Top 25 Best Crime Drama Shows, Ranked
25. The Alienist
‘The Alienist’ is a gripping psychological crime drama set in 1896 New York City, where the dark underbelly of society collides with emerging forensic science. The show follows Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a brilliant but troubled alienist (early psychologist), who teams up with newspaper illustrator John Moore and trailblazing police secretary Sara Howard to investigate a series of gruesome child murders.
24. The Sinner
What if the killer is the last person you'd suspect and the motive is buried so deep even they don’t understand it? ‘The Sinner’ flips the detective genre on its head, diving into the broken psyches of everyday people who commit unspeakable acts. With Bill Pullman’s Harry Ambrose at the helm, each season peels back layers of guilt, trauma, and twisted humanity until the truth—brutal and raw—claws its way out.
23. Mare of Easttown
A murder in a small town, and a detective hanging by a thread. ‘Mare of Easttown’ is dripping with suspense and sorrow. Kate Winslet delivers a devastating performance that’s as worn down as the Pennsylvania town she protects. It’s not just about solving a crime, it’s about surviving one.
22. The Blacklist
James Spader’s devilishly enigmatic Raymond "Red" Reddington commands the screen like a Shakespearean villain cloaked in a three-piece suit. ‘The Blacklist’ is replete with high-stakes dance between crime, espionage, and the unspoken question: what’s Red really after?
21. Sharp Objects
Amy Adams leads this Southern Gothic nightmare where nothing and no one is as innocent as they seem. A murder mystery told like a fever dream, ‘Sharp Objects’ uncover secrets while seducing viewers into them.
20. Luther
Idris Elba’s DCI John Luther chases monsters, sure… but he’s also becoming one. Gritty, violent, and terrifyingly human, ‘Luther’ makes London’s streets feel like the gates of hell. Ruth Wilson’s Alice Morgan is his twisted mirror, and together, they redefine the predator-prey dynamic in the most intoxicating way.
19. Unbelievable
In a world where victims are doubted more than criminals, ‘Unbelievable’ is a scream in the silence. Kaitlyn Dever, Toni Collette, and Merritt Wever anchor this true-crime tale with raw, unforgettable performances. It’s not just one of the best crime shows, it’s one of the most important.
18. The Day of the Jackal
Eddie Redmayne becomes the face of a thousand masks in this modern thriller that’s less about who the killer is, and more about how terrifyingly meticulous he can be. ‘The Day of the Jackal’ is a sniper's bullet in slow motion—silent, precise, and absolutely lethal.
17. Barry
What happens when a hitman wants to crack the Hollywood code? ‘Barry’ walks a tightrope over absurdity and agony, delivering laugh-out-loud comedy alongside gut-punch tragedy. Bill Hader crafts a character who’s trying to be good while leaving a trail of bodies in his wake, and the show is just as conflicted as he is. Mad genius!
16. We Own This City
David Simon returns to Baltimore with a vengeance. This spiritual successor to ‘The Wire’ isn’t just about dirty cops, it’s about how the whole damn system rots from the inside out. Jon Bernthal’s electric performance as Wayne Jenkins is equal parts monstrous and magnetic. As it turns out, truth is stranger and more devastating than fiction.
15. Ozark
Every decision is a deal with the devil in ‘Ozark.’ Jason Bateman and Laura Linney’s descent from suburban parents to cartel kingpins is as icy as the Lake of the Ozarks itself. A story of survival, corruption, and evolution, where the line between victim and villain disappears entirely.
14. The Killing
‘The Killing’ is a moody, atmospheric crime drama that redefined the genre with its slow-burn storytelling and emotionally intense performances. Set in rainy Seattle, the series follows detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder as they unravel deeply personal and politically charged murder cases. Expect layers of grief, secrets, and corruption.
13. Broadchurch
Grief isn’t solved by catching the killer here. In ‘Broadchurch,’ it festers. David Tennant and Olivia Colman lead this devastating British drama where a single child’s murder tears a community and shatters every relationship within it.
12. Better Call Saul
Before Walter White broke bad, Jimmy McGill fell apart. ‘Better Call Saul’ is a reckoning in a courtroom, a tragedy disguised as a prequel, and a character study so detailed it feels forensic. It’s slower, sadder, and, in for many fans, sharper than ‘Breaking Bad’ itself.
11. Hannibal
Every frame of ‘Hannibal’ is a work of art and a crime scene. Mads Mikkelsen’s refined cannibal and Hugh Dancy’s unraveling profiler create a dance of death that’s part opera, part nightmare. It’s the most beautiful horror you’ll ever see.
10. Dexter
A serial killer with a code, a forensic expert with bloodlust. ‘Dexter’ gave us one of TV’s most iconic anti-heroes, and asked us to love him. And oh boy, we did… Even when we shouldn’t have, even when the bodies piled up and the line between monster and man blurred to dust. We’re just glad we have spinoffs to carry Dexter’s story further.
9. Mindhunter
You don’t need to show the violence to make it terrifying. ‘Mindhunter’ proves that the quietest conversations can chill you to the bone. This David Fincher gem explores the birth of criminal profiling, offering an eerie, cerebral look into minds that kill… and the minds that try to understand them.
8. The Shield
The OG crime drama with a complex lead! In ‘The Shield,’ Michael Chiklis’ Vic Mackey is a dirty cop and a man drowning in his own justification. Every rule broken, every line crossed, is a thread in a much bigger moral noose. And when it tightens, it snaps hard.
7. Peaky Blinders
With razor blades in their caps and trauma in their bones, the Shelbys carved an empire out of post-war ruin. ‘Peaky Blinders’ is operatic, violent, and achingly stylish. Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby doesn’t just command our attention, he owns it.
6. Fargo
Each season in this dark comedy drama is a snow-covered fever dream of crime, consequence, and cosmic absurdity. ‘Fargo' is practically an ethos. And whether it’s Billy Bob Thornton’s chaotic menace or Kirsten Dunst’s quiet unraveling, the message is always clear: in the Midwest, even murder has manners.
5. True Detective
Time is a flat circle, but ‘True Detective’ Season 1 is lightning in a bottle. Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson’s slow-burning investigation into ritualistic murder is about more than who did it. It’s about what it does to you. The later seasons each have their moments, too. But the beginning? That’s crime TV’s Holy Grail.
4. The Wire
If the 21st century had a conscience, it would look like ‘The Wire.’ Raw, unflinching, and ruthlessly real, the crime drama captures the collapse of American institutions with chilling precision. It’s basically a mirror, and what you see staring back might just break you.
3. Narcos
Welcome to Colombia, where history is more violent than crafted fiction. ‘Narcos’ tells the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar with brutal clarity and edge-of-your-seat pacing. Wagner Moura is mesmerizing, and the story, with all its corrupt politicians, DEA standoffs, and body-strewn consequences feels too insane to be true. But it is!
2. Breaking Bad
The greatest character transformation in TV history. ‘Breaking Bad’ doesn’t just show a man’s villainous transformation, it shows him enjoying it. Walter White's descent is masterfully written, perfectly paced, and painfully believable. It’s not a story about crime, it’s a story about choice. And, that’s the most dangerous thing here.
1. The Sopranos
The kingpin, the blueprint, the show that changed everything. ‘The Sopranos’ took the mobster genre and shoved it into therapy, giving us a crime saga that was as much about existential dread as it was about hits and heists. Tony Soprano is a monster and heartbreakingly human. That duality is what makes this series the undisputed champion of the genre. No show has captured the internal war between good and evil quite like this one.
