Best detective shows

Someone is dead and someone has to find out why. These series follow detectives, consultants and investigators working a case. Every pick has a TMDB rating of 7.0 or more from at least 300 votes, and new releases wait until their ratings settle. The order follows the Boxlist quality score, and we checked the list by hand to remove obvious misfits.

1
Fargo (2014)
TV8.3
A close-knit anthology series dealing with stories involving malice, violence and murder based in and around Minnesota.
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Amazon Prime, Google Play (buy)
2
Sherlock (2010)
TV8.5
A modern update finds the famous sleuth and his doctor partner solving crime in 21st century London.
US Amazon Prime (buy), Google Play (buy), UK BBC, NowTV
3
The Wire (2002)
TV8.4
Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which...
US HBO, Amazon Prime (buy), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (buy)
4
Twin Peaks (1990)
TV8.2
The body of Laura Palmer is washed up on a beach near the small Washington state town of Twin Peaks.
US Paramount+, Amazon Prime (buy), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (buy)
5
The Mentalist (2008)
TV8.4
Patrick Jane, a former celebrity psychic medium, uses his razor sharp skills of observation and expertise at "reading" people to solve serious...
US HBO, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Amazon Prime, Google Play (buy)
6
Luther (2010)
TV7.9
A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the...
US BritBox, Tubi TV, UK BBC, Amazon Prime (buy)
7
Broadchurch (2013)
TV7.9
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
US Amazon Prime, PBS, UK ITV, Amazon Prime (buy)
8
Psych (2006)
TV7.8
Thanks to his police officer father's efforts, Shawn Spencer spent his childhood developing a keen eye for detail (and a lasting dislike of his dad).
US Amazon Prime, Google Play (buy), UK Amazon Prime (buy), Google Play (buy)
9
The Killing (2011)
TV7.9
The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen.
US Acorn TV, Hulu, UK Channel 4, Disney
10
Veronica Mars (2004)
TV7.8
In the fictional town of Neptune, California, student Veronica Mars progresses from high school to college while moonlighting as a private...
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Amazon Prime, ITV
11
Castle (2009)
TV8.0
After a serial killer imitates the plots of his novels, successful mystery novelist Richard "Rick" Castle receives permission from the Mayor of...
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Disney, Amazon Prime (buy)
12
The Fall (2013)
TV7.8
When the Police Service of Northern Ireland are unable to close a case after 28 days, Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson of the Metropolitan...
US Acorn TV, Amazon Prime, UK BBC, Netflix
13
Sharp Objects (2018)
TV7.8
Reporter Camille Preaker confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to investigate the murders of two young...
US HBO, Amazon Prime (buy), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (buy)
14
UNTAMED (2025)
TV7.2
In the vast expanse of Yosemite National Park, a woman's death draws a federal agent into lawless terrain, where nature obeys no rules but its own.
15
The Outsider (2020)
TV7.4
When an insidious supernatural force edges its way into a seemingly straightforward investigation into the gruesome murder of a young boy, it...
US HBO, Amazon Prime (buy), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (buy)
16
Mindhunter (2017)
TV8.0
An agent in the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit develops profiling techniques as he pursues notorious serial killers and rapists.
US Netflix, UK Netflix
17
Elementary (2012)
TV7.5
A modern-day drama about a crime-solving duo that cracks the NYPD's most impossible cases.
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Amazon Prime, NowTV
18
Lie to Me (2009)
TV7.9
The world's leading deception researcher, Dr.
US Hulu, Amazon Prime (buy), UK Disney, Amazon Prime (buy)
19
Mare of Easttown (2021)
TV8.3
A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
US HBO, Amazon Prime (buy), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (buy)
20
The Night Of (2016)
TV7.9
After a night of partying with a female stranger, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.
US HBO, Amazon Prime (buy), UK NowTV, Amazon Prime (buy)