Car chases, gangsters and whodunnits — there’s a reason police dramas have been at the heart of the television schedules for decades. Whether it’s hard-boiled detectives sleuthing week in week out, corrupt coppers trying to evade arrest or explosive action on the streets, the police drama has something for everyone.
But which police dramas are top of the cops and which ones should be cautioned for crimes against TV? Here we rank 30 of our favourite police shows from Britain, America and further afield.
What is your favourite police drama? Have we left anything out? Let us know in the comments below . . .
30. Heartbeat
1992-2010, ITVX
Based on the Constable novel series by Nicholas Rhea, Heartbeat became a British Sunday-night staple on ITV during the 1990s thanks to its cosy storytelling style and ripping 1960s soundtrack. Initially starring the former EastEnder Nick Berry as a bobby on the beat in rural North Yorkshire, over the years the show evolved. Derek Fowlds and Bill Maynard delivered wonderful long-running turns as Oscar Blaketon and Claude Greengrass respectively.
29. Between the Lines
1992-94, YouTube
Before there was Line of Duty there was this brilliant deep-dive into conspiracy territory, with Neil Pearson starring as a detective superintendent trying to nail dodgy coppers. He’s faced with everything from trying to deal with his superiors to problems in his private life, including the breakdown of his marriage. The final series may have lost its way in a world of private security, but this often-forgotten series — and surprise hit for the BBC — certainly merits a rewatch.
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28. The Shield
2002-08, Sky
In a fictional district of Los Angeles a special police station has been established to deal with an influx of drugs, prostitution and gang crime. The strike team, led by Vic Mackey (Michael Chiklis), must keep on top of the competing gangs and knock down doors to uncover who is responsible for the endless slaughter. It’s compulsive viewing; a bold show executed with such skill.
27. Z Cars
1962-78, YouTube
Troy Kennedy Martin came up with the idea for this cop show while listening to police messages on his radio when he was ill in bed with mumps. Set in a fictional town loosely based on Kirkby, near Liverpool, the show was not exactly popular with the coppers because it featured upstanding old-school officers giving hooligans a clip round the ear rather than filing boring reports. It also launched the career of the booming Brian Blessed.
26. Trigger Point
2022-, BritBox
What is it about Vicky McClure that makes her so suited to starring in a cop drama? First she was in Line of Duty and then came this explosive (excuse the cliché) drama in which she played a bomb-disposal expert who seemed almost identical to Kate Fleming in the BBC cop drama. The difference here is that, unlike in Line of Duty, the actress gets some decent lines. The show varies between absolutely thrilling, complete nonsense and rather dull. So, fair to say it’s a Marmite cop show — but at its best, you simply can’t look away.
25. Vigil
2021-, iPlayer
This thriller has a genius premise. What happens when there’s a death of a crew member aboard a submarine? That death is written off as an accidental overdose — a mistake and sad death in the briny depths — but DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) thinks something else may have happened that’s linked to a trawler that’s been dragged under the waves. Sure, the drama is completely ridiculous — it’s one of those shows stuffed with inconsistencies — and yet it’s utterly watchable. The second series, set on shore, about a murder at a military base, is also worth watching.
24. Inspector George Gently
2007-17, UKTV Play
Loosely based on the novels of Alan Hunter, this police series set in the 1960s stars Martin Shaw as Gently and Lee Ingleby as Detective Sergeant John Bacchus. Based in the northeast of England rather than the Norfolk of the original books, the series spans much of the decade as varying plots thicken and crimes are solved across Newcastle, Co Durham and Northumberland.
23. NYPD Blue
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1993-2005, buy/rent
This Manhattan police procedural set a very high standard for crime dramas. Gritty storylines, complicated characters and jerky video camerawork broke new ground and made it essential viewing. There was a lot of nudity — it was the first R-rated network TV series — as well as liberal swearing, and you can see its legacy in shows such as The Sopranos.
22. The Missing
2014-16, Disney+
It was impossible not to draw parallels between this drama by the powerhouse brothers Harry and Jack Williams, and the Madeleine McCann case. The drama centres on the disappearance of five-year-old Oliver from a family holiday in France. His father, played superbly by James Nesbitt, is overwhelmed with guilt, and trying to find him with help from the French detective Julien Baptiste (Tchéky Karyo). It’s a testament to the Willams’s writing that this show doesn’t feel overly sentimental. Instead it’s just deeply sad.
21. Prime Suspect
1991-2006, ITVX
Helen Mirren delivered a towering performance as DCI Jane Tennison, a detective with a drinking problem and a string of unstable relationships. Created by the writer Lynda La Plante, the show never shied away from looking at the challenges of being a female officer, paving the way for a wave of more complex, multifaceted female characters.
20. Luther
2010-19, iPlayer
In DCI John Luther, Idris Elba was given the chance to display his range. Luther, who claims to have been policing since “God was a boy”, is a complex part: a detective who has lost his ability to separate his work and personal life. It is this internal battle — as well as his tortuous past — that makes this such a compelling watch, with Elba on electric form. Warning: don’t watch the Netflix film adaptation, with a wig-wearing, villainous turn from Andy Serkis — it’s terrible.
19. Law & Order
1990-, buy/rent
Throughout its 20-year run Dick Wolf’s series became one of the most successful in TV history. Real-life cases were ripped from the headlines and given a twist. One outstanding episode showed its characters reacting to the execution of a convict they had nabbed. If you combined the original series with its various spin-offs, it would amount to more than 1,000 hours of viewing. It’s a triumph.
18. The Fall
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2013-16, Netflix
Before Gillian Anderson became Margaret Thatcher, Emily Maitlis and the peculiar mum from Sex Education, she was the detective Stella Gibson in this entertaining psychological thriller. Broadchurch’s darker cousin, this show kicks off differently in that we know whodunnit: a perfectly detached Belfast killer played by Jamie Dornan. Gibson is brought over from the Met to work the case, on a mission to stop the ruthless psychopath from targeting women in their thirties. It’s a creepy yet mesmerising watch.
17. Life on Mars
2006-07, iPlayer
This cop drama has a sci-fi twist. John Simm stars as a Greater Manchester cop who wakes up after a car accident in 2006 to discover that he has time travelled to 1973, where he works for DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). Why that has happened remains a mystery to our cop, and the audience, for much of this excellent series. It’s all utterly gripping, with the two leads a great detective partnership — and stick with it: the eventual conclusion is worth it.
16. Unforgotten
2015-, ITVX
Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar may be the stars of this procedural drama but credit must be given to the show’s creator, Chris Lang, who crafted a brilliant script that’s unshowy and credible. Every one of its five series has served up a deliciously watchable cold case — from remains in a suitcase found in northeast London to a skeleton found on the M1. Even when Walker — spoiler alert — was bumped off (via a car crash), this show remained well-crafted and, um, unforgettable.
15. Inspector Morse
1987-2000, ITVX
John Thaw stars as the titular Oxford detective in the much-loved and long-running adaptation of Colin Dexter’s novels. The beauty of the show is that it brings together clever plots and incredibly well-drawn central characters with noteworthy performances and an intriguing setting. Such was the popularity of the series that it spawned no fewer than two spin-offs: Endeavour and Lewis.
14. Broadchurch
2013-17, ITVX
Chris Chibnall’s gripping whodunnit is a prime example of 21st-century event television. The show, starring David Tennant, Olivia Colman and Jodie Whittaker, kept us on the edge of our seats as we all tried to guess who was responsible for the death of Danny Latimer in the sleepy Dorset seaside town of Broadchurch.
13. The Killing
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2007-12, Disney+
This is the series that brought foreign drama into the mainstream. Starring Sofie Grabol in fetching knitwear, it gave us a taste for grisly sleuthing under gunmetal skies, kicking off with a haunting opening in which a young boy finds out about the death of his sibling. The show was a lockdown hit, with fans flocking to immerse themselves in the world of the dysfunctional detective.
12. Columbo
1971-2003, Sky
Peter Falk’s shrewd blue-collar homicide detective had stamina — this series went on for more than three decades. The plots may not have always added up, but Falk’s charisma made each episode worth watching, and some felt cinematic. With his cigar and wrinkled coat, he had impeccable comic timing. An impressive run.
11. The Responder
2022-, iPlayer
Martin Freeman proved he is so much more than Tim from The Office with this gritty, brutal police drama in which he plays a furious and depressed Scouse officer. He manages to lift the show beyond just your average police drama and turn it into something visceral; a cop trying to patrol the streets while also coming to terms with his own personal problems. It’s a career-best turn, with Adelayo Adedayo also on fine form. Bring on the second series, coming later this year.
10. Vera
2011-, ITVX
For 13 series Brenda Blethyn has delighted audiences with her revamped version of Miss Marple. Set in wild Northumberland, the show places its cranky, scruffy middle-aged loner in a sea of endless convoluted murders. Her appearance may be funny but there’s a lot of sadness to the part, including a terrible childhood. It’s a television triumph — but will it ever end?
9. Hill Street Blues
1981-87, Channel 4 streaming
Steven Bochco’s landmark ensemble crime drama was not afraid of being messy. Storylines dragged on or didn’t resolve. The camera work was often choppy. The characters were at times confusing. But that was the point — it was a gritty look at the life of the copper told through handheld cameras. It was innovative and Bochco went on to make NYPD Blue.
8. Blue Lights
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2023-, iPlayer
How do you make something different after what feels like a glut of police procedurals? Well, the first thing you do — as BBC’s Northern Irish cop drama has nailed so successfully — is stop worrying about the cases and instead explore the complex world of policing. Rooted in the unique surroundings of Northern Ireland, this show is fast-paced, full of tension and laced with authenticity. It’s the closest a British cop show has come to replicating The Wire. You can see why it’s been commissioned for two more series and has become a hit across the world.
• Move over, Line of Duty — why Blue Lights is our best crime drama
7. Mare of Easttown
2021, Sky/Now
Kate Winslet is triumphant as a troubled small-town cop in this murky HBO drama centred on the exploits of Marianne “Mare” Sheehan as she attempts to solve murders while questioning her abilities as a police officer and a parent. Grieving from the loss to suicide of her son and battling against his heroin-addict mother for custody of her grandson, there’s more than a hint of Happy Valley in this series as the screw turns and Mare’s problems continue to mount from every direction.
6. Homicide: Life on the Street
1993-99, buy/rent
This series cared less about murder and more about the psyches of those investigating them. Based on David Simon’s astonishing record of his time embedded with the Baltimore police, this gritty drama is fascinating, with occasional episodes that bettered its younger Baltimore cousin, The Wire.
5. Cagney & Lacey
1982-88, buy/rent
Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless won our hearts, and six Emmys between them, as tough female cops tackling crime in New York. The show, which ran for seven series, took on the topics of #MeToo before it was mainstream — including rape, abortion and chauvinism in the workplace. It’s a brilliant series with an even better theme tune.
4. Fargo
2014-, Prime Video
This TV series was faced with the burden of living up to the Coen brothers’ beloved 1996 movie and, minus the slightly lacklustre fourth series, it has. Over five series it pays homage to the movie and moves it on, with a stellar cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Ewan McGregor and Jessie Buckley. The fifth series, released last year, was a return to form for the show. It’s filled with comedy, suspense, an excellent turn from Juno Temple — and Jon Hamm naked in a hot tub. What more could you want?
3. Happy Valley
2014-23, iPlayer
Sarah Lancashire plays the role of her life as the downtrodden police officer Catherine Cawood in Sally Wainwright’s gritty crime drama set against the rugged moody backdrop of the Calder Valley in West Yorkshire. Tormented by James Norton’s murderous Tommy Lee Royce across three thrilling series, this beautifully paced and carefully crafted drama takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride of family angst, suspense and thrilling action, culminating in one of the finest endings in British drama history.
2. The Wire
2002-08, Sky/Now
This is perhaps the rawest, most thoughtful show of all time. Over five glorious series it tackles everything from drug policy to government corruption, all set on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. It made stars of Idris Elba, Dominic West and Michael B Jordan and didn’t shy away from exploring the best and worst in all its characters. The show took a long time to be successful but is now considered one of the finest cop dramas ever. In 2008 Barack Obama said it was his favourite TV show.
1. Line of Duty
2012-23, iPlayer
Jed Mercurio’s sublime police corruption drama managed to transcend traditional cop shows in the UK, becoming a national obsession while it was on air. A ratings behemoth for the BBC, the fortunes of AC-12, an anti-corruption unit of the police, and their attempt to root out a sinister conspiracy that went to the very top of policing and politics, was a brilliant mix of tense interrogation scenes, shocking twists and high-adrenaline action. Surely the ingredients of the ultimate police show.
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