There’s a formulaic structure to police procedural TV shows: a crime is committed, the suspects arrested, and the good guys (in this case, the police) solve the crime. In a chaotic world, viewers can find comfort in that sort of predictable routine.
The different series have a lot of characteristics in common, like the detectives, police officers, and attorneys who work to bring justice to the perpetrators and the victims. Each one brings its own spin to the genre by way of the characters. So, what are the top ten best police procedural shows of all time?
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993 – 2001)
Chuck Norris is known for his martial arts skills and his equally impressive action-movie filmography. These two concepts spawned “Chuck Norris facts,” ridiculous claims about the actor such as “giraffes are created when Chuck Norris uppercuts a horse.” Also, “Chuck Norris makes onions cry.” The “facts” were the brain child of Ian Spector, and became an internet sensation in 2005. So basically Chuck Norris was a meme before memes.
This popular 1990s show, Walker, Texas Ranger followed a Texas Ranger named Cordell Walker who fought Texan bad guys with his formidable martial arts skills.
Rizzoli and Isles (2010 – 2016)
After playing an assistant D.A. on Law & Order from 1998-2001, Angie Harmon was a detective on this procedural police series alongside Sasha Alexander as a medical examiner. Together, they use their quick wit to solve crimes in Boston, Massachusetts while cracking jokes.
This series was beloved by viewers for featuring two strong female leads instead of the usual male leads on police detective shows. Loved for its believable portrayal of female interactions and timely topics, the show ran for seven seasons, from 2010-2016.
JAG (1995 – 2005)
Sure, everybody knows the military police procedural show NCIS, but who remembers its predecessor? For ten years, the crime series JAG followed character Harmon (nicknamed “Harm”) Rabb Jr, an ex-Navy pilot who became a military lawyer. What does JAG stand for?
Excellent question! JAG means “Judge Advocate General.” Lawyer Harm and his military colleagues worked together to discover the truth behind every military crime that came their way, then analyze the information they gathered to solve the case and find justice. This show was not only popular enough to last for ten years on air, but to create the even more popular NCIS series that is still running to this day.
Hawaii-Five-O (2010 – 2020)
This series is based on the original classic police show that ran from 1968-1980. The modern reboot has been praised for its contemporary take on the old series, and follows the Hawaii Five-0 Task Force, a small and specialized subgroup of the Hawaii state police.
Given almost free rein to do what they have to in order to keep citizens safe, the team answers only to the Governor of Hawaii. In fact, they are given no restrictions and the Governor grants them full immunity. The task force investigated various crimes including robberies, murder, and terrorism.
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000 – 2015)
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was such a roaring success that it turned into a franchise.
In this crime drama series, viewers follow a team of Las Vegas detectives, criminologists, and detectives who use their various skills to solve crimes, including using forensics and scientific analysis. In fact, forensics feature very heavily in this series, more so than other crime shows.
This show lasted for 15 seasons, and its success was due to it use of both deductive reasoning on the parts of the investigators and the drama propelling the characters as they solve crimes in Las Vegas.
Criminal Minds (2005 – present)
Viewers love to learn about the psychological reasons behind the crimes that criminals commit. This explains the massive popularity of Criminal Minds, which often gives the psychological profiles of the worst criminals, like serial killers. The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) of the FBI is a group of agents who solve crimes by creating psychological profiles of the suspects.
For 16 seasons, this series has engaged viewers with great dialogue, charismatic characters and disturbing crimes. The series shows how the different personalities who solve the crimes sometimes butt heads, but ultimately use their different personalities and perspectives to gain insight into the suspects.
NCIS (2003-present)
The military police procedural series NCIS is even more successful than its predecessor, JAG. So, what does NCIS standing for? Naval Criminal Investigative Service, and viewers see Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and his team of passionate investigators solve military crimes, and any other crimes that threaten national security.
Viewers love it for its combination of action scenes, military drama, and, of course, the ever-soothing police procedural routine. NCIS is the third-longest-running scripted, non-animated U.S. primetime TV series currently on air, and it is only surpassed by Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–present) and Law & Order (1990–2010; 2022–present).
Blue Bloods (2010 – present)
Good luck trying to find a man as handsome as Tom Selleck on television, on film, or in real life. This man is the only man who can rock a mustache with dimples, and still solve crime.
Blue Bloods is a police procedural series about a family named the Reagans, who all work in law enforcement. Ex-rapper Donnie Wahlberg also stars on the show, whose title refers to both the “blue blooded” idea of nobility, which refers to the family’s power as workers inside New York City’s criminal justice system, as well as the theme of law enforcement, whose workers “bleed blue”.
Luther (2010 – 2019)
Tom Selleck isn’t the only devastatingly handsome man to play a tough character on a police procedural drama — Idris Elba is just as gorgeous.
Acting alongside Ruth Wilson, Elba’s character Luther is a talented detective who solves murders using his great intellect, but has a dark side that causes him to become friends with one of the killers he is investigating. This British psychological drama is very popular and has won several awards, and also spawned a follow up movie.
Law and Order (1990 – present)
This long-running police procedural series is so beloved by fans that it created spin-offs Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order: Criminal Intent. The original show, Law and Order, is both a police procedural and a legal drama.
Set in New York City, viewers see a two-part routine: the first part follows the investigation of a crime and a suspect’s arrest by detectives and officers of New York City’s Police Department. The second part shows the prosecution of the defendant by the Manhattan District Attorneys. Often, the stories are based on real life news that made headlines.