Television has undergone a dramatic transformation over the last several decades and, in many ways, has replaced cinema as the primary medium for telling mature, complex stories aimed at adult viewers. While there are still arthouse films produced in Hollywood, the most popular releases tend to be massive blockbusters designed to appeal to the broadest possible demographic. Comparatively, prestige television is still in a zone in which nuanced, carefully constructed storytelling can be successful.
The crime genre is where a lot of the earliest experiments in prestige television took place, as highly influential shows like NYPD Blue, Homicide: Life on the Street, and Miami Vice laid the groundwork for the medium that exists today. Narrowing down the definitive best crime thrillers of all time is no easy task, and many classic shows like 24, Mindhunter, True Detective, and Barry had to be left off. Here are the ten best crime thriller shows of all time, ranked.
10
‘Boardwalk Empire’ (2010–2014)
Boardwalk Empire is an old-fashioned gangster epic in the vein of Goodfellas and Casino, which makes it not that surprising that it was Martin Scorsese who directed the pilot episode. Although the show began by telling the story of the corrupt treasurer Enoch Thompson (Steve Buscemi), it evolved into a sprawling ensemble epic about the criminal conspiracies that dominated America during the Prohibition era.
Boardwalk Empire is one of the most beautiful-looking shows ever made, as immaculate detail was poured into the reconstruction of the classical era and memorable locations. Boardwalk Empire was also well-known for its incredible ensemble cast, which included some of the best and most complicated villains in television history; Jeffrey Wright, Michael Shannon, Stephen Graham, Michael Stuhlbarg, Matthew Pitt, and Bobby Cannavale are just a few of the great character actors that played memorable antagonists.
9
‘Fargo’ (2014–2024)
Fargo is a show that defied all expectations in terms of quality, as few people expected that a reimagining of one of Joel and Ethan Coen’s most iconic classics would ever be able to live up in terms of quality. However, Noah Hawley took a creative approach that consisted of anthology stories that were only loosely connected to the themes, scenarios, and style of the original masterpiece.
It is admirable that Hawley used Fargo as an excuse to experiment with his own idiosyncrasies as a storyteller, as it never felt like the show was taking advantage of the nostalgia that fans had for the Coen brothers. Although each of the seasons is interesting in its own right, the show’s second iteration was its most accessible and emotional thanks to the wonderful chemistry between Jesse Plemons and Kirsten Dunst, who later became a couple in real life.
8
‘Mr. Robot’ (2015–2019)
Mr. Robot is one of the most stylistically unique shows ever made, as creator Sam Esmail drew inspiration from cult classics like Blade Runner, The Matrix, and Fight Club to make a dizzying cyberthriller about the political and economic wars waged in digital battlefields. At the center of Mr. Robot was an all-time great performance by Rami Malek, who won an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for his now iconic role as the hacker Elliot Alderson, who leads an activist organization trying to erase the world’s debt.
Mr. Robot was creative in its popular culture references and shocking plot twists, but the surprises never felt like they were at the expense of the story. Unlike other acclaimed shows like Game of Thrones or House of Cards, Mr. Robot had a great ending that proved that Esmail knew where the story was going from the very beginning.
7
‘The Shield’ (2002–2008)
The Shield was a game-changing show that altered the rules when it came to cop dramas, as it was one of the first dramatic programs that acknowledged the systemic and haunting level of corruption within America’s law enforcement institutions. Although Michael Chiklis would later be known for his portrayal of Ben Grimm in the duo of Fantastic Four films for 20th Century Fox, he delivered an amazing performance as the anti-hero Vic Mackey, a Los Angeles cop who heads his own strike force.
The Shield featured shocking twists and turns, and featured the type of mature content that solidified FX as one of the best and most artistically ambitious networks. In addition to helping launch the careers of up-and-coming actors like Walton Goggins (before his bigger break on Justified), The Shield also had an impressive array of guest stars that included Glenn Close and Forest Whitaker.
6
‘The Americans’ (2013–2018)
The Americans subverted all expectations when it came to the construction of a Cold War era spy thriller, as it chose to examine the perspective of Soviet Union agents who had been sent to live in the United States as informants during the 1980s. Although it was compelling to see what Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) did to move chess pieces in the battle between democracy and communism, the show became equally invested in the story of how a marriage evolved.
The Americans was acclaimed for its consistency of quality, as all six seasons of the show are of varying degrees of excellence. However, the final episode “-START-” is regarded as one of the best conclusions in television history, as it perfectly wrapped up every subplot, whilst still leaving some of the emotional arcs emotionally ambiguous.
5
‘Breaking Bad’ (2008–2013)
Breaking Bad is an epic of Shakespearean proportions, as its five seasons correlate to the five acts of a classic tragedy like Macbeth or Henry V. Bryan Cranston’s performance changed opinions on the level of acting that was possible on a premium cable show; although Walter White started off as a sympathetic underdog desperate to protect and provide for his family, he slowly transformed into one of the most malicious, cruel, and selfish villains in television history.
Breaking Bad featured an amazing cast of characters, with Aaron Paul’s performance as the drug dealer Jesse Pinkman quickly becoming a fan favorite. The series introduced iconic villains like Giancarlo Esposito’s fearsome role as the drug kingpin Gus Fring, but it became most exhilarating in its final stretch of episodes, where Walt is forced once and for all to show where his loyalties lie.
4
‘Better Call Saul’ (2015–2022)
Better Call Saul is the rare spinoff that is actually better than its predecessor, as Vince Gilligan’s prequel to Breaking Bad showed the complex origin story of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk), the shady lawyer who would eventually become “Saul Goodman.” Similar to Walter in Breaking Bad, Jimmy is a character who is initially somewhat sympathetic, but becomes reprehensible as he chooses selfish ways to get ahead and betray the people who are closest to him.
Better Call Saul featured many creative callbacks to some of the most memorable characters and events from Breaking Bad, but many of its best inventions are original storylines and figures that were added exclusively to the new series. Most memorable is Rhea Seehorn’s performance as Kim Wexler, a co-worker and love interest to Jimmy, who may rank as the single greatest character that Gilligan has ever created.
3
‘The Sopranos’ (1999–2007)
The Sopranos is often referred to as “The Godfather of television,” and not just because it’s a family-based story about the mob. In the same way that The Godfather was instantly recognized as a classic of the New Hollywood era that changed the filmmaking landscape forever, The Sopranos developed a complex, entertaining, and surprisingly artful character study that became synonymous with the birth of the “prestige television” era.
It would be impossible to discuss The Sopranos without mentioning the legacy of the late great James Gandolfini, whose performance as Tony Soprano is simply some of the best acting in recorded history, regardless of medium. The fact that Gandolfini was able to turn a character like Tony into someone who was vulnerable, funny, scary, and nakedly human is an incredible achievement that has yet to be surmounted by any subsequent performance, and likely never will be.
2
‘The Wire’ (2002–2008)
The Wire may be the most ambitious project in television history, as showrunner David Simon took it upon himself to analyze every aspect of America’s infrastructure to show how the crime epidemic had spiraled out of control. Over the course of five excellent seasons, Simon showed how the drug trade, the shipping ports, local elections, the public education system, and the free press created a network in which it was nearly impossible for criminals to be successfully rehabilitated, and unlikely that the most powerful drug factions could ever be toppled.
The Wire provided eloquent, specific commentary on ongoing political events and had been praised by members of law enforcement, government, and journalists for its accuracy. Although Simon would go on to create other crime shows like We Own This City, Show Me A Hero, and The Plot Against America for HBO, The Wire remains his most defining masterpiece.
1
‘Twin Peaks’ (1990–2017)
Twin Peaks is not only the most impressive creation of the late great David Lynch’s career, but an all-time masterpiece that has yet to be topped. While it began as a standard procedural, Twin Peaks quickly revealed itself to be a commentary on the ease with which people were willing to turn away from violence, particularly due to its popularity on television.
Twin Peaks became a mystery in which the central murder was a MacGuffin used to analyze the town itself and its residents, and later got even more metaphorically rich as it examined an existential battle between good and evil. Twin Peaks is so layered with details that it can be rewatched multiple times in order to spawn different interpretations, but Lynch’s brilliant odyssey is so layered with memorable characters and unforgettable moments that it is a joy to step back into its world.
