10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (2024)

10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (1)

By Ben Protheroe

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10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (5)

There has been a trend in crime shows to become more complex lately, but sometimes simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Ever since the rise of shows like True Detective, crime TV has been shifting away from the old cable formula of easily-digestible shows that follow a reliable formula. While these newer, "prestige" dramas are brilliant in their own ways, many fans find themselves searching for a simpler approach.

Crime procedurals and crime comedies tend to be the richest sources of these types of shows. When a show has over 20 episodes per season, rather than the 10 or fewer which are becoming more common, it helps to have a dependable framework. While this can make the shows slightly more predictable, this predictability isn't necessarily a bad thing. There's a huge audience of people who want to watch their favorite TV detective solving a new case every week.

Related

10 Underrated Recent Detective TV Shows You Probably Missed

The detective genre is always evolving, and these great crime shows might not have made big news, but they're must-watch crime television.

10 Monk

Tony Shalhoub Stars As A Detective With OCD

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10/10

Monk

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Cast
Tony Shalhoub , Ted Levine , Jason Gray-Stanford , Traylor Howard , Stanley Kamel , Melora Hardin

Release Date
July 12, 2002

Seasons
8

Monk could be the ultimate cozy crime show, as it combines some genuinely perplexing mysteries with some great comedy writing. Tony Shalhoub stars as Adrian Monk, a former detective from San Francisco now working as a consultant after suffering a nervous breakdown following the death of his wife. Each week brings a new case for Monk to solve, all while managing his many tics and phobias with the help of his assistant.

Monk has a reliable formula, but there are many episodes which shake things up and push Monk even further out of his comfort zone.

The only long-running story in Monk that takes up more than a couple of episodes is Monk's quest to find his wife's killer. Most of the best episodes of Monk can be enjoyed without any context. Monk has a reliable formula, but there are many episodes which shake things up and push Monk even further out of his comfort zone than he usually is. Shalhoub's charming comedic performance keeps things light even when his character is walking through a gruesome crime scene.

9 Sherlock

The BBC's 21st Century Update Of Sherlock Holmes Ticks All The Right Boxes

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10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (9)

7/10

9.9/10

Sherlock
Cast
Martin Freeman , Benedict Cumberbatch , Rupert Graves

Release Date
August 8, 2010

Seasons
4

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories were mostly published in newspapers and magazines. Over a century later, the BBC's modernized adaptation managed to recapture the same sense of riotously entertaining criminal intrigue. Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman add their names to the long list of British actors who have played Holmes and Watson over the years, and they are both among the best.

Sherlock manages to retain the essence of the characters and the addictive nature of the puzzles.

Sherlock makes a few key changes to Doyle's work, most of which are simply to transplant the stories into a modern context. More importantly, Sherlock manages to retain the essence of the characters and the addictive nature of the puzzles. Most of the episodes draw from a particular story, making the show especially rewarding for fans of the books. Ever since the show's ending, there have been persistent rumors of Sherlock season 5 bringing Cumberbatch and Freeman back for more.

8 Elementary

The American Sherlock Holmes Series Reinvents The Iconic Detective

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10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (12)

8/10

10

9.9/10

Elementary

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Cast
Lucy Liu , Jon Michael Hill , Aidan Quinn , Jonny Lee Miller

Release Date
November 27, 2012

Seasons
7

Elementary premiered just two years after Sherlock, and it initially faced a lot of criticism for seemingly being derivative of the BBC show. Soon, Elementary managed to make its mark as a unique show. Rather than merely copying Sherlock and pasting it onto New York City, Elementary works by mixing the sensationalist crime mysteries of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's work with the format of an American TV procedural.

Elementary retains the appeal of Sherlock Holmes, and adds the bingeworthy nature of episodic U.S. crime dramas.

Elementary chops and changes a lot from the Sherlock Holmes stories beyond the time and place. Both Watson and Moriarty's characters are gender-swapped, and most of the cases are original stories. However, Elementary retains the appeal of Sherlock Holmes, and adds the bingeworthy nature of episodic U.S. crime dramas. Johnny Lee Miller's Sherlock is still a misanthropic addict with a genius-level IQ, just like his literary counterpart.

7 Bosch

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10/10

Bosch

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Cast
Titus Welliver , Jamie Hector , Amy Aquino , Lance Reddick , Madison Lintz , Troy Evans , DaJuan Johnson , Mimi Rogers

Release Date
February 6, 2014

Seasons
7

Bosch is an intriguing mixture of procedural drama and episodic narrative. While each season sees Detective Harry Bosch saddled with a new important case, there is enough of a reliable structure to each episode that they each deliver something satisfying. This formula has given the show plenty of new avenues to explore as it has developed, and the spinoff, Bosch: Legacy continues the same pattern.

Bosch and Bosch: Legacy are gritty dramas that eschew the typical trappings of crime TV.

Bosch and Bosch: Legacy are gritty dramas that eschew the typical trappings of crime TV. Whereas other shows introduce new cases to be solved every week, Bosch shows the immense effort of a single murder investigation, and the enduring toll that it takes on the detectives. Bosch also has no interest in presenting a fantasy of law enforcement, and many of the storylines delve into institutional corruption and incompetence. Despite these heavy themes, Bosch remains an easy watch.

6 Psych

Psych Has Remained As Popular As Always

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10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (17)

8/10

6/10

Psych

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Cast
Dulé Hill , Kirsten Nelson , Corbin Bernsen , James Roday , Maggie Lawson , Anne Dudek , Timothy Omundson

Release Date
July 7, 2006

Seasons
8

Psych takes a simple conceit and runs with it. James Roday plays Shawn Spencer, a crime consultant who uses his impressive memory and logical reasoning skills to pose as a psychic during investigations. The fact that he can pass off his information as magic that has come to him from a different realm means that he's able to pursue investigative methods that are less than legal.

Although the series finale aired in 2014, a series of Psych movies have kept it alive.

Shawn is accompanied throughout Psych by his best friend and reluctant colleague Gus. Their push-and-pull dynamic is key to keeping the show fresh, since their friendship comes across as authentic. There are a few overarching storylines, such as Shawn's difficult relationship with his father, but Psych usually presents a new intriguing case each week. Although the series finale aired in 2014, a series of Psych movies have kept it alive.

5 The Mentalist

The Mentalist's Quirky Premise Doesn't Mean It Can't Get Serious

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10/10

The Mentalist

Cast
Simon Baker , Robin Tunney , Tim Kang , Owain Yeoman , Amanda Righetti , John Troy Donovan , Rockmond Dunbar , Joe Adler

Release Date
September 23, 2008

Seasons
7

In some ways, The Mentalist seems eerily similar to Psych, with a phony psychic working as a police consultant. The main superficial difference is that Patrick Jane is a former phony who has revealed his methods so that he can assist the police. This makes it a kind of inverse-Psych, but there are plenty more differences beyond the premise. For starters, the shows have two completely different approaches to comedy.

The Mentalist can be both hilarious and emotionally devastating at times.

The main motivation for The Mentalist's Patrick Jane is his search for the elusive serial killer who murdered his wife. "Red John" rears his head every now and then, but The Mentalist also has plenty of room for lighter, less personal cases from week-to-week. While other shows try to keep a consistent tone from episode to episode, The Mentalist can be both hilarious and emotionally devastating at times.

4 Bones

Bones Is A Procedural Like No Other

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9.6/10

Bones

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Cast
Emily Deschanel , T.J. Thyne , Michaela Conlin , John Francis Daley , David Boreanaz , Tamara Taylor

Release Date
September 13, 2005

Seasons
12

Bones puts an interesting spin on the tried-and-tested formula of American crime procedurals. Rather than following the lives of detectives, Bones is about the work of an FBI agent and a forensic anthropologist. The field of forensic anthropology isn't one that had been explored on TV before Bones, but it turns out to be perfectly suited to the format. Bones has the chance to explore different kinds of cases to other shows.

At the center of it all is the sizzling chemistry between David Boreanaz's fiery FBI agent and Emily Deschanel's cool-headed scientist.

Although Bones uses a lot of detailed scientific explanations in its plots, some realistic and some pure fantasy, the bulk of the drama is carried by more relatable police work. At the center of it all is the sizzling chemistry between David Boreanaz's fiery FBI agent and Emily Deschanel's cool-headed scientist. They are the classic opposites-attract couple, and this reflects in both their working relationship and their personal dynamic.

3 Only Murders In The Building

The Simplest Kind Of Serial

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10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (22)

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9.1/10

Only Murders in the Building

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Cast
Michael Cyril Creighton , Aaron Dominguez , Ryan Broussard , Selena Gomez , Martin Short , Vanessa Aspillaga , Steve Martin , Amy Ryan , Jeena Yi

Release Date
August 31, 2021

Seasons
4

Only Murder in the Building is one of the most popular crime shows currently on TV, and part of its appeal can be contributed to the way that it keeps things relatively simple. In an age when crime shows are becoming grittier and more complex to reflect real-life cases, Only Murders in the Building is a throwback to a different style. What sets it apart from other serialized crime shows like Fargo and True Detective is its light tone.

What sets it apart from other serialized crime shows like Fargo and True Detective is its light tone.

Only Murders in the Building follows three amateur sleuths as they unravel a new mystery each season. While the serialized structure means that the episodes should be watched in order, there are plenty of recaps as the characters pore over the facts and look at them from different angles. Only Murders in the Building season 4 adds a new raft of comedic talent to the cast, including Eva Longoria, Kumail Nanjiani and Melissa McCarthy.

2 Rizzoli & Isles

Female-Centric Crime Shows Are A Rarity

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Rizzoli and Isles
Cast
Angie Harmon , Sasha Alexander , Jordan Bridges , Bruce McGill , Lorraine Bracco , lee thompson young , Idara Victor , Brian Goodman

Release Date
July 12, 2010

Seasons
7

There's no shortage of crime procedurals and other detective dramas with male leads, so Rizzoli and Isles presents a fresh alternative. The show follows a Boston detective working closely with a medical examiner who happens to be her best friend. Their constant back-and-forth is central to the humor of Rizzoli and Isles, but their bickering, bantering dynamic also tees up some of the show's most emotional moments.

There's no shortage of crime procedurals and other detective dramas with male leads, so Rizzoli and Isles presents a fresh alternative.

Like many similar crime shows, Rizzoli and Isles has one main villain operating in the shadows that the show returns to occasionally. In this case, it's the sadistic serial killer who previously abducted Jane Rizzoli and has made it his mission to kill her. Rizzoli and Isles adds in a lot of detail about the personal lives of the characters, and the show often spends time away from crime scenes and police stations.

1 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

One Of TV's Greatest Procedurals Is Endlessly Rewatchable

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9/10

Law and Order: SVU

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Cast
Christopher Meloni , Mariska Hargitay , Richard Belzer , Dann Florek , Michelle Hurd , Stephanie March , Ice-T , BD Wong , Diane Neal , Tamara Tunie

Release Date
September 20, 1999

Seasons
24

Most crime procedurals keep things simple. The easiest way to churn out plenty of episodes is to stick to a formula which can accommodate a new case each week. Law and Order: Special Victims Unit could well be the best procedural drama on TV, and a rare example of a spinoff that surpasses the original show its based on. SVU was an immediate hit, and it has been on the air ever since 1999.

Many of the cases are ripped from the headlines, and the real-world context makes them even more chilling.

SVU has had plenty of memorable guest stars over the years, including actors about to explode like Adam Driver and surprising celebrity cameos like Serena Williams. These appearances inject some novelty into the show, but SVU never lets any of its gimmicks overshadow the intense drama. Many of the cases are ripped from the headlines, and the real-world context makes them even more chilling.

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10 Uncomplicated Crime TV Shows That Keep It Simple (2024)

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