Best Police Detective Movies & TV Shows

The Rookie

Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small-town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an LAPD officer. As the force’s oldest rookie, he’s met with skepticism from some higher-ups who see him as just a walking midlife crisis.

Stars: Alyssa Diaz Eric Winter Jenna Dewan Lisseth Chavez Mekia Cox Melissa O'Neil Nathan Fillion Richard T. Jones Shawn Ashmore Tru Valentino

Crime 101

When an elusive thief whose high-stakes heists unfold along the iconic 101 freeway in Los Angeles eyes the score of a lifetime, with hopes of this being his final job, his path collides with a disillusioned insurance broker who is facing her own crossroads. Determined to crack the case, a relentless detective closes in on the operation, raising the stakes even higher.

Run time: 141m Tagline: Always have an exit. Release: 2026-02-11

Stars: Babak Tafti Barry Keoghan Chris Hemsworth Corey Hawkins Halle Berry Jennifer Jason Leigh Mark Ruffalo Monica Barbaro Nick Nolte Peter Banifaz

Continuum

The series centers on the conflict between a group of rebels from the year 2077 who time-travel to Vancouver, BC, in 2012, and a police officer who accidentally accompanies them. In spite of being many years early, the rebel group decides to continue its violent campaign to stop corporations of the future from replacing governments, while the police officer endeavours to stop them without revealing to anyone that she and the rebels are from the future.

Stars: Brian Markinson Erik Knudsen Luvia Petersen Omari Newton Rachel Nichols Roger Cross Stephen Lobo Victor Webster

The Shield

The story of an inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact.

Stars: Benito Martinez Catherine Dent Cathy Cahlin Ryan CCH Pounder David Marciano Jay Karnes Michael Chiklis Michael Jace Paula Garcés Walton Goggins

The Killing

The Killing is an American crime drama television series based upon the Danish television series Forbrydelsen. Set in Seattle, Washington, the series follows the various murder investigations by homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder.

Stars: Gregg Henry Joan Allen Joel Kinnaman Levi Meaden Mireille Enos Morten Hauch-Fausbøll Rowan Longworth Sterling Beaumon

Luther

A dark psychological crime drama starring Idris Elba as Luther, a man struggling with his own terrible demons, who might be as dangerous as the depraved murderers he hunts.

Stars: Dermot Crowley Enzo Cilenti Hermione Norris Idris Elba Michael Smiley Patrick Malahide Ruth Wilson Wunmi Mosaku

Live Free or Die Hard

John McClane is back and badder than ever, and this time he calls on the services of a young hacker in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America's computer infrastructure.

Run time: 128m Tagline: The choice will be clear. Release: 2007-06-20

Stars: Andrew Friedman Bruce Willis Cliff Curtis Jonathan Sadowski Justin Long Kevin Smith Maggie Q Mary Elizabeth Winstead Timothy Olyphant Yorgo Constantine

A Good Day to Die Hard

Iconoclastic, take-no-prisoners cop John McClane, finds himself for the first time on foreign soil after traveling to Moscow to help his wayward son Jack - unaware that Jack is really a highly-trained CIA operative out to stop a nuclear weapons heist. With the Russian underworld in pursuit, and battling a countdown to war, the two McClanes discover that their opposing methods make them unstoppable heroes.

Run time: 98m Tagline: Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Russia. Release: 2013-02-06

Stars: Amaury Nolasco Bruce Willis Cole Hauser Jai Courtney Mary Elizabeth Winstead Radivoje Bukvić Roman Luknár Sebastian Koch Sergey Kolesnikov Yuliya Snigir

Grimm

After Portland homicide detective Nick Burkhardt discovers he's descended from an elite line of criminal profilers known as "Grimms," he increasingly finds his responsibilities as a detective at odds with his new responsibilities as a Grimm.

Stars: Bree Turner Claire Coffee David Giuntoli Elizabeth Tulloch Reggie Lee Russell Hornsby Sasha Roiz Silas Weir Mitchell

Bad Boys for Life

Marcus and Mike are forced to confront new threats, career changes, and midlife crises as they join the newly created elite team AMMO of the Miami police department to take down the ruthless Armando Armas, the vicious leader of a Miami drug cartel.

Run time: 124m Tagline: Ride together. Die together. Release: 2020-01-15

Stars: Alexander Ludwig Charles Melton Jacob Scipio Joe Pantoliano Kate del Castillo Martin Lawrence Nicky Jam Paola Nuñez Vanessa Hudgens Will Smith

The Wire

Told from the points of view of both the Baltimore homicide and narcotics detectives and their targets, the series captures a universe in which the national war on drugs has become a permanent, self-sustaining bureaucracy, and distinctions between good and evil are routinely obliterated.

Stars: Aidan Gillen Andre Royo Deirdre Lovejoy Dominic West J.D. Williams Jamie Hector Lance Reddick Michael Kenneth Williams Sonja Sohn Wendell Pierce

True Detective

An American anthology police detective series utilizing multiple timelines in which investigations seem to unearth personal and professional secrets of those involved, both within or outside the law.

Stars: Christopher Eccleston Finn Bennett Fiona Shaw Isabella Star LaBlanc Jodie Foster John Hawkes Kali Reis

Vera

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

Stars: Brenda Blethyn David Leon