Best Crime Series
by Nerddork | created - 6 months ago | updated - 5 months ago | Public Ranked by IMDb rating (highest to lowest)
Whether the protagonists or antagonists are criminals, crime shows contain numerous consecutive and inter-related scenes of characters participating, aiding, abetting, and/or planning criminal behavior or experiences usually for an illicit goal. Not to be confused with the film-noir genre, and only sometimes is supplied with it (imdb.com).
Crime series, in the broadest sense, is a genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Series of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as drama or gangster series, but also include comedy, and, in turn, is divided into many sub-genres, such as mystery, suspense or noir (wikipedia.org).
The crime genre deals with both sides of the criminal justice system but does not focus on legislative matters or civil suits and legal actions. The best crime shows often occupy moral gray areas where heroes and villains are much harder to define (studiobinder.com).
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1. Breaking Bad (2008–2013)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer turns to manufacturing and selling methamphetamine with a former student in order to secure his family's future.
Stars: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Anna Gunn, Betsy Brandt
Votes: 2,137,328
2. Sherlock (2010–2017)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The quirky spin on Conan Doyle's iconic sleuth pitches him as a "high-functioning sociopath" in modern-day London. Assisting him in his investigations: Afghanistan War vet John Watson, who's introduced to Holmes by a mutual acquaintance.
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs, Rupert Graves
Votes: 998,814
3. Better Call Saul (2015–2022)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama
The trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer Jimmy McGill in the years leading up to his fateful run-in with Walter White and Jesse Pinkman.
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian
Votes: 647,747
4. The Other Me (2019–2023)
45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A series of murders alarm the police authorities, as strange symbolisms are traced to every crime scene. The eccentric professor of criminology Dimitris Lainis is asked to shed some light on the mystery.
Stars: Pigmalion Dadakaridis, Petros Lagoutis, Manos Vakousis, Vicky Papadopoulou
Votes: 7,095
5. When They See Us (2019)
TV-MA | 75 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Five teens from Harlem become trapped in a nightmare when they're falsely accused of a brutal attack in Central Park. Based on the true story.
Stars: Asante Blackk, Caleel Harris, Ethan Herisse, Marquis Rodriguez
Votes: 137,877
6. Dark (2017–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships among four families.
Stars: Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne
Votes: 444,468
7. The X-Files (1993–2018)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two F.B.I. Agents, Fox Mulder the believer and Dana Scully the skeptic, investigate the strange and unexplained, while hidden forces work to impede their efforts.
Stars: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Mitch Pileggi, William B. Davis
Votes: 249,906
8. Mr. Robot (2015–2019)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Elliot, a brilliant but unstable cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global chaos when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation his company is paid to protect.
Stars: Rami Malek, Christian Slater, Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallström
Votes: 418,392
9. Hannibal (2013–2015)
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
Explores the early relationship between renowned psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter and a young FBI criminal profiler who is haunted by his ability to empathize with serial killers.
Stars: Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas, Laurence Fishburne
Votes: 276,683
10. Prison Break (2005–2017)
TV-14 | 44 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A structural engineer installs himself in a prison he helped design, in order to save his falsely accused brother from a death sentence by breaking themselves out from the inside.
Stars: Dominic Purcell, Wentworth Miller, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Knepper
Votes: 579,537
11. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners (2022)
TV-MA | 24 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A Street Kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an Edgerunner, a Mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk.
Stars: Zach Aguilar, Kenichiro Ohashi, Kagga Jayson, Emi Lo
Votes: 78,886
12. Peacemaker (2022– )
TV-MA | 40 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Picking up where The Suicide Squad (2021) left off, Peacemaker returns home after recovering from his encounter with Bloodsport - only to discover that his freedom comes at a price.
Stars: John Cena, Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Jennifer Holland
Votes: 135,080
13. The Killing (2011–2014)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A police investigation, the saga of a grieving family, and a Seattle mayoral campaign all interlock after the body of 17-year-old Rosie Larsen is found in the trunk of a submerged car.
Stars: Mireille Enos, Joel Kinnaman, Billy Campbell, Liam James
Votes: 123,419
14. SpongeBob SquarePants (1999– )
TV-Y7 | 23 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
The misadventures of a talking sea sponge who works at a fast food restaurant, attends a boating school, and lives in an underwater pineapple.
Stars: Tom Kenny, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown
Votes: 111,400
15. Watchmen (2019)
TV-MA | 59 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name, while attempting to break new ground of its own.
Stars: Regina King, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Tom Mison, Sara Vickers
Votes: 134,324
16. Wednesday (2022– )
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Crime, Fantasy
Follows Wednesday Addams' years as a student, when she attempts to master her emerging psychic ability, thwart a killing spree, and solve the mystery that embroiled her parents.
Stars: Jenna Ortega, Emma Myers, Hunter Doohan, Percy Hynes White
Votes: 361,824
17. Reacher (2022– )
TV-MA | 50 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Itinerant former military policeman Jack Reacher solves crimes and metes out his own brand of street justice. Based on the novels by Lee Child.
Stars: Alan Ritchson, Maria Sten, Malcolm Goodwin, Willa Fitzgerald
Votes: 211,728
18. Happy! (2017–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
An injured hitman befriends his kidnapped daughter's imaginary friend; a perky blue flying unicorn.
Stars: Christopher Meloni, Ritchie Coster, Lili Mirojnick, Patton Oswalt
Votes: 42,959
19. Miss Marple: A Murder Is Announced (1985)
53 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An unusual announcement in the newspaper leads the curious villagers to Miss Blacklock's home, where they become witnesses to a murder.
Stars: Joan Hickson, Ursula Howells, Samantha Bond, Simon Shepherd
Votes: 2,587
20. Grimm (2011–2017)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A homicide detective discovers he is a descendant of hunters who fight supernatural forces.
Stars: David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Silas Weir Mitchell, Sasha Roiz
Votes: 130,749
21. And Then There Were None (2015)
TV-14 | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Ten strangers are invited to an island by a mysterious host, and start to get killed one by one. Could one of them be the killer?
Stars: Maeve Dermody, Charles Dance, Toby Stephens, Burn Gorman
Votes: 43,870
22. Terror in Resonance (2014)
TV-14 | 231 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
Tokyo has been decimated by a terrorist attack, the only clue to the culprit's identity is a bizarre internet video. Two mysterious children form Sphinx, a clandestine entity determined to pull the trigger on this world.
Stars: Kaito Ishikawa, Sôma Saitô, Atsumi Tanezaki, Shunsuke Sakuya
Votes: 13,727
23. Miss Marple: The Body in the Library (1984)
52 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Amateur detective Miss Jane Marple investigates the murder of a young woman whose body is found in the library at Gossington Hall, home of Colonel and Mrs. Arthur Bantry.
Stars: Joan Hickson, Gwen Watford, Moray Watson, Valentine Dyall
Votes: 2,675
24. Hawkeye (2021)
TV-14 | 57 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
Series based on the Marvel Comics superhero Hawkeye, centering on the adventures of Young Avenger, Kate Bishop, who took on the role after the original Avenger, Clint Barton.
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Florence Pugh, Vera Farmiga
Votes: 214,853
25. Mortal Kombat: Legacy (2011–2013)
TV-MA | 10 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A motley crew of fighters are recruited one by one to take part in a deadly inter-dimensional martial arts tournament in which the future of the planet itself is at stake.
Stars: Casper Van Dien, Ian Anthony Dale, Samantha Win, Kim Do Nguyen
Votes: 10,299
26. Scream: The TV Series (2015–2019)
TV-14 | 45 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A serialized anthology series that follows a group of teenagers being targeted by a masked serial killer.
Stars: Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, John Karna, Carlson Young
Votes: 45,014
27. CSI: NY (2004–2013)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Forensic scientists and investigators of the New York City Police Department unveil the circumstances behind mysterious and unusual deaths.
Stars: Gary Sinise, Carmine Giovinazzo, Hill Harper, Eddie Cahill
Votes: 49,595
28. Alcatraz (2012)
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
In 1963, all the prisoners and guards mysteriously disappear from Alcatraz. In the present day, they resurface and a secret agency are tasked with re-capturing them.
Stars: Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Jonny Coyne, Parminder Nagra
Votes: 40,284
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