20 exciting TV series about the police for every taste

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Soviet classics, funny parodies and dark crime dramas.

20. Streets of Broken Lanterns

• Russia, 1998 - present.
• Crime, detective.
• Duration: 16 seasons.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

Such a list cannot do without one of the main series of the late 90s. The plot of "Streets of Broken Lanterns" (later better known as simply "Cops") humorously tells about the everyday life of police officers investigating murders.

The first seasons of the series were very popular on Russian television. Characters like Casanova (Alexander Lykov) and Dukalis (Sergei Selin) eventually turned into memes. And the scene with the performance of Alla Pugacheva's song "Call me with you" gained nationwide popularity.

But after 2005, almost the entire cast changed in the series, and the project began to lose viewers. Surely many will be surprised to learn that "Streets of Broken Lanterns" are still being released.

19. Born by the Revolution

• USSR, 1974-1977.
• Adventure, detective, historical.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Soviet mini-series of 10 episodes tells about the formation of the militia in the USSR. In the center of the plot is Nikolai Kondratyev, who in 1917 goes to work in the criminal investigation department. Over the years, he manages to rise to the rank of lieutenant general and solve many crimes.

Interestingly, the action of the series stretches over the years: it begins immediately after the revolution and ends already in the seventies. Thus, the plot shows not only the fate of the protagonist, but also important events in the life of the country.

18. C. S. I.: Crime scene

• USA, Canada, 2000–2015.
• Drama, thriller, crime.
• Duration: 15 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The plot of the series tells about the work of the forensic laboratory of the Las Vegas police. Dr. Gil Grissom and his subordinates investigate the most complex crimes, including the activities of serial maniacs. Even the most cunning villains cannot hide from justice.

Many professionals criticized the show for its implausible investigative techniques and completely unrealistic professionals. However, the audience fell in love with it precisely because of its grotesqueness. In addition to 15 seasons of Crime Scene, which ended with a two-hour finale, there were two more spin-offs about New York and Miami, as well as the TV series C. S. I.: Cyberspace.

17. Connoisseurs lead the investigation

• USSR, 1971-1989.
• Detective drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7, 6.

The famous Soviet TV series, which has been on the screens for many years, tells the story of three employees of the Moscow police. Investigator Znamensky, Criminal Investigation Officer Tomin and forensic expert Kibrit (from their names the word “ZnatoKi” is formed) catch speculators and counterfeiters and even investigate murders.

The series would have been created at the suggestion of the USSR Minister of Internal Affairs, in order to show the viewer the "humane" image of a policeman. And therefore, there are very few chases and shootings in the plot, the work of the main characters is shown quite realistically: an office, papers and conversations. The classic series consisted of only 22 full-length episodes. And in 2002, two more episodes were released with the subtitle "Ten Years Later".

16. Law and order

• USA, 1990–2010.
• Crime, detective, drama.
• Duration: 20 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

The famous procedural also talks about the work of the police and lawyers. Detectives investigate the most complex and serious crimes, and after that, prosecutors have to prove the guilt of suspects in court.

It is surprising that the authors of Law and Order were not allowed to launch their project on television for a long time, since the channels doubted the interest of viewers. As a result, the series lived for 20 seasons. Since 1999, a spin-off "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" began to appear, which continues to this day. And later, four more series appeared on this franchise.

15. Major

• Russia, 2014 - present.
• Detective, psychological thriller, drama.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

The oligarch's son Igor Sokolovsky grew up without a mother and never even tried to work, although he received a law degree. After a fight between the hero and the policeman, his father sends him to serve in the police department, where the "major", of course, is not welcome. But it is from this event that changes in Igor's character begin.

Despite the penchant for clichéd stories, the audience really liked this series. In 2014, he hit almost all the tops of popular domestic projects. And then Major became the first Russian TV series bought by Netflix for showing.

14. Collapse

• USA, 2013–2016.
• Drama, crime, detective.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

London detective Stella Gibson arrives in Belfast to investigate the local police. She starts investigating the deaths of successful middle-aged women and soon finds herself on the trail of a maniac.

"Crash" is built on the confrontation between two charismatic heroes - a detective and a murderer. Moreover, the authors acted in an unusual way, trying to show the maniac as a simple person who even has his own principles. A significant role in the perception was played by the fact that this role was taken by the star of "50 shades of gray" Jamie Dornan. And detective Gibson was played by the audience favorite Gillian Anderson.

13. Colombo

• USA, 1968-2003.
• Detective, crime.
• Duration: 13 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 2.

The Colombo Police Lieutenant is not like a tough detective: he is absent-minded and unkempt. And instead of interrogating, Columbo prefers to talk about his wife. But in fact, it is he who can unravel any of the most complex crimes.

"Colombo" can be called a "reverse detective". In it, the criminal is immediately shown, who most often conceives the perfect crime. And the whole intrigue lies in how exactly the funny lieutenant will bring the attacker to the surface.

12. Life on Mars

• Great Britain, 2006-2007.
• Drama, crime, fantasy.
• Duration: 2 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

Police inspector Sam Tyler from modern Manchester pursues a criminal and is run over by a car. When he wakes up, he realizes that he was in 1973. At first, Tyler thinks he is in a coma or has gone insane. But in the end he has to get a job with the police.

The British channel BBC has interestingly combined a nostalgic detective story with a fantastic storyline. Moreover, the main role was taken by John Simm, whom everyone knows in the image of the Master in Doctor Who. Later, an American remake was released, and then a Russian version called "The Other Side of the Moon".

11. Police squad

• USA, 1982.
• Comedy.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

The parody series tells about the everyday life of one of the departments of the American police. The whole plot is based on a complete lack of logic and absurd humor. It was from this project that the famous "Naked Pistol" was born. In "Police Squad" you can see Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin (and the title of the hero changes in each episode) and many familiar gags.

The authors of the series, the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams, relied on repeated jokes: in each episode they announce a guest star, but she dies right in the opening credits. And the boss who sends the police to the crime scene, strangely enough, always arrives earlier than his subordinates. Alas, only six episodes of the series were released, after which it was canceled.

10. Brooklyn 9-9

• USA, 2013 - present.
• Comedy, crime.
• Duration: 7 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 4.

Detective Jake Peralta is an excellent criminal investigator. But he absolutely does not want to observe the chain of command, and in general he behaves as frivolously as possible. Problems begin when a new manager comes to their department, demanding compliance with the rules.

The atmosphere of Brooklyn 9-9 is somewhat reminiscent of the famous Clinic. Here, frankly comedic moments on the verge of farce run side by side with serious and touching themes. After the fifth season, Fox decided to close the project, but it was immediately picked up by NBC, which continued to produce the series.

9. Slaughter department

• USA, 1993-1999.
• Drama, crime, detective.
• Duration: 7 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

There are murders on the streets of Baltimore every day, and homicide detectives have to solve them. The plot begins with the fact that in one of the shifts comes a newcomer who previously worked in the protection of the mayor of the city.

Ironically, Andre Brauer played one of the main roles in this rather dark series. Later he began to appear in the comedy "Brooklyn 9-9" in a completely different way.

8. Luther

• UK, 2010 - present.
• Thriller, detective, drama.
• Duration: 5 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

Detective John Luther, thanks to his erudition and ingenuity, is able to unravel the most difficult case. But his methods do not always turn out to be legal. Due to problems in his personal life and an unstable nature, he can be very violent.

In this series, the famous Idris Elba played one of his best roles. Luther looks very ambiguous: he defends the law, but he himself sometimes looks almost sinister. By the way, the series has a Russian adaptation, it is called "Klim". True, the story was greatly changed there, showing that the main character lived with wolves in the past.

7. On duty

• UK 2012 - present.
• Drama, crime, detective.
• Duration: 5 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

After a shootout in an anti-terrorist operation that ended in the death of an innocent man, Steve Arnott refused to cover his colleagues. As a result, he was transferred to the anti-corruption department. And soon he is surprised to learn about the venality of many police officers and their connections with organized crime.

In this series, the police are shown far from their best side. Therefore, the department refused to advise the authors of the project. As a result, retired police officers worked with them, as well as current employees on condition of complete anonymity.

6. Bridge

• Sweden, Denmark, Germany, 2011-2018.
• Detective, crime, thriller.
• Duration: 4 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 6.

The police find a dead body. It is cut in half and lies exactly on the border between Sweden and Denmark in the middle of the Øresund Bridge. Detectives from both countries have to take up the investigation. And gradually they realize that politics is involved in this matter.

The unusual concept of this European series shows the work of the police of two states at once. And so later the idea was picked up by other countries. The USA and Mexico filmed their version, then the Anglo-French "Tunnel" appeared. And then there were series from Germany and Austria, Russia and Estonia, and even Singapore and Malaysia.

5. Shield

• USA, 2002-2008.
• Drama, crime, thriller.
• Duration: 7 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 7.

In this crime drama, the work of the police department is shown from a very unexpected angle. The main characters investigate murders and protect civilians. But at the same time, they cover up drug dealers, forge evidence and brutally beat testimony from criminals. Everything is like in life.

The controversial and harsh series was loved by both viewers and critics. He was nominated for an Emmy five times (though he won only once) and five more - for a Golden Globe, and then Shield has already taken two awards.

4. Fargo

• USA, 2014 - present.
• Black comedy, crime, drama.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

A crime anthology based on the Coen brothers' films, it explores all kinds of criminals and the strange situations they find themselves in. In the first season, the loser Lester Nygaard meets the killer Lon Malvo, in the second season, a simple girl Peggy Bloomkvist accidentally kills the son of a famous criminal. And in the third, Ray Stussy tries to rob his twin brother.

But in every season, the criminals are followed by decent and quick-witted police officers who invariably bring the scoundrels to clean water. Realism and cruelty in "Fargo" coexist with humor and beautiful filming. For this, the audience fell in love with him.

3. The meeting place cannot be changed

• USSR, 1979.
• Crime, drama, detective.
• Duration: 5 episodes.
• IMDb: 8, 9.

Retired officer Vladimir Sharapov after the war goes to serve in the criminal investigation department. It is led by Captain Zheglov, whose methods raise many questions from the beginner. Together they will have to investigate the murder of Larisa Gruzdeva and find out the gang of robbers "Black Cat".

Many people fell in love with this legendary series thanks to the amazing actors. First of all, Vladimir Vysotsky, who played Gleb Zheglov. It is ironic that the party leadership did not really want to see the audience's favorite in this role. As a result, Stanislav Govorukhin even had to cheat to get Vysotsky's appointment. And as a result, the film came out great.

2. True detective

• USA, 2014 - present.
• Detective, drama, crime.
• Duration: 3 seasons.
• IMDb: 9, 0.

The famous anthology covers various investigations. In the first season, two detectives deal with the murder of a woman. An interagency team then investigates the death of a senior official. And in the third season, the partners are looking for the missing girl after the death of her brother.

All seasons of the series are built non-linearly: the action always develops in two or three time intervals. And more importantly, in parallel with the investigations, they show important stages in the life of the main characters. And more often than not, the fate of the characters is rather grim.

1. Wiretapping

• USA, 2002-2008.
• Thriller, drama, crime.
• Duration: 5 seasons.
• IMDb: 9, 3.

Police in Baltimore are investigating a drug trafficking case involving a local mafia. Detective James McNulty uses wiretaps to gather evidence. But he soon faces corruption and bureaucracy.

This series is a true legend from the HBO channel. He is loved for his realistic atmosphere, detailed elaboration of details and a very lively story about city life. And also a lot of real public figures of Baltimore and Maryland appeared in the project.