Subgenre Sampler

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Before We Die (TV Series) (2021): Feat. Lesley Sharp, Patrick Gibson, Vincent Regan; 6 part Police drama based on the popular Scandi–noir series of the same name, shifting the setting from Stockholm to Bristol. Follows a…
Whitstable Pearl (TV Mini-series) (2021): Feat. Kerry Godliman, Howard Charles, Frances Barber; Cosy crime miniseries based on the novels by Julie Wassmer about a single mum and ex–police officer who pursues her dream to start a detective…
Enemy Within, The (TV Series) (2019): Feat. Jennifer Carpenter, Morris Chestnut, Raza Jaffrey…; Gripping counter–intelligence drama series following an ex–CIA–spy–turned–traitor (Jennifer Carpenter, DEXTER) who is…
London Kills (TV Series) (2019): Feat. Hugo Speer, Sharon Small, Jennie Jacques; British police procedural centering around an elite murder investigation squad in London, and an experienced detective whose judgement is called into…
Manhunt (TV Mini-series) (2019): Dir. Marc Evans
Feat. Martin Clunes, Stephen Wight, Katie Lyons; Solid Brit–cop drama starring Martin Clunes as a London Metropolitan police detective who tracks down a serial killer. Based on the true story…
Wild Bill (TV Mini-series) (2019): Feat. Rob Lowe, Bronwyn James, Rachael Stirling…; British drama with Rob Lowe playing a US police chief who moves to Lincolnshire from Miami with his 14 year old daughter. Hoping to escape a painful…
ABC Murders, The (TV Mini-series) (2018): Dir. Alex Gabassi
Feat. John Malkovich, Andrew Buchan, Eamon Farren…; Three–part adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel with John Malkovich refreshing as retired detective Hercule Poirot who is here targeted by a…
Alienist, The (TV Mini-series) (2018): Feat. Daniel Bruhl, Luke Evans, Dakota Fanning…; Crime drama series that assembles an ad hoc team in mid–1890s New York to investigate a serial killer who is murdering street children. The…
Bletchley Circle, The: San Francisco (TV Mini-series) (2018): Feat. Julie Graham, Rachael Stirling, Crystal Balint…; Set during the thrilling social change of the mid–1950s, these new episodes see two characters from the original British series travel to…
Hard Sun (TV Series) (2018): Feat. Jim Sturgess, Agyness Deyn, Nikki Amuka-Bird…; Neil Cross (LUTHER, SPOOKS) penned this dystopian British crime drama, where two mismatched police officers investigate evidence that a mysterious…
Instinct (TV Series) (2018): Feat. Alan Cumming, Bojana Novakovic, Naveen Andrews; Police procedural based on the novel "Murder Games" by James Patterson, with Alan Cumming playing an academic and married gay man, who is lured back…
Jack Ryan (TV Series) (2018): Feat. John Krasinski, Abbie Cornish, Wendell Pierce…; John Krasinski inhabits the TV incarnation of the action–man role created by Tom Clancy and previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford,…
Mystery Road (TV Mini-series) (2018): Dir. Rachel Perkins
Feat. Aaron Pedersen, Judy Davis, Deborah Mailman…; Six–part miniseries based on the outback noir film of the same name, following indigenous detective Jay Swan as he investigates the…
Rookie, The (TV Series) (2018): Feat. Nathan Fillion, Alyssa Diaz, Richard T. Jones; Police procedural drama with Nathan Fillion playing a small–town guy pursuing his dream of becoming an LAPD officer, and proving himself…
Wellington Paranormal (TV Series) (2018): Dir. Jemaine Clement, Jackie Van Beek
Feat. Karen O’Leary, Mike Minogue, Maaka Pohatu; An inspired spin–off TV series from WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS that expands the role of lovably clueless police officers O'Leary and Minogue…
Broadchurch - Series 3 (TV Series) (2017): Feat. David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker…; The third and final series has detectives Hardy and Miller investigating a serious sexual assault in the beleagured Dorset village, and explores the…
Prime Suspect 1973 (TV Series) (Prime Suspect: Tennison) (2017): Dir. David Caffrey
Feat. Stefanie Martini, Sam Reid, Blake Harrison…; A retro–dated prequel to Lynda LaPlante's long–running British detective drama series, originally starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane…
Angie Tribeca (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Rashida Jones, Hayes MacArthur, Jere Burns…; Steve Carell produced spoofing of TV cops with Rashida Jones as lone–wolf detective Angie Tribeca investigating the most serious cases, from…
Dark Heart (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Tom Riley, Charlotte Riley; Crime mini–series set in London, following an alcoholic and workaholic detective investigating a string of horrific murders, all the while…
In Plain Sight (TV Mini-series) (2016): Dir. John Strickland
Feat. Douglas Henshall, Martin Compston, Shauna Macdonald; Three–part drama series covering the crimes committed by serial killer Peter Manuel in Lanarkshire, Scotland in the 1950s, shocking local…
Lethal Weapon (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford; A quintessential "buddy cop" action comedy–drama series based on the 1980s & 90s film franchise created by Shane Black, with Damon Wayans and…
Level, The (TV Series) (2016): Dir. Mark Everest, Andy Goddard
Feat. Karla Crome, Lindsey Coulson, Noel Clarke…; Six–part British crime drama featuring Karla Crome as a detective with the National Crime Division assigned to Brighton CID to investigate the…
Lucky Man (TV Series) (Stan Lee's Lucky Man) (2016): Feat. James Nesbitt, Amara Karan, Sienna Guillory…; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
New Blood (TV Series) (2016): Feat. Mark Strepan, Ben Tavassoli, Mark Addy…; A light–on–its–feet London–based BBC police series from the creator of FOYLE'S WAR that brings together a pair of cheeky…
Secret, The (TV Mini-series) (2016): Dir. Nick Murphy
Feat. James Nesbitt, Genevieve O’Reilly, Jason Watkins…; Award–winning mini–series based on Belfast journalist Deric Henderson's true–life account of the double murder of a couple whose…
Witnesses (TV Mini-series) (2016): Dir. Herve Hadmar
Feat. Thierry Lhermitte, Marie Dompnier, Laurent Lucas; Crime drama set in the north of France centred around a resilient female cop who investigates a wave of strange murders linked to a retired crime…
Black Work (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Sheridan Smith, Matthew McNulty, Geraldine James…; Pacy British crime series with Sheridan Smith as a policewoman who sets out to discover who murdered her husband, an undercover officer.
Broadchurch - Series 2 (TV Series) (2015): Feat. David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Andrew Buchan…; Second season of the compelling mystery series returns to the titular town one year after Danny Latimer's killer was revealed. Inevitably more…
Bureau, The (TV Series) (Le Bureau des Legendes) (2015): Feat. Mathieu Kassovitz; CONTRABAND TITLE. Seasons 1 to 3 are not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of…
Coroner, The (TV Series) (2015-2016): Feat. Claire Goose, Matt Bardock; Light and fanciful whodunnit drama series starring Claire Goose as a coroner poring over suspicious corpses in a fictional South Devon coastal town.…
iZombie (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Rose McIver, David Anders, Malcolm Goodwin; The hunger for all things dead–but–still–living continues with his amusing twist on the genre, loosely adapted from a comic book…
Norskov (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Thomas Levin, Claus Riis Ostergaard, Jacob Lohmann; CONTRABAND TITLE. Season 1 is not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film &…
Team, The (TV Series) (2015): Feat. Lars Mikkelsen, Veerle Baetens, Jasmin Gerat; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
True New Zealand Crime Stories (How to Murder Your Wife; Monster of Mangatiti; Venus and Mars; Bloodlines; Siege) (2015): Dir. Riccardo Pellizzeri, John Laing, Peter Burger
Feat. Mark Mitchinson, Craig Hall, Sara Wiseman…; How to Murder Your Wife: A black comedy based on the true story of Alfred Benning's outlandish attempts to murder his overbearing wife in 1977.…
Babylon (TV Mini-Series) (2014): Feat. Brit Marling, Ella Smith, Bertie Carvel…; British comedy–drama set in contemporary London, and following the activities of the Metropolitan Police Service and New Scotland Yard, as they…
Bosch (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Titus Welliver; Titus Welliver stars as Michael Connelly's famed detective in this acclaimed series in which Bosch pursues a murderer while standing trial for the…
Brokenwood Mysteries, The (TV Series) (2014-2024): Feat. Neill Rea, Fern Sutherland; A local stab at the ever popular murder mystery genre with this Kiwiana policier featuring two mismatched detectives investigating a series of…
Chasing Shadows (TV Mini-Series) (2014): Dir. Christopher Menaul, Jim O’Hanlon
Feat. Reece Shearsmith, Alex Kingston, Noel Clarke; British crime series following the work of a missing persons unit, with Reece Shearsmith as a brilliant yet socially awkward detective Sergeant who…
Fall, The - Series 2 (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, John Lynch; Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan reprise their roles, and continue their gripping game of cat and mouse through the streets of Belfast.
Hannibal - Season 2 (TV Series) (2014): Feat. Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas…; Further episodes in the grisly, ultra stylised thriller based on Thomas Harris' ubiquitous crime novels, with the grimly compelling relationship…
Happy Valley (TV Series) (2014-2023): Feat. Sarah Lancashire, Steve Pemberton, Siobhan Finneran; Another riveting top–shelf British police drama hot on the heels of BROADCHURCH. Sarah Lancashire stars as a Yorkshire sergeant who suspects a…
True Detective - Season 1 (TV Series) (2014): Dir. Cary Joji Fukunaga
Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Monaghan…; This superlative HBO policier – a marquee television event in 2014, and the first in an anthology of bespoke detective stories – pairs…
Almost Human (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Karl Urban, Michael Ealy, Minka Kelly…; Futuristic sci–fi series set in the year 2048, where a human cop (Karl Urban) partners up with an android to fight crime as part of a new…
Bridge, The - Series 2 (TV Series) (Bron/Broen) (2013): Feat. Sofia Helin, Kim Bodnia, Dag Malmberg; Further episodes in this steely Danish–Swedish murder mystery, with series two investigating the mystery surrounding an abandoned coastal…
Broadchurch - Series 1 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker…; Superb addition to the euro crime craze, with Tennant and Colman bringing a surprisingly fresh take on the mismatched partner scenario, as detectives…
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews…; Andy Samberg plays a hotshot detective too cocksure for his captain's liking in this irreverent law and order sitcom, very much in the vein of…
Death of a Pilgrim (TV Mini-Series) (2013): Feat. Rolf Lassgard; Fascinating Scandi–conspiracy thriller centred on the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme in 1986, a murder that to this day…
Fall, The - Series 1 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, Laura Donnelly; A dark exemplar of the current wave of female–driven crime dramas, with former X–FILES stalwart Gillian Anderson bringing a steely edge…
Hannibal - Season 1 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas…; A grisly, ultra stylised thriller based on Thomas Harris' ubiquitous crime novels, with the grimly compelling relationship between FBI agent Will…
Harry (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Oscar Kightley, Sam Neill, Hunter Kamuhemu…; Oscar Kightley plays a grieving South Auckland detective swamped by a series of armed robberies in this dark, authentic local policier, a welcome…
Shetland (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Douglas Henshall, Steven Robertson, Alison ODonnell; Created from the novels by Ann Cleeves (VERA), this BBC series follows Detective Inspector Jimmy Perez (Douglas Henshall) and his team as they…
Top of the Lake (TV Series) (2013): Dir. Jane Campion, Gerard Lee
Feat. Elisabeth Moss, Peter Mullan, David Wenham…; An unnerving, atmosphere–rich 'feminist' policier from Australasian auteur Jane Campion, centred on the mystery of a 12–year–old…
Tunnel, The (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Stephen Dillane, Clemence Poesy, Mia Goth; An Anglo/French remake of Scandinavian crime hit THE BRIDGE, centred alternatively on a British and French detective who find themselves working…
WPC 56 (TV Series) (2013): Feat. Jennie Jacques; In the tradition of JULIET BRAVO, this Birmingham–set police drama follows the trials and triumphs of a woman constable to serving in the…
Alcatraz (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Sarah Jones, Jorge Garcia, Sam Neill…; A short–lived but engrossing policier with a mystery hook – a la LOST – which re–imagines San Francisco's Alcatraz prison as…
Good Cop (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Warren Brown, Kerrie Hayes; A hard–hitting police procedural about a run–down Liverpool constable who turns to increasingly violent and unlawful means in his line of…
Killing, The - Series 3 (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2012): Feat. Sofie Grabol, Søren Malling; Final episodes in the ripping, immensely popular Danish homicide serial weaves a third plot exploring a death linked to the global financial crisis…
Line of Duty (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Lennie James, Martin Compston, Vicky McClure…; Outstanding new British policier deals with corruption and department politics within a special unit whose record crime figures don't quite add up.…
No Limit (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Vincent Elbaz, Anne Girouard; TV series created by Luc Besson following a French intelligence agent who accepts a mission from a mysterious black ops organisation in exchange for…
Ripper Street (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Matthew MacFadyen, Jerome Flynn, MyAnna Buring; A gritty and gripping period policier which revisits the manhunt for Jack the Ripper in Victorian London. Series One: eight episodes across three…
Young Montalbano (TV Series) (Il giovane Montalbano) (2012): Feat. Michele Riondino; The popular Inspector Montalbano lives on in this prequel which employs Andrea Camilleri's earlier books to paint a picture of Montalbano in his…
Arne Dahl (TV Series) (2011): CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
Bridge, The - Series 1 (TV Series) (Bron/Broen) (2011): Feat. Sofia Helin, Kim Bodnia, Dag Malmberg; The Scandi–crime wave continues with this steely Danish–Swedish murder mystery, centred on the discovery of a body straddling the…
Case Sensitive (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Olivia Williams, Darren Boyd, Peter Wight…; Serviceable British policier centred on the case–solving acumen of a male–female detective team whose work regularly descends into…
Grimm (TV Series) (2011): Feat. David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Bitsie Tulloch…; A supernaturally gifted homicide detective begins to take on cases linked to creature mythology and fairytale archetypes in this police procedural…
Killing, The (TV Series, US) (2011): Feat. Mireille Enos, Billy Campbell, Michelle Forbes; Absorbing US remake of the hit Danish homicide serial remains faithful to the long–form, deep–focus procedural format of the original…
Person of Interest (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson; A rogue CIA agent is recruited by a reclusive computer genius to help run an unwanted crime prediction system he developed for the government. Strong…
Scott & Bailey (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Suranne Jones, Lesley Sharp, Rupert Graves…; A tough–minded and level–headed female policier in the spirit of CAGNEY & LACEY (with shades of PRIME SUSPECT), framed around the private…
Shadow Line, The (TV Series) (2011): Dir. Hugo Blick
Feat. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Rafe Spall…; This quality BBC production builds a compelling and morally complex story around the death of a convicted drugs smuggler, whose murder is…
Underbelly - Season 4 (TV Mini-series) (Land of the Long Green Cloud) (2011): Feat. Daniel Musgrove, Damien Avery, Grae Burton…; World famous in New Zealand, drug trafficker Marty Johnstone – aka, Mr. Asia – steals the Underbelly spotlight in this locally made…
Zen (TV Series) (2011): Feat. Rufus Sewell, Caterina Murino, Julie Cox…; Short–lived but stylish BBC detective series wades into the overcrowded male crime fighter market with suave Rufus Sewell in the role of…
Blue Bloods (TV Series) (2010-2020): Feat. Tom Selleck, Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan; Character driven police procedural set in New York City where an Irish Catholic family has a history of work in law enforcement, with each family…
Castle (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic, Jon Huertas; Quirky cop show with a pulp crime writer teaming up with a detective to track down a serial killer.
DCI Banks (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Stephen Tompkinson, Caroline Catz, Andrea Lowe; Stephen Tompkinson embodies the firm, working class stock of Peter Robinson's Inspector Alan Banks in this solid British police procedural. Series…
Five Days (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Suranne Jones, Anne Reid, Bernard Hill…; High concept BBC crime series magnifies the complex thread of events and consequences surrounding a lengthy crime investigation by focusing on five…
Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim…; A souped–up, though still relatively faithful update of the funky surf and sun policier, originally a hit in the late sixties. Alex O'Loughlin…
Luther (TV Series) (2010-2019): Feat. Idris Elba, Saskia Reeves, Indira Varma…; Stylish, swaggering BBC cop show created by SPOOKS–scriptwriter (and currently Wellington resident) Neil Cross stars THE WIRE's Idris Elba as a…
Rizzoli & Isles (TV Series) (2010-2016): Feat. Angie Harmon, Sasha Alexander, Bruce McGill…; Girl–powered police procedural series that teams up Angie Harmon as police detective Jane Rizzoli and Sasha Alexander as medical examiner Dr.…
Rookie Blue (TV Series) (2010): Feat. Missy Peregrym, Gregory Smith; A group of young, incongruously attractive recruits learn the ropes of police work in this highly unrealistic, but nonetheless addictive soap opera…
Sebastian Bergman (TV Series) (Den fördömde) (2010): Feat. Rolf Lassgard; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
Single-Handed (TV Series) (2010): Dir. Colm McCarthy, Anthony Byrne
Feat. Owen McDonnell; Picturesque rural Ireland policier following a big city officer who returns to his home–town to find it seething with a complex web of…
Thorne (TV Series) (2010): Feat. David Morrissey, Eddie Marsan, Aidan Gillen…; Another top–draw British policier loaded with all the usual suspects: atmosphere, plot twists, and a hard–bitten hero, with David…
Underbelly - Season 3 (TV Mini-series) (The Golden Mile) (2010): Feat. Mitch Bartlett, Natalie Bassingthwaighte, Emma Booth; Sydney’s infamous Kings Cross, circa 1989, is the setting for this latest airing of Australia’s dirty laundry. Although centred on the…
Above Suspicion (TV Series) (2009): Feat. Kelly Reilly, Ciaran Hinds, Shaun Dingwall; British crime series based on the novels written by Lynda La Plante (PRIME SUSPECT). A rookie female detective, determined to prove herself amidst…
Killing, The - Series 2 (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2009): Feat. Sofie Grabol, Søren Malling; Further episodes from the ripping, immensely popular Danish homicide serial weaves a secondary plot of intrigue, corruption, and bureaucracy…
Law and Order UK (TV Series) (2009): Feat. Jamie Bamber, Bradley Walsh, Ben Daniels…; Beloved crime show gets a UK version capturing the both excitement and drudgery that made the US version such a success. Initially the heavy…
Lie To Me (TV Series) (2009-2011): Feat. Tim Roth, Kelli Williams, Brendan Hines; Engaging crime drama that sees an unlikely Tim Roth play Cal Lightman, a doctor who has such an uncanny ability to read facial expressions and body…
Moses Jones (TV Mini-Series) (2009): Dir. Michael Offer
Feat. Shaun Parkes, Matt Smith; Grimy, downtrodden policier finds the titular Moses Jones (Parkes) re–assigned to investigate a brutal murder amid London’s Ugandan exile…
Red Riding Trilogy (1974, 1980, 1983) (2009): Dir. Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, Anand Tucker
Feat. Sean Bean, Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey…; David Peace’s gritty quartet of crime novels receive a stunning translation to the screen with this threesome of British detective thrillers, based…
White Collar (TV Series) (2009-2014): Feat. Matt Bomer, Marsha Thomason, Tim DeKay…; Police procedural series following a hard working and honest FBI agent (Tim DeKay) who makes a work–release deal with a captured con artist…
Ashes to Ashes (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes; Spin–off from BBC drama LIFE ON MARS follows DI Alex Drake (Hawes), a police psychologist from 2008 transported to the 80's after a horrific…
Detective De Luca (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Alessandro Prezioni; Another good looking entry into the Italian crime fiction genre, only this time set during the country's fascist era and along the war torn Bologna…
Flashpoint (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Hugh Dillon, Enrico Colantoni, Sergio Di Zio; High–octane cop show from Canada following the 'Strategic Response Unit', a team of elite police who take on the riskier jobs the rest won't…
Fred Vargas Collection (TV Series) (2008-2010): Dir. Josee Dayan
Feat. Jean-Hugues Anglade, Helene Fillieres, Charlotte Rampling; Four excellent French TV adaptations of crime fiction novelist Fred Vargas' popular policiers, with her famous protagonist, Detective Adamsberg, a…
Mentalist, The (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang; Superior crime series sees Simon Baker play an ex–'psychic' who now uses his remarkable powers of scrupulous observation in the name of the…
Wallander (TV Series, UK) (2008): Feat. Kenneth Branagh, Sarah Smart, Sadie Shimmin; UK adaptation of Henning Mankell’s crime novels sees Branagh take on the titular role of the grizzled Nordic detective, solving gristly crimes in…
Whitechapel (TV Mini-series) (2008): Feat. Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton; Atmospheric detective show focused on a group of detectives who are trying to track down a Jack The Ripper copycat. Filmed entirely in the East…
East West 101 (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Don Hany, William McInnes, Susie Porter; A contemporary, racially–charged policier by way of blue collar Sydney, observing the volatile working relationship between an old–school…
George Gently (TV Series) (Inspector George Gently) (2007): Feat. Martin Shaw, Lee Ingleby; Retro policier with a superb attention to detail, starring Martin Shaw as the eponymous inspector whose old–school detective methods are caught…
Killing, The - Complete Series Boxset (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2007-2012): Feat. Sofie Grabol; The entire 40–episode story arc of the gripping Danish crime thriller – an immensely popular series synonymous with the 'Nordic Noir'…
Killing, The - Series 1 (TV Series) (Forbrydelsen) (2007): Dir. Birger Larsen
Feat. Sofie Grabol, Søren Malling; A ripping Danish homicide serial in the long–form tradition of THE WIRE, which weaves a plot of intrigue, corruption, and bureaucracy around a…
Lewis (TV Series) (2007-2015): Feat. Kevin Whatley, Laurence Fox, Clare Holman…; Spin–off to the popular INSPECTOR MORSE series, this Brit detective drama follows a newly promoted Inspector and his sidekick investigating…
Life (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Damian Lewis, Adam Arkin; Damian Lewis riffs Hugh Laurie’s ‘House’ as an incongruous detective returning to the force to uncover the person who got him locked up for 12…
Moonlight (TV Series) (2007-2008): Feat. Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Shannyn Sossamon; Underrated crime series featuring a private investigator that just happens to be a vampire and treads the fine line between his daytime duties and…
24 - Season 5 (TV Series) (2006): Feat. Kiefer Sutherland; Further episodes in this high–concept TV thriller, covering 24 hours of real time events (an hour per episode) with Kiefer Sutherland as lead…
Anna Pihl (TV Series) (2006-2008): Feat. Charlotte Munck, Iben Hjejle; Praised for its realism, this Danish police drama centres around a Copenhagen policewoman also having to deal with solo parenthood.
Dexter (TV Series) (2006): Feat. Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter…; Deliciously twisted crime drama series following a forensics investigator encouraged by his adopted father to knock off the dregs of the criminal…
Life on Mars (TV Series) (2006): Feat. John Simm; John Simm is a modern day detective inadvertently transported back in time to 1973, where his investigative skills are now obsolete in a…
24 - Season 4 (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert; Further episodes in this high–concept TV thriller, covering 24 hours of real time events (an hour per episode) with Kiefer Sutherland as lead…
Bones (TV Series) (2005-2014): Feat. David Boreanaz, Emily Deschanel; A curious forensic policier positing a new angle on the genre, this partners a brilliant anthropologist (Deschanel) and a cocky FBI agent (Boreanaz)…
Closer, The (TV Series) (2005-2006): Feat. Kyra Sedgwick; Capable and assured detective drama dodges most of the worst cliches of the genre, with Kyra Sedwick playing a talented 'Southern Belle' investigator…
Criminal Minds (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Mandy Patinkin, Thomas Gibson, Lola Glaudini; An elite team of FBI profilers attempt to get under the skin of America's most wanted in this tough, if routine procedural drama. Lead by a…
CSI: Grave Danger (TV Series) (2005): Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Feat. William Petersen; Commissioned by producers to write and direct this fifth season cliffhanger of the forensic crime series, Quentin Tarantino exhumes the "buried…
Inspector Soneri: Fog and Crimes (Nebbie e delitti) (2005): Feat. Luca Barbareschi, Natasha Stefanenko; Inspired by the best–selling crime novels by Valerio Varesi, this atmospheric policier set along the river Po, with Barbareschi as the brooding…
Jesse Stone [Movie Series] (2005-2015): Feat. Tom Selleck, Jane Adams, Saul Rubinek…; Based on the detective novels by Robert B. Parker, Tom Selleck plays his eponymous law enforcement officer from Massachusetts in this series of…
Wallander (TV Series) (2005): Feat. Krister Henriksson, Johanna Sällström; Suspenseful Scandinavian procedural finds drama within the inner–workings of a police force in southern Sweden, chiefly between the series’…
Eagle, The (TV Series) (A Crime Odyssey) (2004): Feat. Jens Albinus; An expert Danish thriller dealing in international terrorism and cross–border crime, this involves the usual task force machinations of special…
Blackjack (TV Series) (2003-2007): Dir. Peter Andrikidis
Feat. Colin Friels, Vince Colosimo, Kate Beahan…; Tenacious Aussie crime series centred on a detective banished to work in the police archives section, who uses his new surrounds to solve long…
Blue Murder (TV Series) (2003): Feat. Caroline Quentin; Pragmatic crime series featuring British comedian Caroline Quentin as a detective at the top of her game, trying to juggle her demanding career and…
Last Detective, The (TV Series) (2003): Feat. Peter Davison; The ironically moniker Constable "Dangerous" Davies livens up this comic policier about an inept but persistent detective saddled with the most…
NCIS (TV Series) (2003-2007): Feat. Mark Harmon, Sasha Alexander; Globe–trotting TV crime series focused on a group of detectives investigating curly crimes connected to the Navy and Marine corps. A riveting…
New Tricks (TV Series) (2003): Feat. Alun Armstrong, James Bolam, Amanda Redman…; Solidly commended British crime series set around a trio of retired police detectives (Armstrong, Bolam and Waterman), led by the rather brash Amanda…
Planman, The (2003): Dir. John Strickland
Feat. Robbie Coltrane, Graham Crowden; Ingenious two–part thriller in which Robbie Coltrane, in a near–reprise of his CRACKER role, plays a clever Scottish lawyer who in his…
CSI Miami (TV Series) (2002): Feat. David Caruso, Rory Cochrane; Episodes from the first series of the Florida–based spinoff from the successful forensic procedural series. David Caruso follows William…
Wire in the Blood - Prayer of the Bone (2002): Feat. Robson Green; Feature–length spin–off episode from the acclaimed Brit crime series 'Wire in the Blood' – centred on a fatigued psychotherapist /…
Wire, The - Season 1 (TV Series) (2002): Feat. Dominic West, Idris Elba, Wood Harris…; Tough, patient HBO TV policier (from David Simon, creator of HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREETS) follows the Baltimore drug scene from both the police and…
Without a Trace (TV Series) (2002): Feat. Anthony LaPaglia, Marianne Jean-Baptiste; Television crime drama from the Jerry Bruckheimer stable (see also CSI) that traces the investigations of the FBI's Missing Persons Squad, led by the…
Inspector Lynley Mysteries, The (TV Series) (2001-2008): Feat. Nathaniel Parker, Sharon Small, Lesley Vickerage; British crime drama based on the novels by American writer Elizabeth George centred around the detective work and personality and class clash of the…
Law and Order: Criminal Intent (TV Series) (2001-2004): Feat. Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe, Jamey Sheridan…; One of the various spin–offs to the long–running crime drama LAW AND ORDER, in which D'Onofrio and Erbe track down the bad guys for the…
Messiah (TV Series) (2001-2005): Feat. Ken Stott, Frances Grey, Michelle Forbes; Grisly BBC serial in the tradition of PRIME SUSPECT and CRACKER shadows the case solving of a partially–deaf detective with a disturbed nose…
Murder In Mind (TV Series) (2001): Excellent star–studded series of self–contained stories on the theme of murder, generally centered around apparently 'normal people' who…
Murphy's Law (TV Series) (2001-2007): Feat. James Nesbitt, Mark Benton, Claudia Harrison…; BBC TV drama starring James Nesbitt as a tough talking, maverick Irish cop who moves to London and takes on the criminal underworld after his…
Nero Wolfe (TV Series) (A Nero Wolfe Mystery) (2001): Feat. Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, Bill Smitrovich…; Witty 40's–set detective series based on the series of Rex Stout novels, following the investigations of a sensitive detective and his right…
Burnside (TV Series) (2000): Feat. Christopher Ellison; Bearable Detective spin–off series of THE BILL, with Christopher Ellison reprising the riveting character of Detective Frank Burnside, who…
CSI (TV Series) (Crime Scene Investigation) (2000-2001): Feat. William Petersen; Highly watchable forensic TV drama that follows the fortunes of a police unit in Las Vegas who use tiny clues and the latest scientific methods to…
Rebus (TV Series) (2000-2007): Feat. John Hannah; John Hannah takes on the now familiar role of a Scottish Detective Inspector in the first few episodes of this whodunit crime series set on the…
Turbo (TV Series) (2000-2001): Feat. Roberto Farnesi; Addictive mystery series with the canine detective Turbo tracking villains against the sun–drenched vistas of Tuscany.
Unit One (TV Series) (Rejseholdet) (2000-2004): Feat. Mads Mikkelsen; CONTRABAND TITLE. Series 1 to 4 are not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of…
Waking The Dead (TV Series) (2000): Feat. Trevor Eve, Sue Johnston, Wil Johnson; Flash and cerebral British series has a 'cold case' police squad of professional but complex investigators assigned to research unsolved crimes. With…
Inspector Montalbano (TV Series) (Commissario Montalbano) (1999-2018): Feat. Luca Zingaretti, Katharina Böhm, Cesare Bocci; Based on the global bestsellers by Andrea Camilleri, this series of telemovies is set around a world–weary, though not cynical, Sicilian…
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (TV Series) (SVU) (1999-2004): Feat. Richard Belzer, Christopher Meloni, Mariska Hargitay…; Another batch of law–enforcers plie their grim vocation, in this LAW AND ORDER satellite series, wherein a special team investigate…
Vice, The (TV Series) (1999): Feat. Caroline Catz, Marc Warren, Ken Scott; Edgy Bafta Award Winning TV detective drama series focusing on the London Metro Squad examining crime and unsolved murder in the sex industry.
Martial Law (TV Series) (1998-2000): Feat. Sammo Hung, Arsenio Hall; Action–comedy series starring prolific Hong Kong actor/director/producer Sammo Hung (and frequent Jackie Chan collaborator) as a Chinese law…
Stalker's Apprentice, The (1998): Dir. Marcus D.F. White
Feat. Peter Davison, James Bolam, Kathleen Turner; A book editor uses a writer's manuscript about a serial killer as a template for his own homicidal fantasies in this punchy, at times lurid British…
Advocates, The (TV Series) (1997): Feat. Ewan Stewart, Isla Blair, Rachel Weisz…; Obscure Scottish legal drama contrasting high powered lawyers with the sleazy underbelly of Edinburgh's streets, and the inevitable merging of the…
Duggan (TV Series) (Death in Paradise, Sins of the Fathers) (1997-1998): Dir. Yvonne MacKay
Feat. John Bach; Detective inspector John Bach heads up these made–for–TV policiers as a recluse drawn into a murder cases near his Marlborough Sounds…
Midsomer Murders (TV Series) (1997): Feat. John Nettles, Daniel Casey, Jane Wymark…; A worthwhile British police drama in the tradition of Agatha Christie's MISS MARPLE, in which a veteran detective Inspector Barnaby (Nettles) and his…
Inspector Wexford Collection, The (TV Mini-series) (1996-2000): Feat. George Baker, Sadie Frost; Collection of commended adaptations based on the Ruth Rendell novels and centred on the recurring Rendell character of Inspector Wexford – an…
Silent Witness (TV Series) (1996): Feat. Amanda Burton, Emilia Fox, William Gaminara; Acclaimed, long–running BBC forensic series, originally focused around expert pathologist Dr Sam Ryan (Burton). This is darker and more complex…
Dangerfield (TV Series) (1995): Feat. Nigel Le Vaillant, Amanda Redman; Small–town BBC fare stars Nigel Le Vaillant as a successful GP whose moonlighting as a police surgeon puts pressure on his understaffed…
Hamish MacBeth (TV series) (1995-1997): Feat. Robert Carlyle; The town of Lochdubh in the Scottish Highlands forms a droll and scenic setting for this smalltown policier set around the put–upon local…
McCallum (TV Series) (1995-1998): Feat. John Hannah; Above–par crime series trails the private and professional life of the titular forensic pathologist as he becomes entangled in various murder…
Due South (TV Series) (1994): Feat. Paul Gross; CRASH dir. Paul Haggis served as creator of this offbeat, mildly popular fish–out–of–water policier about a Canadian Mountie in…
Inspector Rex (TV Series) (1994-2004): Feat. Tobias Moretti; Austrian TV series, with a sizable cult following around the world (especially in Australia), in which a lone policeman and his German Shepherd…
Tekwar (TV Series) (1994-1996): Feat. Greg Evigan, Eugene Clark, William Shatner; Ropey but enjoyable future–noir adapted from William Shatner's sci–fi novels, about a police officer framed for murder and trafficking…
Wycliffe (TV Series) (1994): Dir. Jack Shepherd
Feat. Bill Nighy, Jack Shepherd; Edgy novel based detective drama following the feats of a conventional trench coat clad superintendent investigating small town crime. Effectively…
Homicide (TV Series) (Life On The Street) (1993-1999): Dir. Barry Levinson
Feat. Richard Belzer, Ned Beatty, Yaphet Kotto…; Award–winning cop drama, from the creator of THE WIRE, centred on a group of homicide detectives investigating grisly crimes on the tough…
NYPD Blue (TV Series) (1993): Feat. David Caruso, Dennis Franz, Amy Brenneman…; "Groundbreaking" TV cop show that wasn't so much groundbreaking as a slick 90s rehash of the likes of 'Hill Street Blues'. But despite all the fast…
Between the Lines (TV Series) (1992): Feat. Neil Pearson, Tom Georgeson, Siobhan Redmond…; CONTRABAND TITLE. Not legally available for sale, rent or trade in New Zealand unless submitted for approval to the NZ Office of Film & Literature…
Commish, The (TV Series) (1991-1995): Feat. Michael Chiklis; Impressionable cop series set in small–town America with Michael Chiklis taking on the role of local police commissioner attempting to balance…
Prime Suspect (TV Series) (1991-2003): Dir. Christopher Menaul
Feat. Helen Mirren, Tom Bell, Tom Wilkinson…; Helen Mirren stars as DCI Tennison in seven award–winning (Emmy and BAFTA) mini–series from the pen of Lynda La Plante.
Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, The (TV Series) (1990): Feat. Patrick Malahide; Detective series plucked from the novels of famed crime writer Ngaio Marsh follows Detective Inspector Roderick Alleyn as he suavely solves crime in…
Campion (TV Series) (1989-1990): Feat. Peter Davison, Brian Glover, Andrew Burt; Eccentric detective series sees Peter Davison play the titular Albert Campion, who, along with his melancholy sidekick Lugg, solve mind–bending…
Inspector Morse (TV Series) (1987): Feat. John Thaw; Much–loved British TV Series that follows the criminal cases of Morse, probably John Thaw's most famous character – the cantankerous…
Wiseguy (TV Series) (1987-1990): Feat. Ken Wahl, Kevin Spacey, Tim Curry…; Influential 80's crime series featuring the appealing Ken Wahl as an undercover FBI agent attempting to infiltrate the Mafia and destroy them from…
Crime Story (TV Series) (1986-1988): Dir. Abel Ferrara
Feat. Dennis Farina, Andrew Dice Clay; Genre stylist Michael Mann (COLLATERAL) followed up MIAMI VICE with this good–looking crime story set in hardboiled 60s Chicago. Dennis Farina…
Sledge Hammer! (TV Series) (1986): Feat. David Rasche, Harrison Page, Anne-Marie Martin; GET SMART meets DIRTY HARRY in this riotous late–night spoof detailing the exploits of unorthodox Inspector 'Sledge Hammer', a loose cannon of…
Dempsey & Makepeace (TV Series) (1985): Feat. Michael Brandon, Glynis Barber; Glynis Barber attained minor cult status as the smart, sexy partner of a rough and tumble New York cop (Brandon), mismatched of course in this…
P.D. James Collection, The (TV Series) (1985-1998): Feat. Roy Marsden; Award winning drama collections written by P.D. James detailing the challenges of a disciplined detective commander solving a series of scandalous…
Blue Thunder (TV Series) (1984): Feat. James Farentino, Dana Carvey; Television series based on the 1983 movie of the same name about the law enforcers and tacticians operating the Blue Thunder helicopter and its…
Miss Marple (TV Series) [Joan Hickson] (1984-2002): Dir. Julian Amyes
Feat. Joan Hickson, Paul Eddington, Kevin Whatley…; Best–loved BBC series featuring Agatha Christie's 'Miss Marple', played definitively by the great Joan Hickson. Set in the sleepy, yet…
Agatha Christie: Partners in Crime (TV Series) (1983): Feat. Francesca Annis, James Warwick, Reece Dinsdale; Crisp adaptation of some of Dame Agatha's lesser known short mysteries. The protagonists here are husband and wife sleuths Tommy and Prudence…
Cagney and Lacey (TV Series) (1982): Feat. Sharon Gless, Tyne Daly; Women’s Lib. makes headway into New York’s crime fighting ranks in this sturdy eighties policier propelled by two staunch female detectives in a…
T.J. Hooker (TV Series) (1982-1986): Feat. William Shatner, Heather Locklear, Adrian Zmed; Former STAR TREK–ker Shatner made a recovery to television fame for this affable cop drama, playing a tough but compassionate veteran who…
Bergerac (TV Series) (1981): Feat. John Nettles, Terence Alexander; Classic of its kind. Roguish Bergerac races around Jersey trying to thwart jewel thieves, terrorists, murderers and general no gooders. Great fun,…
Hill Street Blues (TV Series) (1981): Feat. Daniel J. Travanti, Michael Conrad, Veronica Hamel…; Steven Bochco's progressive eighties policier found dramatic substance and acclaim in its realistic and ethnically diverse portrayal of the lives of…
Gentle Touch, The (TV Series) (1980): Feat. Jill Gascoine, William Marlowe; Ground–breaking police drama featuring Britain's first female TV detective fighting crime and the demands of being a solo mother. Jill Gascoine…
Juliet Bravo (TV Series) (1980): Feat. Stephanie Turner, David Ellison, Noel Collins; Massively popular – although rather dated – UK police series focused on a female police officer who takes charge of a fictional…
Law And Order (TV Mini-Series) (1978): Dir. Les Blair
Feat. Peter Dean, Derek Martin; Discerning Brit crime series focusing on three men involved in a bungled armed robbery – the Criminal, the Inspector and the Lawyer and played…
Murder Most English (TV Series) (The Flaxborough Chronicles) (1977): Feat. Anton Rodgers, Christopher Timothy; Based on the Colin Watson mysteries, this Ever–so–English detective series follows two English detectives as they solve particularly…
Starsky and Hutch (TV Series) (1976): Dir. George McCowan, Don Weis
Feat. David Soul, Paul Michael Glaser; The quintessential leather–jacketed, mirror–shaded 70s TV show presented a cool cop pose, with violent, all–American morals.
Barney Miller (TV Series) (1975): Feat. Hal Linden, Barbara Barrie, Abe Vigoda…; This offbeat '70s sitcom about the drudgery and ordinary absurdity of everyday police work remains a cult favourite among TV aficionados and…
SWAT (TV Series) (S.W.A.T.) (1975): Feat. Steve Forrest, Robert Urich; One of the tough cop shows of the seventies that follows the covert missions of the LAPD's elite force. Season 1 (13 episodes) available over 3…
Rockford Files, The (TV Series) (1974-1975): Feat. James Garner, Noah Jr. Beery, Joe Santos…; In the spirit of 'Cold Case' this detective thriller series stars James Garner as an easy going plaid jacket attired investigator pursuing unsolved…
Zodiac (TV Series) (1974): Feat. Anton Rodgers, Anouska Hempel; A skeptical detective opens his mind to the unorthodox when he teams up with a young astrologer in this eccentric, short–lived crime series.
Kojak (TV Series) (1973-1978): Dir. Joseph Sargent
Feat. Telly Savalas, Ned Beatty; Popular 70s cop show that turned Telly Savalas's funky, lollipop sucking, glow–domed police lieutenant into a cultural icon. Highly quotable,…
Kojak Collection, The (The Marcus-Nelson Murders, The Belarus File, The Price of Justice) (1973-1987): Dir. Joseph Sargent, Robert Markowitz, Alan Metzger
Feat. Telly Savalas, Marjoe Gortner, Jose Ferrer…; Telly Savalas stars as the tough but witty sleuth who became a small screen icon in the 1970's. This set features the three feature–length TV…
Streets of San Francisco, The (TV Series) (1972-1980): Feat. Karl Malden, Michael Douglas; Top–notch 70's crime show with granite–faced veteran Karl Malden and newcomer Michael Douglas sharing the billing with the photogenic and…
Van Der Valk (TV Series) (1972-1992): Feat. Barry Foster, Joanna Dunham, Michael Latimer…; A hugely popular police procedural series starring Barry Foster as Van der Valk, a no–nonsense Dutch detective and head of the Amsterdam CID…
Cannon (TV Series) (1971-1976): Feat. William Conrad; Popular 70s cop show that pitched itself somewhere between COLUMBO and THE STREETS OF SAN FRANSISCO, memorably featured big guy William Conrad as LA…
McMillan & Wife (TV Series) (1971-1977): Feat. Rock Hudson, Susan Saint James; Mild crime series centred on a husband and wife detective team solving crime and bringing felons to justice on the streets of San Francisco. More…
McCloud (TV Series) (1970-1977): Feat. Dennis Weaver, J.D. Cannon, Ken Lynch…; Nicely executed crime series following an ex–sheriff from "out west" that joins up with a New York City police squadron to nab the baddies by…
Special Branch (TV Series) (1969-1974): Feat. Derren Nesbitt, Fulton MacKay; Brit detective series revolving around England's finest police duo tackling the bad guys of the local district. This series still holds appeal to a…
Strange Report (TV Series) (1969): Feat. Anthony Quayle, Kaz Garas, Anneke Wills; Wily Anthony Quayle is Adam Strange, ex–police officer turned criminologist charged with cleaning up murder sprees and other unsolvable cases…
Adam-12 (TV Series) (1968-1975): Feat. Kent McCord, Martin Milner, William Boyett; Cult cop show following the lives of two LAPD officers shot in a gritty docudrama style, and distinguished by a strict adherence to realism that…
Hawaii Five-O (TV Series) (1968): Feat. Jack Lord, James MacArthur; Cult policier set in the sunny underworld of Hawaii with a special task force assigned to combat crime in paradise. While best remembered for its…
Mod Squad, The (TV Series) (1968-1969): Feat. Michael Cole, Peggy Lipton, Clarence Williams III; Love beads, afros and hipster pants abound in this jive–talkin' police series that tapped into the excitement and paranoia of the 60's youth…
Dragnet (TV Series) (1967): Feat. Jack Webb, Harry Morgan; The classic hard–case, ultra–realistic sixties police procedural, with officers Friday and Gannon cleaning up the mean streets of…
Ironside (TV Series) (1967): Dir. James Goldstone, Leo Penn
Feat. Raymond Burr; Raymond Burr followed 'Perry Mason' with this different, but equally classic TV–series, shedding the lawyer role for a stint as a…
Z Cars (TV Series) (1962-1972): Feat. Brian Blessed, Joseph Brady; 12 episodes of the vintage British police series including the very first story.

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