A good detective show has to have certain aspects to it. The cast needs to have a feeling of camaraderie. They’re meant to be working as a team to stop criminals, but if there isn’t chemistry, it won’t be believable. The crimes occurring must be somewhat realistic unless the show is mixing with other themes like sci-fi or fantasy. Also, there needs to be cases that draw the viewers in. Some shows do this by having a recurring character that is impossible to catch and constantly causing issues for the detectives. With these points in mind, here are the top 5 detective shows.
5. iZombie
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In the show iZombie, the detective trope meets a sci-fi twist. Olivia Moore, the show protagonist, attends a boat party where the zombie outbreak begins due to the mix of a new drug and an energy drink. Moore becomes a zombie after being scratched by Blaine DeBeers, one of the first people to turn.
After realizing what has happened to her, she quits her job as a medical resident and becomes an assistant medical examiner at a morgue so she has a supply of brains to eat. However, she learns that eating the brains of murder victims gives her their personality as well as visions of their last days alive. With this new skill, Moore helps Detective Clive Babineaux solve murders for the Seattle PD while trying to keep her zombie identity a secret.
4. Chicago PD
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Chicago PD is your classic cop show. Set in the same universe as Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, and Chicago Justice, this show has 11 seasons and is currently going strong. It follows Sergeant Hank Voight, and season one is based on the formation of his Intelligence Unit. Viewers get to follow this team, which is constantly scrutinized due to Voight’s past.
In Chicago Fire, Voight was arrested for almost killing firefighter Matthew Casey and was given the label dirty cop. Throughout Chicago PD, viewers will have a love-hate relationship with Voight. However, watching him and his team grow together is very interesting. If you’re looking for a show with an expanding universe, a great cast, and classic detective show vibes, this is the one.
3. Only Murders in the Building
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The fun part about Only Murders in the Building is the ‘detectives’ in the show are just three curious people living in the same building. In this show, viewers follow Mabel Mora, Oliver Putnam, and Charles-Haden Savage as they stumble their way to solving a murder that occurred in their building.
The show is very comedic, and every character has their own quirks that make them interesting. The three main protagonists gel exceptionally well together and feel like such a natural team. The other residents in the building also play a huge part in the show. Each season has twists throughout each episode that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
2. Bones
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If you like unlikely duos, Bones is the show you’ll want to watch. The main protagonists, Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan and Agent Seeley Booth, clash in every way possible. In their first case, the two end up kissing in a bar, but soon after, they disagree on the job. Bones ends up slapping Booth, and they part.
However, the pair meet again when Booth needs Bones’s help on a case. A majority of the work they do is set in the Jeffersonian lab, where the anthropologist works. Here, we meet her interesting colleagues who will quickly grow on you. As seasons pass, you will watch Bones and Booth grow to be an unstoppable crime-solving team. The show is also packed with fascinating crimes.
1. Castle
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Castle perfectly mixes crime with comedy. Author Richard Castle is permitted to follow NYPD detective Kate Beckett so he can write his crime novel more realistically. He ends up basing the main character of his novel, Nikki Heat, on Detective Beckett. Unfortunately for Beckett, Castle is committed to making crime solving as ‘fun’ as possible with his unrealistic theories, which occasionally come true.
However, as time passes, Beckett, Castle, Officer Javier Esposito, and Officer Kevin Ryan manage to put some of New York’s worst criminals behind bars with their fantastic teamwork. The episodes have twists and turns and create some bone-chilling criminals. The mix of Richard Castle’s humor and Kate Beckett’s intelligence makes a dynamic worth watching.
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About the Author
Elizabeth is an avid watcher of sci-fi, action, and thriller TV shows and movies. Anything with well-timed explosions, superhumans fighting aliens, or an intricate crime will be added to her watchlist.