Best Detective TV Series?

[BootinUp]

I'll vote for The Rockford Files.

[applegrove]

1. Columbo

[BootinUp]

2. That was not a weekly show!

pretty good yes. But for a weekly show I still keep my choice. Funny that both of the first 2 mentioned were made in the 70's.

[DrDan]

115. it is now

every Sunday evening - 8:00 pm

[easychoice]

3. Harry O was the best!!!!

Angel Martin from the Rockford Files was a genuine treat though.

[BootinUp]

5. Never seen it.

I'll try to check it out.

[BootinUp]

46. Do you know how Rockford met Angel?

In a 4th season episode Rockford tells Gandy how... Angel tried to con him with a food wholesaling scheme, trapping pigeons in the park and selling them to Chinese restaurants, he just needed $25 for popcorn and wire.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. I used to really like Mannix.

But Rockford Files was a good one, too.

[Auggie]

16. Same here

[BlueStreak]

102. The best part about Mannix was the theme song

A smokin' hot jazz waltz composed by Lalo Schifrin, the same guy who did the theme for Mission Impossible.

Maybe we need another thread for our favorite ensemble thriller drama where the cast is a secret group of spies that organized revolutions in nebulous, unnamed South American countries where all the kingpins strangely speak English with really bad fake Spanish accents.

[pinboy3niner]

6. I never can pick just one

There are a lot of good ones, going back to ones like Peter Gunn and 77 Sunset Strip. Mannix, Rockford, Colombo, Murder She Wrote, Magnum, and more.

Do you remember this? ...

[Arkansas Granny]

13. Do I remember it? Kookie was the only reason I watched 77 Sunset Strip.

He was my first celebrity crush.

[pinboy3niner]

15. I grew up in LA.'s San Fernando Valley, and that show was a local fave

We knew that building from driving past it in Hollywood, though it wasn't really #77. Kookie was quite a celeb at the time.

[BootinUp]

36. There are some other great shows

that are being mentioned. I never caught Peter Gunn or 77 Sunset Strip.

[OriginalGeek]

7. I loved both Rockford Files and Columbo

along with Ellery Queen, Monk, Kojak, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and if The Untouchables counts I loved that too

[Initech]

8. Psych!!

The only detective show that can pull off any number of episode styles ranging from horror movie to musical to election and all points in between. Loved the recent musical episode, and I generally don't like musicals.

[avebury]

38. I stopped watching Psych because I just

found it too plain childish. The immature behavior of the lead actors just became to annoying after a while.

[Lulu KC]

125. JUST discovered it--

loving it!

[Phil1934]

9. Ellery Queen

[rurallib]

26. I loved Ellery Queen. "Murder She Wrote" was its successor

and that was just as good.

[idendoit]

86. J.D. Fletcher, once the deadliest character on TV.

Just about every place she showed up, somebody died.

[rurallib]

88. We used to joke about that.

On Sunday night we would get our two girls, the dog, some blankets and one whopping bowl of popped corn and settle in for a pleasant little murder.

After about 2 seasons we realized that being Jessica Fletcher's friend in the small town of Cabot Cove could be hazardous to your health. We were always surprised anyone would even look at her.

[Kaleva]

112. For awhile Cabot Cove was the murder capital of the world.

[Kablooie]

10. Q.T. Hush

[dipsydoodle]

11. Elementary

[archiemo]

18. Great choice!

[dipsydoodle]

20. I just love the interplay

between Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller.

[BootinUp]

34. This is my current favorite

I also like The Mentalist.

[TeamPooka]

12. Rockford, Columbo and Elery Queen...

we have a TV station here in L.A. that runs them in daily or weekly reruns and I still watch them

[Arkansas Granny]

14. I have to agree with you on Rockford Files. I still catch it from time to time and

it's still good.

[boston bean]

17. Streets of San Francisco was pretty good. nt

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

19. Barney Miller n/t

[ailsagirl]

50. One of my all-time absolute favorites

Believable characters and excellent writing!!

One critic called it an "Existential ballet"

Top-notch

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

55. I had a friend in the '70s, George

He was our group operations officer. In civilian life he was a Philly detective. One afternoon, sitting in a diner with some friends, someone asked George what was the most realistic cop show on TV. I was thinking Baretta or Starsky and Hutch. Guess what George said?

[BootinUp]

56. B..B...But

Barney Miller was a comedy sit-com show! Lol.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

57. My tax dollars at work

[ailsagirl]

63. YES!! I've read the same thing about officers

Not "Hill Street Blues," or "Streets of San Francisco," but "Barney Miller!!"

From Wikipedia:

Barney Miller retains a devoted following among real-life police officers, who appreciate the show's emphasis on dialog and believably quirky characters, and its low-key portrayal of cops going about their jobs. In an 2005 op-ed for the New York Times, real-life New York police detective Lucas Miller wrote:

"Real cops are not usually fans of cop shows. [...] Many police officers maintain that the most realistic police show in the history of television was the sitcom Barney Miller, [...] The action was mostly off screen, the squad room the only set, and the guys were a motley bunch of character actors who were in no danger of being picked for the N.Y.P.D. pin-up calendar. But they worked hard, made jokes, got hurt and answered to their straight-man commander. For real detectives, most of the action does happen off screen, and we spend a lot of time back in the squad room writing reports about it. Like Barney Miller's squad, we crack jokes at one another, at the cases that come in, and at the crazy suspect locked in the holding cell six feet from the new guy's desk. Life really is more like "Barney Miller" than "NYPD Blue," but our jokes aren't nearly as funny."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Miller

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

69. It was a scream

I can recall Fish talking to his wife and Harris talking about his book.

[ailsagirl]

71. Don't forget Inspector Luger

And Dietrich, with his knowledge of everything.

And Wojo

Such a good show

I bought the collection

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

72. I'm considering getting it

Dietrich: "Was that Mrs. Miller?"
Barney Miller: "Yeah."
Dietrich: "Past tense was unintentional."

I like the episode where a few detectives were locking someone in the cage as Fish emerged from the restroom. They were seriously disheveled and said they had chased him into the sewer. Fish commented that he may have been obstructing justice.

[ailsagirl]

74. That was a good one

Also the one where Wojo brought in hashish-laced brownies (unbeknownst to him) and all the guys had some except, of course, for Barney (who was wisely watching his waist line).

Or when Harris didn't don a uniform when it was mandatory he did-- he and Barney really got into it.

So many downright funny moments.

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

75. I remember the brownies

from IMDB:

Captain Barney Miller: [to Harris, who is stoned on hashish brownies] I want you to go home until you feel better.
Detective Ron Harris: [grinning] Hey, I'll go home... but I ain't never gonna feel better!
Captain Barney Miller: And I don't want you driving a car; take the bus.
Detective Ron Harris: Okay... wait. If I can't drive a car... (laughing)
Detective Ron Harris: I better not try to drive a BUS!

[MrScorpio]

67. WINNER! nt

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

68. TY! I would watch again today if I could find reruns.

[Make7]

118. Crackle.com has a dozen or so episodes online.

http://www.crackle.com/c/barney-miller

ETA: So does Hulu:

http://www.hulu.com/barney-miller

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

120. Thanks

[Scuba]

21. Rockfish. Lovejoy a close runner-up.

Angel used to make my skin crawl.

[BootinUp]

52. I never had heard of Lovejoy

Maybe I will check it out. BBC eh?

[Scuba]

54. BBC. Ian McShane. Very clever show.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

81. Available on DVD

Very worth catching.
Ian McShane (Deadwood) and Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes from Downton Abbey) are the main characters in this series about a slightly ne'er-do-well antique dealer.

[Scuba]

87. Slightly?

[progressoid]

105. Used to watch Lovejoy on A&E

Back when it still meant Arts and Entertainment.

[mythology]

22. My favorite current one is Sherlock, the BBC show

But I also love Psych and loved Monk.

[valerief]

27. Sherlock is great for the few episodes I've seen so far. I'm also

enjoying Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

I'm straying a bit here, but the best "police" series is Reno: 911!

[auntAgonist]

32. Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is great!! Really enjoying that show. Also if you like those

Inspector Lynley Mysteries

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0988820/


Agatha Christie's Poirot is unassuming and light entertainment.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094525/


Wallander is good too!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1178618/

[valerief]

35. Thanks! nt

[BootinUp]

28. I was surprised how good

the Sherlock show is.

[uppityperson]

91. No season 3 for another 2 weeks in the states. Bah.

[Barack_America]

100. Season 3. Jan 19th.

Can. Not. Wait.

[Shrek]

23. NYPD Blue n/t

[pinboy3niner]

24. Spin & Marty

Just throwing that in in case anyone remembers.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

83. I do remember, and are you sure you don't mean "The Hardy Boys"

from the same era? Also starring Tim Considine?

[HappyMe]

25. NYPD Blue.

I like Law & Order too.

[mucifer]

30. Columbo is the best IMO. But, can we count Get Smart and Police Squad?

Those were pretty cute.

[BootinUp]

31. heil no! lol.

[Art_from_Ark]

117. Well, considering that Get Smart was about spies, rather than detectives,

Last edited Sun Jan 5, 2014, 04:51 AM - Edit history (1)

I would say that it probably doesn't count

[ConcernedCanuk]

33. Well wow - Rockford Files was on my mind before I clicked on the thread!

.
.
.

James Garner has been one of my favorite actors for decades, starting with Maverick.

I also liked Perry Mason & Ironside with Raymond Burr.

yeah, I ain't no spring chicken . . .

CC

[NightWatcher]

37. You are correct, the Rockford Files was as close as it gets to the real thing

[LiberalElite]

39. Nobody liked

Monk?

[LumosMaxima]

42. I loved Monk! nt

[LiberalElite]

44. I did too -

till they had Sharona move back to NJ and they got that other woman assistant. I kept watching but IMHO it was not a change for the better.

[BootinUp]

47. Monk was a very entertaining show

I still catch it every now and then.

[bigwillq]

40. NYPD Blue (nt)

[TheMightyFavog]

41. Wallander.

Brannagh is perfect for this role. And as a side benefit, if it weren't for this series, Tom Hiddleston might not have been tapped to play Loki.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

80. Love that series, wish they'd make some more.

I've become a huge fan of Scandinavian murder mysteries. They're very dark.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

82. The Swedish version with Krister Henriksson is better

It doesn't follow the books, but the character is truer to the character in the books.

[Barack_America]

99. Could not agree more. Amazing series.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

95. Yes. Just wish there were more episodes.

Many more.

[KT2000]

43. L&O: Criminal Intent n/t

[Sherman A1]

60. Ironside

The original series.

[TexasBushwhacker]

96. I love Criminal Intent and the original Law & Order

I even had that "chung chung" sound for a ring tone. BTW, they have started showing the original Law & Order on the Sundance Channel on weeknights. They started on Wednesday and they are showing them in order.

[KT2000]

97. thanks!

now, I wish they would bring back Goren and Eames for some more of those complicated stories.

[GoCubsGo]

45. Monk

I love goofy characters, and that show is full of 'em.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

48. I agree with the Rockford Files

The writing was wonderful (some of the best in the history of television). I loved the characters of Angel (Stuart Margolin) who Jim Rockford could always count on to be totally unreliable and Beth (Gretchen Corbett) who was always talked into doing freebies as Rockford's attorney.

[BootinUp]

53. Thats what I'm talking about

the writing was just superb. So real life much of the time, with just the right amount of intrigue. Angel Martin is perhaps the funniest believable character I have seen. Beth Davenport, interesting, very pretty, not the strongest actress but held her own. The best guest actress ever on the show was probably Joyce Van Patten who played a woman obsessed with befriending police in the Season 3 -2 part episode To Protect and Serve.

[ailsagirl]

49. I enjoyed Columbo because it was quirky and

Peter Falk was a real character!

[840high]

58. Yes - like Monk.

[PassingFair]

51. We just finished watching "Top of the Lake"

Maybe not the BEST EVER, but certainly the best RECENTLY.
Really gritty and exotic.

[yellowdogintexas]

64. "The Killing" is very intense and dark

I am currently plowing through it on Netflix.

[PassingFair]

66. Yeah....Top of the Lake is done in the same style.

I loved both seasons (but especially the 1st) of "The Killing".

It was cancelled, but I read somewhere that Netflix has picked it
up and was going to do another season.

They believe the pacing lends itself to their format.

Yay!

[First Speaker]

59. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes

I love just about all detective series. Yes, Rockford and Columbo and Ellery Queen--and Suchet as Poirot--all were terrific. But there is only one Sherlock Holmes. And there is only one Jeremy Brett. This is probably the best piece of casting in TV history, and the scripts were superb--very faithful to Doyle, but modern, too. Just the best there ever was.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

76. What an incredible series

Last edited Sat Jan 4, 2014, 01:25 PM - Edit history (1)

I've downloaded all available episodes from youtube and watch them over and over. The acting in that series including that of Brett is superb, the writing is amazing, the cinematography is top notch, and the locations (old castles and estates and the English countryside or Victorian London cityscapes) are breathtaking. Each hour-long episode is of feature film quality. I'm a Sherlock Holmes nut and love the series. The consistent quality of each episode leaves me awestruck each time upon their conclusion and I can only utter "wow". Excellent choice!

[Incitatus]

61. CSI Miami!

Just kidding.


Monk and Law and Order.

[Kingofalldems]

62. Burke's Law

Best ever.

[Blue_Tires]

65. If I had to choose ONE

it would have to be Inspector Montalbano...

And the fact that he hasn't even gotten a mention must mean no one here has ever seen it....

[Lydia Leftcoast]

85. I've seen it, but then I watch MHz Worldview

on streaming.

[RebelOne]

70. Dragnet. Loved it when I was a kid. n/t

[Katashi_itto]

73. Battlestar Galatica

[BootinUp]

77. lol. Original or the re-boot?

[ailsagirl]

78. What about Hercule Poirot??

And his little grey cells...

[Lars39]

89. Bon. :-)

[Barack_America]

101. Ultimately, this is where my loyalty lies.

Other series are good, but nobody owns their character like Suchet owns Poirot. He has literally done them all (with the exception of one short story, I believe).

[ailsagirl]

110. Yes, Suchet is the perfect Poirot

I do like British mysteries, I confess. Another detective series I watch is "Inspector Morse." I find it most entertaining (plus, the scenery ain't bad, either!).

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

79. The series "Maigret" on French TV was also pretty good

based on the famous books on Detective Maigret by Georges Simenon. The BBC also did a good job bringing the books to the TV screen with Michael Gambon in the title role as Inspector Maigret. The English-language series ran on PBS in the 1990s and you can find several episodes of both the French and British versions on youtube.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

84. You can buy DVDs of the French version

A real favorite on MHz Worldview TV, although not currently being shown.

[Lionel Mandrake]

90. Perry Mason

Raymond Burr was the perfect Perry Mason.

LA street maps show a Perry Mason Court and a Della Street.

[BlueStreak]

103. It wasn't exactly a detective show, but don't tell Paul Drake that.

The Perry Mason series was fantastic, even if the courtroom procedure was not very authentic. I have the complete set of the original TV series (all black and white until one of the very last episodes when they experimented in color.)

Them Los Angeles folks sure do blackmail each other a lot.

[Lionel Mandrake]

107. But Perry Mason was like Sherlock Holmes.

Perry Mason solved the mystery in most episodes of the TV show. At the end of a typical episode, Paul Drake says something like "But Perry, how did you know that ...", to which Perry replies something like: "It's simple, Paul. You will recall that ... ". This is a variation on a theme by Arthur Conan Doyle, whose main character often said "Elementary, my dear Watson".

My parents had collected most of Erle Stanley Gardner's novels, and I read them long before there was a TV version of Perry Mason. Since Gardner was a lawyer, he knew all about criminal procedure and wrote realistic dialog about it. The early episodes of the TV show were taken from the novels. I think for this reason that the courtroom procedure in the TV show was probably authentic. But I'm not a lawyer and can't vouch for it directly.

What was wildly improbable in the TV show was the confession that usually took place in the courtroom. This never happens in real life.

[BlueStreak]

108. Re: courtroom procedure

I'm not a lawyer either, but I think the objections and various maneuvers were mostly legit. What is not legit is the sequence of activities. Ham Burger would put on a devastating witness. and then Mason would immediately call another witness to blow the first one out of the water. Court doesn't work that way. The prosecution puts on a case and the defense can only cross-examine. Then after the prosecution is done, the defense calls their witnesses.

And also the timing of the cases and discovery are not legit at all. The show usually had the trial happening while the bodies were still warm, which never happens. And all that surprise evidence? Maybe you could get away with some of that back in the 1970s, but today everything is brought out in discovery before the trial begins.

But that would make for a horrible show. They mixed it up for dramatic effect, as they should.

Another bit I love is how in almost every episode, the real guilty party stands up screaming from the gallery, and then the judge lets Mason carry on peppering that person with questions even though they haven't been called to the stand. I bet most lawyers wish they could get away with some of those tricks.

[hamsterjill]

92. Spenser for Hire

Loved Robert Urich, but loved even more the "Hawk" character played by Avery Brooks.

Hawk just kicked some serious ass when serious ass needed to be kicked!!!

[eShirl]

114. they should/could spin-off a "Hawk" series

but only if they can get Brooks himself

[MissMillie]

93. The Hardy Boys!

j/k



I like all of the iterations of Law & Order

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

94. Anyone remember M Squad or The Naked City?

Both were very hard-hitting detective shows from the late 50s, early 60s. M Squad had a very gritty film noir quality to it starring Lee Marvin as Chicago police detective Frank Ballanger. The Naked City was largely shot on location in New York and featured great acting as well, often focusing on the social issues and motivations involved in crime. They were wonderful shows.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

116. I have bought but not yet watched a 40-show set of Naked City

I wish they would release The Defenders, the 1962 original, which dealt with controversial issues of the day, and featured stories in which the main characters, father and son lawyers, sometimes lost their cases.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

122. You used to see criminal defense attorneys in heroic roles in the 60s

like in the marvelous Defenders that you mention or Perry Mason, where the accused was unfairly charged. In later times, with shows like Law And Order, the prosecutors became the heroes and the defense attorneys were usually depicted as scum bags. I thought Law And Order was well made and I was a fan, but I recognized the systematic brainwashing. As a lawyer myself, I found prosecutors in real life to be among the most corrupt and deceitful individuals I have known.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

123. That really is the opposite of the portrayal on Law and Order, isn't it?

The noble prosecutors trying to send the serial killer to Death Row while the defense attorney tries to bargain down to one count of manslaughter. (I exaggerate, but yeah...)

They don't have double jeopardy in Japan, and it's possible for the same person to be tried repeatedly, because the prosecutors are CONVINCED that the person is guilty and can't get a tribunal of judges to agree (jury trials are a recent innovation there).

[Logical]

98. Police squad! nt

[klook]

104. Foyle's War

Wonderful writing, great characters, flawless acting -- especially by Michael Kitchen as Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle.

I love this series -- not only are the episodes gripping drama, but it's so interesting to get an idea of what life in Britain during WWII must have been like. There are 25 episodes available on streaming Netflix, and it's killing me to wait for the next season(s?) to show up on PBS.

[Little Star]

106. Quincy, M.E. ......

[BootinUp]

111. Loved it. wish it was played more.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

109. Homicide: Life on the Street

I was going to say David Simon's other Baltimore creation, The Wire (from which I get my screen name), which derives itself from the same source material but is even better than Homicide (thanks to the lack of network censorship). But it's not solely a detective/police story, given that it focuses just as much--if not more--on the non-police characters.

So I'll say Homicide, since that was pretty top notch in terms of network television police series. It was the original home of Richard Beltzer's Detective Munch character, and sadly after Munch's move to the laughably bad Law and Order: SVU series, his character was nowhere near as well-developed or well-written.

[Brigid]

113. You beat me to it.

I loved that show.

[davidpdx]

119. The one nobody has mentioned

[frogmarch]

121. The Artful Detective (Murdoch Mysteries)

is my favorite. It's set in Toronto, Canada in the early 1900s.

I get it on Saturdays on Ovation TV.

[Still Blue in PDX]

124. I watched all the Murdoch Mysteries on Netflix . . .

I told a friend about the show. She told me about The Artful Detective.

It was quite a kick when I realized we were talking about the same show.