Top 25 Police Shows
by brianfgreen | created - 02 Nov 2014 | updated - 02 Nov 2014 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The F.B.I. (1965–1974)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Stars: Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Philip Abbott, William Reynolds, Stephen Brooks
Votes: 1,375
2. Dragnet 1967 (1967–1970)
TV-14 | 30 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police Detective Sgt. Joe Friday and his partners investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
Stars: Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Don Ross, Marco Lopez
Votes: 3,407
3. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
This series follows the Special Victims Unit, a specially trained squad of detectives in the New York City Police Department that investigate sexually related crimes.
Stars: Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, Dann Florek
Votes: 125,088
4. Criminal Minds (2005– )
TV-14 | 42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A group of criminal profilers who work for the FBI as members of its Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) using behavioral analysis and profiling to help investigate crimes and find the suspect known as the unsub.
Stars: Kirsten Vangsness, Matthew Gray Gubler, A.J. Cook, Joe Mantegna
Votes: 218,847
5. Hill Street Blues (1981–1987)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The lives and work of the staff of an inner city police precinct.
Stars: Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Warren, Bruce Weitz, James Sikking
Votes: 10,572
6. Miami Vice (1984–1989)
TV-14 | 48 min | Action, Crime, Drama
-Resplendent with authentic 1980s music, fashion, and vibe, "Miami Vice" follows two undercover detectives and their extended team through the mean streets of Miami, Florida.
Stars: Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Saundra Santiago, Olivia Brown
Votes: 30,213
7. NCIS (2003– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Follows the Major Case Response Team (MCRT) from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), as they get to the bottom of criminal cases connected to Navy and Marine Corps personnel.
Stars: David McCallum, Sean Murray, Mark Harmon, Brian Dietzen
Votes: 163,139
8. CSI: Miami (2002–2012)
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama
An elite unit, led by an ex-homicide cop, which is linked to the Miami-Dade Police Department, uses all possible resources and skills at their disposal to solve complex crimes in cross-cultural Miami.
Stars: David Caruso, Emily Procter, Adam Rodriguez, Rex Linn
Votes: 61,219
9. Chicago P.D. (2014– )
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Follows District 21 of the Chicago Police Department, made up of two different groups: the uniformed cops and the Intelligence Unit.
Stars: Jason Beghe, Patrick John Flueger, LaRoyce Hawkins, Amy Morton
Votes: 44,910
10. Adam-12 (1968–1975)
TV-PG | 30 min | Crime, Drama
Two regular police officers patrol Los Angeles.
Stars: Martin Milner, Kent McCord, Shaaron Claridge, William Boyett
Votes: 4,990
11. Blue Bloods (2010–2024)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Revolves around a family of New York cops.
Stars: Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Len Cariou
Votes: 47,678
12. Cagney & Lacey (1981–1988)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two female police detectives cooperate with each other both in their professions and in their personal lives.
Stars: Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, Al Waxman, Martin Kove
Votes: 5,054
13. Charlie's Angels (1976–1981)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A wealthy mystery man named Charlie runs a detective agency via a speakerphone and his personal assistant, John Bosley. His detectives are three beautiful women, who end up in a variety of difficult situations.
Stars: Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle
Votes: 14,392
14. Hawaii Five-O (1968–1980)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The investigations of Hawaii Five-0, an elite branch of the Hawaii State Police answerable only to the governor and headed by stalwart Steve McGarrett.
Stars: Jack Lord, James MacArthur, Kam Fong, Herman Wedemeyer
Votes: 8,192
15. The Fugitive (1963–1967)
TV-PG | 51 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
A doctor, wrongly convicted for a murder he didn't commit, escapes custody and must stay ahead of the police to find the real killer.
Stars: David Janssen, William Conrad, Barry Morse, Paul Birch
Votes: 4,696
16. Hardcastle and McCormick (1983–1986)
60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A retired judge and his last defendant follow up on cases that were dismissed due to technicalities.
Stars: Brian Keith, Daniel Hugh Kelly, Joe Santos, John Hancock
Votes: 3,186
17. Ironside (1967–1975)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Wheelchair-using, crime-fighting detective Robert T. Ironside battles the bad guys on the streets of San Francisco.
Stars: Raymond Burr, Don Galloway, Don Mitchell, Barbara Anderson
Votes: 4,100
18. In the Heat of the Night (1988–1995)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases and adventures of the police forces in and around Sparta, Mississippi.
Stars: Carroll O'Connor, Alan Autry, David Hart, Hugh O'Connor
Votes: 6,213
19. Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The adventures of a Hawaii-based private investigator.
Stars: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti
Votes: 28,957
20. Mod Squad (1968–1973)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A trio of reformed juvenile delinquents work as undercover cops.
Stars: Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III, Peggy Lipton, Tige Andrews
Votes: 2,354
21. 21 Jump Street (1987–1991)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of an undercover police unit composed of young-looking officers specializing in youth crime.
Stars: Johnny Depp, Dustin Nguyen, Peter DeLuise, Holly Robinson Peete
Votes: 14,090
22. NYPD Blue (1993–2005)
TV-14 | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Detectives from NYPD's 15th Precinct investigate homicides within their precinct.
Stars: Dennis Franz, Jimmy Smits, Gordon Clapp, James McDaniel
Votes: 16,343
23. The Rookies (1972–1976)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama
The trials and adventures of three young police officers.
Stars: Georg Stanford Brown, Sam Melville, Gerald S. O'Loughlin, Kate Jackson
Votes: 1,234
24. Spenser: For Hire (1985–1988)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Mystery and suspense series based on Robert Parker's "Spenser" novels. Spenser, a private investigator living in Boston, gets involved in a new murder mystery each episode.
Stars: Robert Urich, Avery Brooks, Ron McLarty, Richard Jaeckel
Votes: 3,269
25. The Streets of San Francisco (1972–1977)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A veteran cop with more than twenty years of experience is teamed with a young Inspector to solve crimes in San Francisco, California.
Stars: Karl Malden, Michael Douglas, Reuben Collins, Richard Hatch
Votes: 6,905
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