compassionate way, with many characters suffering from mental illness being cast as criminals. However, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) has OCD, which defines the way he works.
Shalhoub won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Monk, who has a list of phobias and obsessions. That said, while the show has funny moments, Monk is not the constant target of the joke.Tony Shalhoub’s favorite episodes ofMonkare when he is pushed out of his comfort zone, which shows the viewer more about the character and the way he works.
Poirot
Poirot is a British television drama series centered on Agatha Christie’s famous detective, Hercule Poirot, portrayed by David Suchet. Running from 1989 to 2013, the series follows Poirot’s meticulous and methodical investigations into various criminal cases, showcasing his unparalleled deductive skills and brilliance.
Agatha Christie is one of the most prolific crime writers of all time, with her two greatest creations, Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, each getting TV shows. That said, David Suchet’s portrayal of the iconic Belgian detective Poirot has made him one ofthe best TV detectives of all time. Each of Poirot’s mysteries has now been made into a TV show.
ThePoirotTV series has had an impressive list of co-stars for David Suchet, with Emily Blunt, Michael Fassbender, and Jessica Chastain all appearing. Many modern detective shows combine action with clue finding, whilePoirotis cozy, and feels more like a period drama.The acting and storytelling have madePoirotstand the test of timeas one of the best detective shows.
Elementary
A modern retelling of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories, Elementary is set in New York City and details the adventures of Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) who becomes partner to the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes (Johnny Lee Miller) after first being assigned as his sober companion. Set up a procedural crime drama, the series includes multiple references to the original Holmes stories, often with surprising twists. Aidan Quinn and John Micahel Hill also star as Thomas Gregson and Marcus Bell, with John Noble as a notable guest star.
Elementaryisone of the most original and surprising Sherlock Holmes adaptations of all time, both modernizing the story and reimagining the characters based on Arthur Conan Doyle’s books. Sherlock, who was known to take opium, is a recovering addict inElementary, while John Watson becomes Joan, played brilliantly by Lucy Liu. Five out ofElementary’s seven seasons have a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
While “Elementary, my dear Watson” is a quote attributed to Sherlock Holmes, he never said this in Arthur Conan Doyle’s original books.
Elementaryis one ofthe best mystery shows with female leadsthanks to Liu’s standout portrayal of Watson. Some detective shows run the risk of focusing so much on procedure that they become emotionless, butElementaryfocuses on the main characters' personal growth as much as the crimesthat they solve together.
Mindhunter
From executive producers David Fincher and Charlize Theron comes Mindhunter, a series that chronicles the founding of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit used to track and apprehend serial killers. Mindhunter follows Agent Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) as they work to establish a framework for understanding the minds of some of America’s most dangerous serial killers. Mindhunter adapts a number of true crime stories, including the BTK murders and the notorious Co-Ed Killer, Edmund Kemper.
Mindhunterhas a well-earned 97% overall score on Rotten Tomatoes, and attracted rave reviews from viewers and critics. However, it was a slow-burn success as it did not feature common tropes of more typical detective shows. Most crime shows focus on detectives solving a crime each episode, often using criminal psychology, whileMindhunteris about the birth of criminal psychologyitself.
Mindhunteris a character-driven showthat addresses the way in which the field of criminal psychology was developed. It allowed for some phenomenal acting performances, like Cameron Britton’s award-winning portrayal of Ed Kemper. Due to budgetary reasons,Mindhunterwas canceled after the second season despite beingthe best detective show on Netflix, but it may return as a movie.
Columbo
Columbo is a crime drama TV series featuring Peter Falk as Lieutenant Columbo, a shrewd but unassuming homicide detective in the LAPD. Known for his disheveled appearance and seemingly scatterbrained demeanor, Columbo uses his keen insight and relentless questioning to solve complex cases. The series is noted for its unique format where the audience sees the crime unfold and watches Columbo piece together the clues to catch the culprit.
Columbowas one of the detective genre’s first hits, andthe show completely changed the crime genre forever. Previous detective shows often had the same Agatha Christie-style “whodunnit” formula in which the detective had to discover who the criminal was. However,Columboshowed viewers the identity of the criminal at the start of the episode before focusing on how they were caught.
The show’s unforgettable character makesColumboa staple of classic crime television and the best TV detective series of all time.
This formula was groundbreaking for the time, and has gone on to be a typical trope of many modern detective and police procedural shows.Columbois timeless, and Peter Falk gives a phenomenal performance as the titular detective. The show’s unforgettable character makesColumboa staple of classic crime television and the best TV detective series of all time.
