Do you prefer cozy British whodunits, staple American television with the FBI involved, or a fresh take on the classic literary character, Sherlock Holmes? With these detective shows that will keep you hooked from start to finish, you’ll find all of these and more. You might even discover new shows you haven’t heard of before or be reminded of something you’ve had on your watchlist for a while.
All of these detective shows (and, to be honest, the best detective shows) have one thing in common: the exceptional ability to keep you glued to the screen from beginning to end. With these shows, you’ll notice that not all of them have ended yet, heightening the excitement for new episodes and seasons.
‘Father Brown’ (2013–Present)
Father Brown is now the longest-running daytime drama in BBC history, having aired over one hundred episodes and still going strong, demonstrating its enduring comfort appeal. It’s not gritty or shocking, just endlessly watchable television, the kind that feels like a hot cup of tea (or cocoa if tea isn’t your thing). Mark Williams is excellent as the unassuming detective-priest, and the show’s pacing makes it an ideal palate cleanser between heavier dramas. It’s cozy, but it’s also addictive; each episode is a well-crafted mini-mystery that respects your intelligence while tucking you in for a relaxing night of binge-watching.
In the sleepy Cotswolds village of Kembleford, Father Brown (Williams) rides around on his bicycle, solving murders with a combination of keen insight, empathy, and a surprisingly sharp grasp of criminal psychology. He’s a Catholic priest first, a detective second, and his approach to crime is to understand the sinner rather than simply catch the culprit. Adapted from G.K. Chesterton‘s short stories, the show is packed with period details, witty humor, and deeply satisfying whodunit episodes. With a fantastic recurring cast, Father Brown presents a new case every episode, always with a moral compass pointing towards redemption.
‘White Collar’ (2009–2014)
White Collar was a hit for USA Network, running for six seasons and sparking persistent revival rumors, which culminated in a recently confirmed reboot featuring the majority of the original cast. Matt Bomer‘s charisma is undeniable, and the supporting cast, including the late, great Willie Garson as Neal’s partner-in-crime Mozzie, is universally adored. White Collar works because it never gets too dark or too silly but always gets right to the emotional core: an unlikely friendship between a man who believes in the law and a man who has spent his life breaking it. It’s a show you’ll fire up for the detective/mystery aspect and keep watching for the heart.
White Collar follows the charming and brilliant con artist Neal Caffrey (Bomer), who escapes from a maximum-security federal prison with only months left on his sentence and is quickly caught by the same FBI agent who put him there, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay). But Neal has a proposal: make him a consultant for the FBI’s white-collar crime division, and he’ll use his criminal genius to help catch other, more serious criminals. The chemistry between Bomer’s irresistible criminal and DeKay’s frustrated detective is what drives this glittering, fashionable caper-of-the-week series. Stretched into six seasons, it’s Catch Me If You Can with sleek suits, art forgery, hidden treasures, and the never-ending suspense of a con artist who might be planning his own great escape.
‘Poker Face’ (2023–2025)
Poker Face came with a bang, since Rian Johnson‘s reputation as a detective/mystery creator was still fresh after the Knives Out sequel, Glass Onion. Poker Face‘s first season was a critical success, with praise for its clever reimagining of the mystery-of-the-week formula. Each episode features a parade of fantastic guest stars as killers who vastly underestimate Natasha Lyonne‘s seemingly befuddled Charlie Cale. The show is a sun-drenched, retro-chic journey through America’s strange margins, anchored by Lyonne’s effortlessly cool performance. It’s a rare detective show that makes you feel like you’re simply hanging out with a very perceptive friend who also happens to solve murders.
Poker Face follows Charlie Cale (Lyonne), a woman on the run who possesses a supernatural ability: she can tell when someone is lying, though she’s not sure why. Running from a dangerous casino owner, she moves from one dusty roadside town to the next, working odd jobs in casinos, barbecue joints, and dilapidated motels while stumbling across a murder every week. The show is reminiscent of the great “howcatchem” shows of the 1970s, such as Columbo, in which the crime is revealed right away; the fun is watching Charlie uncover alibis with her great instincts and observation skills.
‘Young Sherlock’ (2026–Present)
Young Sherlock debuted on Prime Video in March 2026 and quickly became a global streaming hit, earning rave reviews and a quick second season renewal. Hero Fiennes Tiffin plays the young Sherlock Holmes with heart and energy, and the show’s gorgeous period production design creates a visual feast. Critics have praised its balance of intellectual deduction and genuine adventure, and Guy Ritchie’s signature style ensures that even the quietest scene hums with tension and a sense of playfulness. The cast is exceptional, with Tiffin’s uncle Joseph Fiennes playing Sherlock’s father, Silas, but the standout is Irish actor Dónal Finn, who portrays James Moriarty in a compelling and utterly captivating performance.
Ritchie’s return to Arthur Conan Doyle‘s world is a high-energy origin story in which Sherlock Holmes is portrayed as a brilliant, reckless nineteen-year-old employee at Oxford University, rather than a student. Young Sherlock finds the future consulting detective dealing with his first major mystery after Princess Shou’an’s (Zine Tseng) scrolls containing priceless scrolls of Sun Tzu‘s The Art of War are stolen. There is no Watson, either; the show delves into Holmes’ origin story with Moriarty, where rifts become more apparent over time, but the chemistry between Tiffin and Finn is so strong that you’ll wish their story could last a little longer. It’s a Sherlock who is still learning how to fight and demonstrates empathy, heart, and affection, drawing a distinction between Benedict Cumberbatch‘s sociopath and Robert Downey Jr.‘s rambling chaos.
‘Bosch’ (2014–2021)
Bosch is a quiet hit that has amassed one of the most devoted fan bases in streaming history, having aired for seven seasons on Amazon Prime Video and spawning a thriving spinoff. Titus Welliver‘s Harry Bosch embodies the hard-boiled detective: terse, principled, and somewhat tragic. The procedural cases are compelling, but the serialized arcs are where the show really shines. It’s the definition of “just one more episode,” and with ten seasons (including Bosch and its sequel, Bosch: Legacy), it’s a lengthy, satisfying binge.
Harry Bosch (Welliver) is an LAPD homicide detective with a haunted past; his mother was murdered, and he spent his childhood in foster care. He is motivated by truth and justice, and he works on cases intuitively, relentlessly, and with determination. The seven-season series, based on Michael Connelly‘s best-selling novels, is a masterclass in slow-burn police work. Later, in the sequel series Bosch: Legacy, Bosch shifts to private investigation, still pursuing justice, except this time operating outside the system. It’s fun and the epitome of a hardworking detective show that delivers on all accounts.
‘Unforgotten’ (2015–Present)
Unforgotten is widely regarded as one of the finest British crime dramas ever made. Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar have the most natural, unforced chemistry of any detective pairing on television, and their calm, empathetic approach to policing contrasts sharply with the flashier, more violent procedurals. Unlike most short crime series from the UK, Unforgotten has had six seasons so far and has been renewed for a seventh in 2025. It is a show that depicts solving a crime as a long, slow process of bringing justice to those who have been forgotten, rather than the thrill of the chase.
Each season of Unforgotten begins with the discovery of a long-buried corpse, raising the question of who the person was and why they were killed. DCI Cassie Stuart (Walker) and DI Sunny Khan (Bhaskar) lead the investigation, gradually revealing decades of secrets while navigating their own personal struggles. The show is deeply compassionate, treating each victim as a human being whose life was important and each suspect as someone carrying the burden of the past. The show’s title refers to the long-gone victims, portraying them as “unforgotten,” as they are to their families and loved ones. It’s a fantastic work of detective fiction that will keep you hooked.
‘Blue Lights’ (2023–Present)
Blue Lights premiered to rave reviews in 2023, and Seasons 2 and 3 followed, with a fourth on the way. Critics have praised this Northern Irish thriller as one of the best police dramas in years, citing its authenticity, lack of cliché, and deep empathy for both the officers and the communities they serve. The cast, led by Siân Brooke, is consistently excellent, and Game of Thrones fans will recognize Richard Dormer, who played Beric Dondarrion in the epic. Blue Lights is a detective show in the broadest sense; its protagonists solve crimes, but the true mystery is how to be a decent person in a world where decency is alien. It’s gripping, compassionate television that will captivate you from the start.
Blue Lights follows three rookie police officers in modern-day Belfast who discover that the job is less about catching masterminds and more about surviving each shift in a city haunted by the Troubles. Grace (Brooke), Tommy (Nathan Braniff), and Annie (Katherine Devlin) are probationary constables thrust into a world of paramilitary intimidation, community distrust, and a constant sense of danger. The show is a deeply human ensemble drama that follows their steep, often terrifying learning curve as they discover that policing is, at times, just about getting home at the end of the day.
‘Line of Duty’ (2012–Present)
Line of Duty ended in 2021, with its finale attracting over 15 million viewers, breaking records and cementing the show’s legacy as one of the most successful British dramas of all time. The show’s popularity has remained high, and creator Jed Mercurio and stars Vicky McClure, Martin Compston, and Adrian Dunbar have agreed to make another season, set to premiere in 2027. Thanks to Mercurio’s brilliant pacing, each season of Line of Duty is a six-episode sprint with cliffhangers so brutal you’ll go through several episodes in one sitting. If you haven’t yet sweated through an AC-12 interview, clear your schedule. You’re about to.
Line of Duty is a crime thriller that follows AC-12, a unit tasked with investigating corrupt cops. Each season adds a new, complex case to a slowly unfolding conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of law enforcement. The interrogation scenes are long, tense, dialogue-driven standoffs in glass-walled rooms, representing television at its most electrifying. Superintendent Ted Hastings, DI Kate Fleming, and DS Steve Arnott became icons, and Dunbar received a mural dedicated to him and his character in his hometown of Enniskillen, which has a well-known mural walk.
‘Mindhunter’ (2017–2019)
Mindhunter is one of the best shows of the 21st century, but it’s not a traditional detective show; there are no car chases or last-minute evidence reveals. Instead, it’s a slow, deliberate journey through the psychology of murder. Fans continue to campaign for a third season, but the show remains in indefinite limbo, which somehow makes its 19 episodes feel even more precious; there have been recent discussions of a potential Season 3, but David Fincher, the showrunner, keeps things quite cryptic. Mindhunter is not a quick fix; it requires your full attention, rewards patience, and leaves you feeling unsettled in ways you can’t quite articulate, but you’ll feel hypnotized by its beauty and quality.
Mindhunter is set in the late 1970s and follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), as well as psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), as they pioneer the art of criminal profiling by interviewing incarcerated serial killers. The interviews with real-life monsters like Ed Kemper, Charles Manson, and Son of Sam are unsettling and mesmerizing, shot with Fincher’s signature precision, dark sheen, and attention to period detail. If you want a detective show that delves into the minds of both the hunters and the hunted, this is it.
Mindhunter
- Release Date
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2017 – 2019
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Joe Penhall
- Directors
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David Fincher, Carl Franklin, Andrew Dominik, Andrew Douglas, Asif Kapadia, Tobias Lindholm
