TV-Shows.TVThe best shows for me! The best crime TV shows 2026 ranked by the community. Crime is the broadest genre in television – from procedurals and noir to true crime and gangster stories. This ranking helps you filter out the series that genuinely hold up from the large pool of available titles. Use the filters to search specifically by streaming service, completed series or shorter runtime.
How are the series charts created?
Rankings are based on real user ratings. The more votes a show receives, the more stable its chart position. When you rate shows yourself, your personal recommendations improve too.
(8/10 stars)After a cancer diagnosis, chemistry teacher Walter White begins making methamphetamine with former student Jesse Pinkman. He wants to provide money for his family. The business draws him further into organised crime and changes what he is prepared to do to other people. more about Breaking Bad(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(9/10 stars)Sherlock Holmes and doctor John Watson share a London flat and investigate unusual crimes. Holmes sees connections others miss, but his behaviour often alienates people. Watson accompanies him on cases whose consequences become increasingly personal. more about Sherlock(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Dexter Morgan analyses blood evidence for the Miami police. His colleagues do not know that he also kills people. He follows a code intended to limit his choice of victims while trying to maintain the appearance of an ordinary private life. more about Dexter(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Michael Scofield believes his brother, who faces execution, is innocent. He arranges to enter the same prison with an escape plan already prepared. Inside, he must secure allies while his brother's time runs out. more about Prison Break(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Congressman Frank Underwood is denied a government position he was promised. With his wife Claire, he begins advancing his career through manipulation and carefully arranged favours. Anyone who can help him or block his progress becomes part of the plan. more about House of Cards(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Wanted criminal Raymond Reddington surrenders to the FBI and offers information about other criminals. He insists on working only with young agent Elizabeth Keen. His leads help solve cases, but his reasons for helping remain uncertain. more about The Blacklist(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Former supposed psychic Patrick Jane now uses observation to help solve crimes. He assists a California investigation team while pursuing a personal goal. The serial killer Red John murdered his family, and Jane is determined to find him. more about The Mentalist(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)CIA officer Carrie Mathison distrusts a soldier who returns to the United States after years in captivity. She suspects he has been recruited for an attack. Her investigation also puts her professional credibility and judgement under scrutiny. more about Homeland(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(9/10 stars)Superheroes are sold to the public as celebrities and protected by a powerful corporation. Billy Butcher's group wants to expose their crimes and fight back. The risks its members take also test their own ideas about justice. more about The Boys(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)An old connection to drug trafficking sends Piper Chapman to prison. She must learn how to live within its informal rules and dependencies. The stories gradually turn towards her fellow inmates and the circumstances that brought them there. more about Orange Is the New Black(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Jimmy McGill struggles to establish himself as a lawyer in Albuquerque. He can persuade people, but following the rules is less natural to him. Professional ambition and growing connections to criminals gradually draw him towards the identity of Saul Goodman. more about Better Call Saul(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Lucifer leaves Hell and opens a Los Angeles nightclub. A murder brings him into contact with Detective Chloe Decker, whom he begins helping on other cases. His origins and personal ideas about guilt repeatedly complicate their working relationship. more about Lucifer(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Crime novelist Richard Castle joins New York detective Kate Beckett on murder investigations. He hopes to find material for his books and soon contributes theories of his own. Beckett has to manage a civilian adviser who rarely stays in the background. more about Castle(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Each season follows different investigators working on a serious crime. Their enquiries expose conflicts and past mistakes in their own lives. As the case develops, the extent to which the work has shaped them becomes increasingly apparent. more about True Detective(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(7/10 stars)Sherlock Holmes moves to New York after treatment for addiction. Joan Watson is initially employed to support his recovery, but becomes his partner in criminal investigations. As police consultants, they combine sharply different experience to work through the cases. more about Elementary(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Jax Teller belongs to a motorcycle club that exercises local influence and deals in weapons. Becoming a father makes him question the life his family will inherit. Those doubts bring him into conflict with the club he feels bound to serve. more about Sons of Anarchy(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(7/10 stars)Oliver Queen returns home after five years on an island. By day he resumes his place as a wealthy heir; at night he hunts criminals with a bow. His family's business and his experiences away from home complicate the campaign he has planned. more about Arrow(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)FBI consultant Will Graham has an unusual ability to imagine how murderers think. Psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter helps him through a difficult investigation. Will initially has no idea that his new confidant has personal reasons for taking an interest in the cases. more about Hannibal(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)Art forger and con artist Neal Caffrey makes a deal with the FBI. Instead of remaining in prison, he helps agent Peter Burke investigate white-collar crime. His old contacts assist their cases while keeping his own opportunities for escape alive. more about White Collar(Source: Our own short synopsis)
(8/10 stars)A Naval Criminal Investigative Service team solves crimes involving members of the U.S. Navy. Murders, espionage and security threats all fall within its work. Different methods and the agents' personal relationships shape how the investigations proceed. more about NCIS (2003)(Source: Our own short synopsis)
Crime is the broadest genre in television. The label covers procedurals with standalone cases per episode, serialised investigator stories across full seasons, true crime adaptations of real cases, gangster series, neo-noir productions and psychological perpetrator portraits – formats that differ fundamentally in pace, tone and perspective. What they share is crime as a central motif, but not necessarily its resolution.
The community ratings help filter out the series that work beyond their premise. Series that consistently rank near the top tend to share one quality: they show the crime from multiple perspectives at once – perpetrator, investigator, victim, system – and ask questions without easy answers. Use the runtime filter to find crime series with shorter episodes that are well suited for binge-watching.
If you like crime TV shows, you may also enjoy thriller TV shows or mystery TV shows, since they often combine investigations, suspense and unexpected twists.
The top Crime TV Shows are ranked by real community votes. The more ratings a show has, the more stable its position.
Use the streaming filter to see which Crime TV Shows are available on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max and more.
Rankings are based on real user ratings. The more votes a series receives, the more stable its chart position.
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