40 Best Crime Drama Shows to Put Your Detective Skills to Work

This compelling cop show based on the Danish television series Forbrydelsen follows homicide detectives Sarah Linden (Mireille Enos) and Stephen Holder (Joel Kinnaman) as they try to solve the murder of a teenage girl, among other crimes.

If there's a seemingly uncrackable cold case in London, DCI Cassie Stuart (Nicola Walker) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) are on the job. Each of the five seasons in this critically acclaimed series revolves around a new murder mystery.

Serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) has been one step ahead of the police for some time—but it looks like he's finally met his match in Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson).

A day at beach turns fatal when a young mother, Cora (Jessica Biel), attacks another beachgoer for no apparent reason. Detective Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman)s slowly unravels Cora's story, ultimately uncovering the shocking reason behind her crime.

Are you a fan of both murder mysteries and period pieces? Then you're sure to love this Canadian drama about William Murdoch, a police detective solving murder cases in Toronto, Ontario in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Inspired by true events, this heartbreaking Netflix miniseries tells the story of a young woman charged with lying about rape, and two female detectives determined to prove she was telling the truth.

We love a good police procedural, and this one based on real-life LAPD officer William Norcross is no exception. Nathan Fillion stars as 40-something officer John Nolan, who becomes the oldest rookie at the Los Angeles Police Department.

Meet Joe Goldberg: an avid reader, a true romantic, and, yes, a serial killer. Prepare to be as obsessed with this addictive Netflix thriller as Joe is with his love interests—or should we say victims?

This Masterpiece series based on the bestselling book of the same name follows a mystery book editor turned amateur sleuth who gets drawn into a real-life murder.

When relatively healthy patients start to die in a Danish hospital, one nurse grows suspicious that another might be behind it all. This Netflix thriller is based on horrifying true events that unfolded between 2012 and 2015.

Kate Winslet's spellbinding performance (not to mention her mastery of the Philly accent) made this story about a troubled detective investigating the murder of a young woman in a small town must-watch TV.

This slow-burning British mystery series about two detectives investigating the murder of an 11-year-old boy will keep you guessing until the last episode. Over the course of three acclaimed seasons, Broadchurch set the new standard for police procedurals.

Season 2 of the true crime anthology series Dirty John tells the story of Betty Broderick, a San Diego socialite who killed her ex-husband and his new wife in 1989. Amanda Peet's nuanced performance as a woman scorned will leave you reeling.

There's nothing "happy" about this award-winning series that centers on a strong-willed police sergeant seeking justice for her late daughter. But what it lacks in sunniness it makes up for in suspense, dark humor, and a spectacular performance from star Sarah Lancashire.

This teen thriller anthology series is full of twists and turns and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final shocking moment. It follows two teenage girls: a beloved popular girl who one day disappears without a trace, and the awkward outcast who seemingly takes over her life.