The mystery subgenre of police procedurals are as old as television, and these are the 20 best shows that the category has ever produced. Some of the best police procedurals ever made are also some of the best television shows ever made in general. Shows centered around police and detectives solving crimes are a foundational part of serialized ficiton, and there are countless police procedurals out there.

The only problem with police procedurals is that there are almost too many of them. It’s hard to tell which ones are worth watching, and which are worth skipping. Luckily, there are at least 20 police procedurals from the last eight decades of television that you can’t go wrong with. They’re the best of the best, and every single one of them is worth watching.

Before the list begins, it’s worth defining our criteria. There have been some great mystery shows, like House and Watson, that don’t fit into the police procedural category on account of being medical mysteries that don’t follow the police. Crime dramas focusing on the police, like Twin Peaks, True Detective, and Mindhunter, also don’t fit the bill, as they’re closer to psychological thrillers than police procedurals.

20 Lie to Me

Stream On: Hulu/Disney+

Almost all police procedurals have some gimmick that separates them from similar shows, and Lie to Me has one of the best gimmicks in the genre. Lie to Me follows Dr. Lightman (Tim Roth) and his employees as they use behavioral psychology and body language to determine when people are lying. Lie to Me has a novel premise, is based on fascinating real science, and uses both of those features to great effect.

The best part of Lie to Me’s premise is just how surprisingly versatile it is. Through its three seasons, the show never feels stale as Lightman and his team always encounter some obstacle that makes cases more complicated than simply identifying lies. Whether it’s suspects who can’t speak or suspects with abnormal psychology, Lie to Me pushes the boundaries of its premise like the very best police procedurals often do.

19 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

Stream On: Hulu/Disney+

Many police procedurals gloss over the forensic and detail-oriented work required to bring criminals to justice, but CSI: Crime Scene Investigation made a franchise out of it. CSI follows forensic scientists who painstakingly collect and use physical evidence like DNA to catch killers and other criminals. It spawned a litany of spinoff CSI shows set in cities across the United States, which show how influential and good the original CSI was.

Part of what makes CSI such a great police procedural is the way it changed the subgenre. The entire show is focused on the minutiae that detectives of other shows simply summarized in lab reports. The characters it focused on also aren’t typical cop characters, which made them feel fresh and different from other crime drama casts. CSI simply feels different in a good way from other police procedurals.

18 Miami Vice

Buy On: Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, Etc.

There are a few police procedurals that redefined what the subgenre could be, and Miami Vice was one of them. Miami Vice follows Sonny and Rico, Miami detectives who went undercover to investigate all manner of crimes. Where it diverged from earlier police procedurals was in its style: Miami Vice was unapologetically a product of the 1980s. It featured timely fashion, cars, music, and more.

The sheer style of Miami Vice is what made it so memorable. This was a show made by and for young adults in the 1980s. It wasn’t just about the mystery, it was about representing the culture of the decade and showing characters who were as cool as rockstars. Miami Vice’s mysteries may not be the best example of whodunnits, but the show is essentially a time capsule to an iconic moment and place in American history.

17 Elementary

Stream On: Prime Video

The vast majority of police procedurals are, in some way, inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes. Some, like Elementary, are more directly based on the world’s greatest detective. Elementary is a modern re-imagining of Sherlock Holmes (Johnny Lee Miller) and his partner, Dr. Watson (Lucy Liu). The premise is fairly familiar, but Elementary finds countless ways to surprise and delight audiences.

What really makes Elementary special and better than other Sherlock Holmes adaptations is its main pairing. Lucy Liu and Johnny Lee Miller embody their characters and add their own flavor, they have a fascinating dynamic due to Sherlock’s drug addiction, and their relationship only gets better as the show goes on. Many of the mysteries in Elementary are also great, meaning the show has a rock-solid foundation.

16 NCIS

Stream On: Paramount+

Like CSI before it, NCIS spawned a massive franchise of police procedurals, but the original series is still the best. NCIS follows the Naval military police’s Major Case Response Team as they investigate crimes committed by and against members of the Navy and Marines. That premise alone separates NCIS from shows focusing on civilian police, and it uses its unique premise for equally unique mysteries.

One of the most impressive things about NCIS is the sheer longevity of the show. The original is still going in its 23rd season after a complete overhaul of the original cast, and it has spawned several spinoff shows. That’s the magic of NCIS, though: it has lovable characters, but the story is bigger than any of them and can easily survive losing some actors. Few other police procedurals can accomplish that.

15 Quantum Leap

Stream On: Philo

A unique premise can go a long way for a police procedural, and few shows had as unique a premise as Quantum Leap. Quantum Leap follows Dr. Sam Beckett as he works for the United States Department of Defense and corrects mistakes in time across history. Sam has to “leap” into people who were involved in the mistake and figure out how to set things right.

Quantum Leap is about as far from a traditional police procedural as you can get, but that’s what makes it a classic. Each episode featured a fascinating new take on time travel, an inventive mystery you couldn’t get from any other show, and a great overarching story serving as a mystery in its own right.

14 Kojak

Stream On: Prime Video, Roku

Only a handful of police procedurals become cultural phenomena, and Kojak is probably the most notable of them all. Following the eponymous detective Theo Kojak, Kojak spawned a litany of memorable features, from his lollipop habit to his numerous catchphrases. Kojak himself is one of the most recognizable and influential TV detectives of all time, and he made the show a classic.

Another great thing about Kojak was how it set the stage for grittier police procedurals that would follow. Kojak is a tough, brash detective from a bad part of town. He treats petty criminals like prostitutes and delinquent kids with care and respect, and he bent the rules to find true justice. For 1973, Kojak was as gritty as police procedurals could get.

13 Poker Face

Stream On: Peacock

Image via Peacock

Like Lie to Me, Poker Face follows Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne), a woman who has an innate ability to know when people are lying. What separates Poker Face from Lie to Me (and makes it better) is the fact that Charlie isn’t usually trying to solve crimes. On the run for various reasons, Charlie can only determine that someone is lying, not what they’re hiding, which leads to some twisty crimes and fascinating investigations.

Poker Face also bucks the traditional “whodunnit” formula police procedurals use in favor of a “howcatchem” formula: each episode shows the murder in full before Charlie has to put the pieces together. It’s a difficult formula to pull off compellingly, but Poker Face accomplishes it and then some. That, combined with a great performance from Lyonne, some interesting societal critiques, and plenty of wit and humor, makes Poker Face a superb show.

12 Criminal Minds

Stream On: Paramount+, Hulu

Criminal Minds mixed some of the best features of other police procedurals into a great and endearing show of its own. Criminal Minds follows the BAU, a division of the FBI that uses psychological profiling to hunt down serial killers. It combines the psychological angle of Lie to Me with the large group dynamics and teamwork of CSI or NCIS, to great effect.

Despite its gristly subject matter and often downright disturbing killers, Criminal Minds has also proven to be a sort of comfort show, mainly due to its cast. Each character is a highly competent agent and genius in their own right, but they all have strengths and weaknesses that complement each other perfectly. That, combined with the amazing chemistry of the different iterations of the BAU, makes Criminal Minds a joy to watch.

11 Broadchurch

Stream On: Netflix

The British have also contributed quite a bit to the police procedural subgenre, and arguably their best contribution is Broadchurch. Broadchurch centers around a fictional British town and the mysterious death of Danny Latimer. While there’s plenty of mystery and police work to be found, Broadchurch diverges from many police procedurals in its examination of its two main detectives and the impact crimes have on an entire community.

Broadchurch is also unique in its pacing. Through three seasons, the show only deals with three tightly connected cases and the aftermath of each. That format gives each crime in Broadchurch weight and room to breathe, and it allows the characters to develop into truly remarkable people. It’s an endlessly deep and thoughtful series, and one of the best British police procedurals ever made.