And though it’s suggested his path to promotion is opposed by enemies he’s made in his career, he’s also pretty unambitious. People may poke fun today, but there’s a reason Starsky, Hutch, Starsky’s Ford Gran Torino and informant Huggy Bear have become well-known aspects of pop culture. Was this review helpful to you? Creator: Graham Yost, I still get mad thinking about this show’s cancellation. Creators: William Link and Richard Levinson, “Just one more thing…” With those words, audiences knew that Peter Falk’s Columbo was about to very casually tear into whatever suspect was unfortunate enough to be in the same room as him. —Mark Rozeman, Original Run: 1981-1987 That’s fine—The Wire’s laurels are well-earned—but give a little more consideration to The Shield, too, huh? In between, there were dozens of failed, fleeting or just plain forgotten shows… 12 wins & 107 nominations. Benny Hill Show. There’s only one season so far (the sophomore season is coming in 2016), and the plot centers on a kidnapping in the down-at-the-heels English town of West Yorkshire. Years later, if you ask anybody which cop drama masterpiece they believe to be the Greatest Of All Time™, they’ll probably say The Wire. That’s inexcusable, and the only explanation is that nobody has seen it—if they had, it wouldn’t have been left off. Brooklyn Nine-Nine didn’t just bring back the cop comedy; it has become one of the funniest shows of any genre currently on TV.—Chris Morgan, Original Run: 2003-2009 The other thing I've noticed which makes this show better is the exclusion of laugh tracks. An animated series that follows the exploits of a super scientist and his not-so-bright grandson. Naturally, romance begins brewing. But no, this show has no cheats like that and amuses viewers with original content. A suspended lawyer is forced to enroll in a community college with an eccentric staff and student body. Creators: Daniel J. Goor, Michael Schur, The police station sitcom had basically been dormant for years when Brooklyn Nine-Nine arrived. The drama was rich with complex characters who lived in the grey area. Bette. It didn’t make sense in the ‘70s, and, frankly, it would be bizarre now outside of any realm beyond Adult Swim. It’s likely going to be a very long time before anyone conceives of and executes a show as great as The Wire. In this world of the past, he is bumped down a rank and butts heads with his superior officer, the tough-as-nails DCI Gene Hunt (a career-making role for actor Philip Glenister). Do you remember how that dearth of good genre programming fostered stale creativity? Creator: Nic Pizzolatto, So, the second outing on HBO’s anthology crime show kind of sucked. The series has aired over 150 episodes, but even its star Nathan Fillion joked about the fact that nobody really knows what it’s about at the last Emmy Awards. Creator: Kevin Arkadie, Dick Wolf, Do you remember the days when the only cop shows on TV were Law and Order, NYPD Blue, and Homicide: Life on the Street? As the two dug deeper into the politics across the border while searching for a serial killer, The Bridge rarely shied away from tragedy and the horrific nature of the socio-political it was dissecting.—Ross Bonaime, Original Run: 1986-1988 Blondie. Nevertheless, it’s impossible to measure the impact that the first episode of the original CSI had when it first bombarded an unsuspecting public all those years ago. Billy (1992) Bing Crosby Show. Cop Shop continued until 1984 and in the meantime there were other less successful attempts at police dramas including Ten’s Bellamy and Special Squad and Nine’s soap-ish drama Waterloo Station. Mostly, the sitcom focused on the daily lives and minor squabbles of the people in the fictional town of Mayberry—the kind of charming Southern burg that most conservative politicians seem to have in mind when they talk about old school American values.—Robert Ham, Original Run: 2005-present Similar to Law & Order: SVU, the series delves into the psychology of its criminals, thanks in large part to Dr. Reid, the show’s quirky, lovable, genius-boy psychologist (played by Matthew Gray Gubler). If you like your cop yarns morally murky and narratively ambiguous, morals and narratives don’t tend to get murkier or more ambiguous than this. The sprawling drama, shot on location in Los Angeles, gave viewers a look at those parts of the city rarely seen on TV. Rashida Jones picked up a badge to play Angie Tribeca in the TBS cop comedy, following in the storied footsteps of Colin Hanks, Chelsea Peretti, Jeremy Renner, and Andy Griffith. The first half of each episode was devoted to the detectives that investigated the crime. Unceremoniously canceled by NBC on the eve of its second season premiere, TNT rescued the show and aired it for four additional seasons. By the end of the series’ 12-season run, Sipowicz could have spent an entire episode saying nothing at all, and we still would have known exactly what he was thinking. Dun! The comedy has to come out of the characters if it’s going to work. Enter, Malik Yoba and Michael DeLorenzo, New York Undercover’s stars, two men who didn’t fit the cop show’s traditional (read: white) leading man mold. —Mark Rozeman, Original Run: 2010-2015 In Sherman, Cudlitz created a groundbreaking character, playing a gay man whose sexuality was not a plot point. The Big C. The Big Day. Despite low ratings in its early days as well as a notable quality drop-off in its latter years, Homicide managed to last for seven season and remains an essential bastion of quality American television. All three seasons are on Netflix, and the fourth and final season will air later this year. Big deal. Creator: Stephen J. Cannell, Patrick Hasburgh, The entire series of 21 Jump Street is on Hulu. The greatest sitcom cops range from classic appearances - like in Seinfeld's library - to unforgettable famous policeman characters - like the entire cast of Comedy Central's Reno 911! Creator: William Blinn, In 2004, Starsky & Hutch was parodied by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in a movie, because there are those who find the ‘70s to be inherently funny and cheesy. (POLICE COPS, POLICE COPS IN SPACE and BADASS BE THY NAME) We know this is a tough time for everyone, so we're creating 3 tiers of supporter so you can choose what best suits your financial situation:- The Sexy Philanthropist Millionaire who's very sexy (Larger donations) Access to 3 shows - The Average Schmo (Medium donations) Access to 2 shows Creator: Sally Wainwright, It was with dismay that I received the news from Shannon, compiler of this list, that nobody else had picked Happy Valley. reality television, comedy or comedy-drama).. Beverly Hillbillies. “You care about the dead more than the living,” John Luther’s estranged wife accuses him. Big Bang Theory. Law & Order spawned four spin-offs, including Law & Order: SVU, which is still on the air and in its 17th season. Even something like Cops can be canceled after 33 seasons. Sledge Hammer! Bless This House. The cold open with people stumbling across a dead body, and the detective with a quip one-liner are Law & Order staples still imitated today. Creator: Noah Hawley, This series pulled off the nearly impossible—evoking the spirit and tone of the Academy Award winning film of the same name, while bringing an entirely new setting and characters to life. From offbeat sitcoms to critically-acclaimed series to buddy crime comedies, our collection of the best funny TV shows will keep you laughing. An anthology series exploring a twisted, high-tech multiverse where humanity's greatest innovations and darkest instincts collide. Big Eddie. Most of all, though, The Shield put a spotlight on law enforcement malfeasance without irrevocably blurring the line between social critique and theatricalized excitement. Filmed on location in various areas of New York City, the adventures of NYPD’s 65th Precinct boasts a lived-in, noir-esque atmosphere that still manages to hold up, even after 50 years of imitators. His already tenuous grasp on civility and basic sanity is tested further by the mind games of a woman (The Affair’s Ruth Wilson, seductive and threatening), he knows to have killed her own parents. (and, okay, 39 others that are pretty good too). Creator: Stirling Silliphant, Based on the celebrated 1948 movie of the same name, Naked City sought to introduce a still-young TV audience to the idea that quality crime stories could be enjoyed in the comfort of their own living room. What sets this series apart is Brannagh’s muted, world-worn performance and the excellent cinematography, which makes terrific use of the Swedish seaside to cultivate an atmosphere that’s melancholy and menacing by turns—sometimes at once. And while the show’s ambitions were never close to that of its more prestigious peers (i.e. Homicide: Life on the Streets, Law & Order, NYPD: Blue, The Shield, The Wire—all owe at least partial debt to the foundation laid down by the men and women of Hill Street.—Mark Rozeman, Original Run: 2014 Luther’s dread is palpable—and contagious.—Amanda Schurr, Original Run: (1999-present) So, you know, it’s a little less awkward to watch.—Chris Morgan, Original Run: 2001-2010 Brooklyn Nine-Nine: The 10 Saddest Things About Rosa, ‘The Office’ Leaves Netflix Next Month – Here’s How to Watch It in January, February Picks: The Movies and TV Shows You Can't Miss, February TV Calendar: New and Returning Shows, January Picks: The Movies and Shows You Can't Miss, MsMojo: Top 10 Memorable TV Couples of 2018. The show was also notable for its use of celebrity guest stars like Sheena Easton, G. Gordon Liddy, Lee Iacocca, and, of all people, Leonard Cohen and Frank Zappa.—Robert Ham, Original Run: 1982 And if you don’t trust me, trust the great Patti Smith, who refers to it more than once in her book M Train as one of her go-to detective shows.—Shane Ryan, Original Run: 1987-2000 I wanted to recreate those tough no nonsense crime fighters I grew up with in my own fiction. It’s suiting, then, that she hunts for a kindred spirit throughout Northern Ireland, her target the meticulous serial killer Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan), his name the most obvious accouterment of this dead-serious, deadly simmering procedural. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is definitely one of my favorite ever sitcom. It’s a fairly simple show about a crime novelist who begins shadowing, and working with, a homicide detective. But this series is no two-hander. Plus, Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lincoln! They were six wonderful episodes, though. Creator: Colin Dexter, Tony Warren, Played by John Thaw, the title character of this influential British detective drama is a refreshingly flawed iteration of the classic “gentleman detective.” Appearing in 33 two-hour episodes spanning 13 years, the figure of Inspector Morse, along with his trusty sidekick, Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately), looms large over more recent series like Idris Elba’s Luther. Creator: 2013-present, Any cop show about a cop who must work within his or her small hometown, enacting blind justice on the people he or she grew up with—people who are usually just trying to make ends meet—will be a cop show rarely about the police department at its core, and almost always about the people who take that function for granted. Creator: Alan Spencer, By the mid-1980s, the “loose cannon cop” archetype popularized by the Dirty Harry franchise (and encouraged by a culture of Regan-era conservatism) had already become a tired staple of film and TV. Fifteen years after 24 aired and the show’s earlier seasons can be seen as a fascinating, albeit dated, look at the attitude towards terrorism and Bauer’s method of doing whatever it took to get the answers he needed. There are three seasons, each three episodes long, and I’ve yet to run across a dud. But they all feature men and women who have sworn to serve and protect. Influential Television. Creator: Andrew W. Marlowe, Castle has replaced Burn Notice as the show people make fun of because they don’t know anybody who actually watches it. seasons, was simple and revolutionary in its approach, combining two popular television genres. Ten years later, Cop Rock turned the genre into a musical. Though it only lasted two seasons (and, as evidenced by the infamous Season One finale, even that was a major surprise to the creative team), the show eventually found international success in syndication, lending credence to the idea that the Hammer probably had a few more years of hilarious ineptitude left in him.—Mark Rozeman, Original Run: 1993-1996 Creator: Jimmy McGovern, Before he slapped on a fake beard and found himself at Hogwarts playing Hagrid, Robbie Coltrane already staked his place as a great character actor, particularly with his work as the hard-living psychologist Edward Fitzgerald, on Cracker. Check out IMDb's highest-rated movies and TV shows of 2020, most-viewed trailers, top stars, memorable moments, and more! Although, laugh tracks do, to a certain extent, seem to make shows more hilarious and to a point where even if you don't understand a joke, you'd laugh. 246 of 263 people found this review helpful. Follows the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty-something-year-old friends living in Manhattan. And they did it while also giving us dozens of memorable characters, even more quotable lines, and offering up some small ray of hope that, as the saying goes, a small group of concerned citizens could, in fact, try to change the world. They’re also people who once had to square off against Robin Williams in an episode where he was pretty much like the Riddler on Ritalin. Yes, Colvin, McNulty, Prez, and Gus tended to fail more than they succeeded, but Simon wants us to applaud their efforts and hopefully inspire us to repair the structures in our society that, as we’ve seen of late, are still crumbling around us.—Robert Ham, © 2020 Paste Media Group. —Mark Rozeman, Original Run: Jane Campion, Gerard Lee In the process, it became a defining example for how TV could equal the scope and depth of cinema. almost makes you wish law enforcement could always be this funny.—Ross Bonaime, Original Run: 1993-2005 Cool, atmospheric, and anti-conventional, New York Undercover made defying expectation its bread and butter, and deserves to be remembered, if only for that.—Andy Crump, Original Run: 2013-present Centering on a single police station in an unspecified city, the show combined the grittiness of ’70s crime thrillers with the loose, natural feel of a Robert Altman production. What is so completely fascinating about the show is the lengths to which Moss is willing to drag her character to defend the betrayal of her whole home’s ecosystem—facing, all the while, the hydra-headed reasons why she first fled to pursue a career in law enforcement in the first place. Elegantly violent and set against the freezing snow, Fargo explored the resounding effects of a seemingly innocent man when the evil lurking inside of him is unleashed. Psychological sparring aside, this is Elba’s show, so white-hot is Luther in his rage and determination to overcome it. Actors like Andre Braugher. Actors like Andre Braugher. Fillion and Stana Katic (Beckett) remain forever charming, and the consistently entertaining storylines are the reason the show has its fans.—Chris Morgan, Original Run: 2002-2009 Bewitched. The other employees of the 99th precinct include Detective Amy Santiago, Jake's over achieving and competitive partner; Detective Rosa Diaz, a tough and kept to herself coworker; Detective Charles Boyle, Jake's best friend who also has crush on Rosa; Detective Sergeant Terry Jeffords, who was recently taken off the field after the birth of his twin girls; and Gina Linetti, the precinct's sarcastic administrator. In fact I credit shows like Baretta, Charlie's Angels, and Starsky & Hutch for inspiring my initial desire to become a writer. 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