The Best TV Dramas
by Caribstu | created - 13 Apr 2021 | updated - 4 months ago | PublicBest TV Dramas of the 1990-2020's
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. Broadchurch (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 1,143 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
Stars: David Tennant, Olivia Colman, Jodie Whittaker, Andrew Buchan
Votes: 127,275
2. Mystery Road (2013)
Not Rated | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
An indigenous detective returns to the Outback to investigate the murder of a young girl.
Director: Ivan Sen | Stars: Aaron Pedersen, Hugo Weaving, Ryan Kwanten, Jack Thompson
Votes: 8,537
3. The Split (2018–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
The Defoes, a family of female divorce lawyers, are forced to face their past following the return of their estranged father after a 30-year absence.
Stars: Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey, Fiona Button
Votes: 10,376
4. The Jury (2002–2011)
TV-MA | 300 min | Drama
Twelve men and women are called for jury service in the retrial of a man accused of a triple murder after the High Court overturns the original verdict.
Stars: Paul Bhattacharjee, Gerard Butler, Nina Sosanya, Nicholas Farrell
Votes: 1,265
5. The Missing (2014–2016)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Tony and Emily Hughes' vacation turns into a nightmare when their 5-year-old son Oliver disappears from a large celebrating crowd in Northern France.
Stars: Tchéky Karyo, Anastasia Hille, James Nesbitt, Frances O'Connor
Votes: 30,230
6. The Shadow Line (2011)
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Christopher Eccleston and Chiwetel Ejiofor star in this intricate conspiracy thriller set in a world of blurred morality, inhabited by conflicted characters on both sides of the law.
Stars: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Kierston Wareing, Richard Lintern
Votes: 5,000
7. Unforgotten (2015– )
TV-MA | 45 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
London detectives investigate crimes from the past, unravelling secrets left buried for years.
Stars: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Jordan Long, Carolina Main, Nicola Walker
Votes: 30,498
8. Save Me (2018–2022)
TV-MA | 270 min | Drama, Mystery
Nelly hasn't rested trying to find his missing daughter Jody, he won't give up, and he will do anything to find out what happened. Discovering things about him and those around him, things he never imagined.
Stars: Lennie James, Stephen Graham, Suranne Jones, Camilla Beeput
Votes: 6,248
9. Silk (2011–2014)
TV-14 | 1,056 min | Drama
Drama series about life at the Bar, the dilemmas and problems that modern day barristers have to face, and what it means to become a silk.
Stars: Maxine Peake, Rupert Penry-Jones, Neil Stuke, Theo Barklem-Biggs
Votes: 5,577
10. Cracker (1993–1996)
TV-MA | 100 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald is a criminal psychologist. He is rather anti-social and obnoxious but he has a gift for solving crimes. Thus he is employed as a consultant by the Manchester Police.
Stars: Robbie Coltrane, Geraldine Somerville, Kieran O'Brien, Barbara Flynn
Votes: 7,871
11. Happy Valley (2014–2023)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Yorkshire-based crime drama centering on the personal and professional life of Police Sergeant Catherine Cawood.
Stars: Sarah Lancashire, Siobhan Finneran, James Norton, Rhys Connah
Votes: 64,590
12. Luther (2010–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
John Luther is a brilliant homicide detective with a knack for getting inside the minds of murderers. Unfortunately, his unconventional methods and personal demons put him at odds with his team.
Stars: Idris Elba, Dermot Crowley, Michael Smiley, Warren Brown
Votes: 154,331
13. Peaky Blinders (2013–2022)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama
A gangster family epic set in 1900s England, centering on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby.
Stars: Cillian Murphy, Paul Anderson, Sophie Rundle, Helen McCrory
Votes: 649,818
14. Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974 (2009 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 102 min | Crime, Drama, History
Rookie journalist Eddie Dunford is determined to find the truth in an increasingly complex maze of lies and deceit surrounding the police investigation into a series of child abductions.
Director: Julian Jarrold | Stars: Andrew Garfield, David Morrissey, John Henshaw, Anthony Flanagan
Votes: 13,684
15. The Wire (2002–2008)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
The Baltimore drug scene, as seen through the eyes of drug dealers and law enforcement.
Stars: Dominic West, Lance Reddick, Sonja Sohn, Wendell Pierce
Votes: 377,522
16. Whitechapel (2009–2013)
TV-14 | 817 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A fast-tracked inspector, a hardened detective sergeant, and an expert in historical homicides investigate modern crimes with connections to the past in the Whitechapel district of London.
Stars: Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton, Sam Stockman
Votes: 14,793
17. Taboo (2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Adventurer James Keziah Delaney returns to London during the War of 1812 to rebuild his late father's shipping empire. However, both the government and his biggest competitor want his inheritance at any cost--even murder.
Stars: Tom Hardy, David Hayman, Jonathan Pryce, Oona Chaplin
Votes: 149,031
18. The Terror (2018–2025)
TV-14 | 60 min | Adventure, Drama, Horror
Supernatural, semihistorical, horror anthology series, where each season is inspired by a different infamous or mysterious real life historical tragedy.
Stars: Jared Harris, Derek Mio, Tobias Menzies, Kiki Sukezane
Votes: 51,375
19. Shetland (2013– )
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A local police team investigate crimes within the close knit island community of Shetland.
Stars: Alison O'Donnell, Steven Robertson, Douglas Henshall, Lewis Howden
Votes: 25,876
20. The Capture (2019– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When a British soldier is charged with a crime, the tenacious young detective handling his case begins to uncover a conspiracy.
Stars: Holliday Grainger, Ben Miles, Lia Williams, Cavan Clerkin
Votes: 22,871
21. C.B. Strike (2017– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
War veteran turned private detective Cormoran Strike solves brutal murders with the help of his trusted partner Robin Ellacott.
Stars: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, Kerr Logan, Jack Greenlees
Votes: 24,665
22. A Confession (2019)
TV-PG | 45 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
DSU Stephen Fulcher intends on catching a killer of a missing woman, even if that may cost him his career and reputation.
Stars: Martin Freeman, Siobhan Finneran, Imelda Staunton, Peter Wight
Votes: 10,030
23. Collateral (2018)
TV-MA | 58 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Investigating the murder of a pizza delivery man, a London detective uncovers a tangled conspiracy involving drug dealers, smugglers and spies.
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Nathaniel Martello-White, Hayley Squires, Vineeta Rishi
Votes: 21,452
24. State of Play (2003)
TV-14 | 52 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Journalists uncover a government conspiracy when a young politician's assistant and mistress is killed.
Stars: John Simm, David Morrissey, Kelly Macdonald, Bill Nighy
Votes: 10,528
25. Mare of Easttown (2021)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A detective in a small Pennsylvania town investigates a local murder while trying to keep her life from falling apart.
Stars: Kate Winslet, Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice
Votes: 187,716
26. The Hour (2011–2012)
TV-14 | 60 min | Drama
A behind-the-scenes drama and espionage thriller in Cold War-era England that centers on a journalist, a producer, and an anchorman for an investigative news programme.
Stars: Romola Garai, Ben Whishaw, Dominic West, Anna Chancellor
Votes: 11,040
27. Appropriate Adult (2011)
67 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Dramatisation of the case of serial killers Fred and Rose West, focusing on the way in which they were brought to justice.
Stars: Emily Watson, Dominic West, Robert Glenister, Sylvestra Le Touzel
Votes: 4,355
28. Little Boy Blue (2017)
TV-14 | 60 min | Crime, Drama, History
The true story of the 2007 murder of Rhys Jones in Liverpool. The story of the aftermath and police investigation.
Stars: Sinéad Keenan, Brían F. O'Byrne, Matthew Devlin, Stephen Graham
Votes: 5,582
29. See No Evil (2006)
R | 84 min | Action, Horror, Thriller
A group of delinquents are sent to clean the Blackwell Hotel. Little do they know reclusive psychopath Jacob Goodnight has holed away in the rotting hotel. When one of the teens is captured, those who remain - a group that includes the cop who put a bullet in Goodnight's head four years ago - band together to survive against the brutal killer.
Director: Gregory Dark | Stars: Glenn Jacobs, Christina Vidal, Michael J. Pagan, Samantha Noble
Votes: 28,852 | Gross: $15.03M
30. Rillington Place (2016)
TV-MA | 58 min | Crime, Drama, History
A three-part drama about serial killer John Christie and the murders at 10 Rillington Place in the 1940s and early 1950s.
Stars: Tim Roth, Nico Mirallegro, Samantha Morton, Jodie Comer
Votes: 4,234
31. In Plain Sight (2016)
TV-14 | 50 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A three part TV miniseries about Lanarkshire's Detective William Muncie and his quest to bring to justice notorious killer Peter Manuel.
Stars: Douglas Henshall, Martin Compston, Joanne Thomson, Shauna Macdonald
Votes: 2,724
32. Manhunt (2019–2021)
TV-14 | 45 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton tracks down a serial killer.
Stars: Martin Clunes, Claudie Blakley, Matthew Gravelle, Stephen Wight
Votes: 10,673
33. The Great Train Robbery (2013)
Not Rated | 90 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A two-part drama which portrays The Great Train Robbery of 8 August 1963, firstly from the point of view of the robbers and then from the point of view of the police who set out to identify and catch the robbers.
Stars: Robert Glenister, Jack Roth, Paul Anderson, Luke Evans
Votes: 4,978
34. Prime Suspect (1991)
TV-14 | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A female police detective investigates a series of serial murders while dealing with sexist hostility from her male comrades.
Stars: Helen Mirren, John Benfield, Tom Bell, Craig Fairbrass
Votes: 9,224
35. North Square (2000)
60 min | Drama
A closed legal world steeped in tradition.
Stars: Phil Davis, Kevin McKidd, James Midgley, Rupert Penry-Jones
Votes: 319
36. Roadkill (2020)
57 min | Drama, Thriller
Politician Peter Laurence's private life is falling apart. Shamelessly untroubled by guilt or remorse, he seeks to further his own agenda while others plot to bring him down. Can he outrun his own secrets to win the ultimate prize?
Stars: Hugh Laurie, Helen McCrory, Olivia Vinall, Jennifer Hennessy
Votes: 5,915
37. Black Sails (2014–2017)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Follows Captain Flint and his pirates twenty years prior to Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel "Treasure Island."
Stars: Jessica Parker Kennedy, Toby Stephens, Hannah New, Zach McGowan
Votes: 113,535
38. The Investigation (2020)
42 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Copenhagen Police's Homicide unit, headed by Jens Møller, tries to solve the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall.
Stars: Søren Malling, Pilou Asbæk, Pernilla August, Rolf Lassgård
Votes: 7,694
39. The Bridge (2011–2018)
TV-MA | 60 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When a body is found on the bridge between Denmark and Sweden, right on the border, Danish inspector Martin Rohde and Swedish Saga Norén have to share jurisdiction and work together to find the killer.
Stars: Sofia Helin, Rafael Pettersson, Sarah Boberg, Candice van Litsenborgh
Votes: 76,804
40. Forbrydelsen (2007–2012)
TV-MA | 57 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Police detective Sarah Lund investigates difficult cases with personal and political consequences.
Stars: Sofie Gråbøl, Morten Suurballe, Lars Mikkelsen, Bjarne Henriksen
Votes: 30,193
41. Wallander (2005–2013)
TV-14 | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A Swedish cop in a small town by the Baltic coast.
Stars: Krister Henriksson, Fredrik Gunnarsson, Mats Bergman, Douglas Johansson
Votes: 6,199 | Gross: $0.01M
42. Wallander (2008–2016)
TV-PG | 90 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Unable to unsee the dark crimes he's tasked to investigate, Wallander's job comes at a cost to his family and relationships.
Stars: Kenneth Branagh, Richard McCabe, Jeany Spark, Sarah Smart
Votes: 16,490
43. Des (2020)
Not Rated | 48 min | Crime, Drama, History
In 1983, Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen was arrested after the discovery of human remains which had blocked a drain near his London home.
Stars: David Tennant, Daniel Mays, Jason Watkins, Ron Cook
Votes: 20,767
44. Annika (2021– )
TV-14 | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Witty, enigmatic DI Annika Strandhed heads up the Marine Homicide Unit, tasked with solving murders in and around the Scottish waters.
Stars: Nicola Walker, Jamie Sives, Katie Leung, Silvie Furneaux
Votes: 9,290
45. The Reckoning (2023)
59 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The story of Jimmy Savile's life from his working-class roots, to his rise to TV stardom as a BBC presenter, and his later years when he managed to keep his reign of sexual abuse concealed until after his death in 2011.
Stars: Steve Coogan, Mark Stanley, Mark Lewis Jones, Darien
Votes: 3,709
46. Three Little Birds (2023)
TV-MA | Drama
A life-affirming drama, written by Sir Lenny Henry inspired by his mother's stories about leaving Jamaica in the 1950s for Great Britain. Follows sisters Leah and Chantrelle and their friend Hosanna starting a new life in England.
Stars: Rochelle Neil, Yazmin Belo, Saffron Coomber, Javone Prince
Votes: 662
47. Ten Pound Poms (2023– )
Drama
A group of Brits leave post-war Britain in 1956 to embark on an adventure. The Roberts family tries to make the best of their situation, but life at the shelter tests them, but they're not the only ones avoiding the truth.
Stars: Warren Brown, Faye Marsay, Michelle Keegan, Hattie Hook
Votes: 1,702
48. Utopia (I) (2013–2014)
TV-MA | 50 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
After a group of people, who meet online, discover a bizarre graphic novel which seems to hold mysterious answers, they find themselves being tracked down by a merciless organization known merely as 'The Network'.
Stars: Adeel Akhtar, Paul Higgins, Neil Maskell, Fiona O'Shaughnessy
Votes: 51,142
49. The Long Shadow (2023)
TV-PG | 49 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A desperate cat and mouse hunt ensues when Yorkshire is being haunted by a serial killer.
Stars: Jack Deam, Kris Hitchen, Lee Ingleby, Michael McElhatton
Votes: 7,407
50. Slow Horses (2022– )
TV-MA | Drama, Thriller
Follows a team of British intelligence agents who serve as a dumping ground department of MI5 due to their career-ending mistakes.
Stars: Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, Kristin Scott Thomas, Rosalind Eleazar
Votes: 70,936
Tell Your Friends