Most Popular Private Investigator Movies and TV Shows
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1. Veronica Mars (2004– )
TV-14 | 44 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
After her best friend is murdered, and her father is removed as county Sheriff, Veronica Mars dedicates her life to cracking the toughest mysteries in the affluent town of Neptune.
Stars: Kristen Bell, Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III
Votes: 63,557
2. Better Call Saul (2015– )
TV-MA | 46 min | Crime, Drama
The trials and tribulations of criminal lawyer, Jimmy McGill, in the time leading up to establishing his strip-mall law office in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Stars: Bob Odenkirk, Rhea Seehorn, Jonathan Banks, Patrick Fabian
Votes: 255,508
3. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)
R | 180 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey
Votes: 1,051,145 | Gross: $116.90M
4. Jessica Jones (2015–2019)
TV-MA | 56 min | Action, Crime, Drama
Following the tragic end of her brief superhero career, Jessica Jones tries to rebuild her life as a private investigator, dealing with cases involving people with remarkable abilities in New York City.
Stars: Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Eka Darville, Carrie-Anne Moss
Votes: 179,226
5. The Mentalist (2008–2015)
TV-14 | 43 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A famous "psychic" outs himself as a fake, and starts working as a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation so he can find "Red John", the madman who killed his wife and daughter.
Stars: Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman
Votes: 153,560
6. Into the Wild (2007)
R | 148 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 529,208 | Gross: $18.35M
7. Perry Mason (1957–1966)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
The cases of a master criminal defense attorney, handling the most difficult of cases in the aid of the innocent.
Stars: Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, Ray Collins
Votes: 4,300
8. Magnum, P.I. (1980–1988)
TV-PG | 48 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
The adventures of a Hawaii based private investigator.
Stars: Tom Selleck, John Hillerman, Roger E. Mosley, Larry Manetti
Votes: 19,829
9. The Nice Guys (2016)
R | 116 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
In 1970s Los Angeles, a mismatched pair of private eyes investigate a missing girl and the mysterious death of a porn star.
Director: Shane Black | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angourie Rice, Matt Bomer
Votes: 244,801 | Gross: $36.26M
10. Jack Reacher (2012)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
A homicide investigator digs deeper into a case involving a trained military sniper who shot five random victims.
Director: Christopher McQuarrie | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, Werner Herzog
Votes: 287,194 | Gross: $80.07M
11. Magnum P.I. (2018– )
TV-14 | 43 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
An ex-Navy SEAL returns home from Afghanistan and uses his military skills to become a private investigator in Hawaii.
Stars: Jay Hernandez, Perdita Weeks, Zachary Knighton, Stephen Hill
Votes: 5,928
12. The Big Sleep (1946)
Not Rated | 114 min | Crime, Film-Noir, Mystery
Private detective Philip Marlowe is hired by a rich family. Before the complex case is over, he's seen murder, blackmail, and what might be love.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers
Votes: 74,174 | Gross: $6.54M
13. Greta (2018)
R | 98 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A young woman befriends a lonely widow who's harboring a dark and deadly agenda toward her.
Director: Neil Jordan | Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Jane Perry
Votes: 14,320 | Gross: $10.52M
14. Inherent Vice (2014)
R | 148 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles private investigator Larry "Doc" Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston
Votes: 84,549 | Gross: $8.11M
15. The Happytime Murders (2018)
R | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When the puppet cast of a '90s children's TV show begin to get murdered one by one, a disgraced LAPD detective-turned-private eye puppet takes on the case.
Director: Brian Henson | Stars: Melissa McCarthy, Elizabeth Banks, Maya Rudolph, Leslie David Baker
Votes: 18,827 | Gross: $20.71M
16. Charlie's Angels (1976–1981)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
A wealthy mystery man named Charlie runs a detective agency via a speakerphone and his personal assistant, John Bosley. His detectives are three beautiful women, who end up in a variety of difficult situations.
Stars: Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle
Votes: 9,143
17. Chinatown (1974)
R | 130 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A private detective hired to expose an adulterer finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption, and murder.
Director: Roman Polanski | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez
Votes: 268,942 | Gross: $29.20M
18. Constantine (2005)
R | 121 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
Supernatural exorcist and demonologist John Constantine helps a policewoman prove her sister's death was not a suicide, but something more.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Djimon Hounsou, Shia LaBeouf
Votes: 282,254 | Gross: $75.98M
19. Cape Fear (1991)
R | 128 min | Crime, Thriller
A convicted rapist, released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer who originally defended him.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis
Votes: 155,434 | Gross: $79.10M
20. Fracture (2007)
R | 113 min | Crime, Drama
An attorney intent on climbing the career ladder toward success, finds an unlikely opponent in a manipulative criminal he is trying to prosecute.
Director: Gregory Hoblit | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike
Votes: 171,057 | Gross: $39.02M
21. Angel Heart (1987)
R | 113 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, Charlotte Rampling
Votes: 73,812 | Gross: $17.19M
22. C.B. Strike (2017– )
60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
War veteran turned private detective Cormoran Strike solves brutal murders with the help of his trusted assistant Robin Ellacott.
Stars: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, Kerr Logan, Killian Scott
Votes: 6,804
23. Pain & Gain (2013)
R | 129 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.
Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub
Votes: 189,254 | Gross: $49.88M
24. Matlock (1986–1995)
TV-PG | 60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Ben Matlock is a very expensive criminal defense attorney, who charges one hundred thousand dollars to take a case. Fortunately, he's worth every penny, as he and his associates defend his clients by finding the real killer.
Stars: Andy Griffith, Linda Purl, Kene Holiday, Nancy Stafford
Votes: 5,693
25. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
PG | 104 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A toon-hating detective is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove his innocence when he is accused of murder.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleischer
Votes: 170,262 | Gross: $156.45M
26. Original Sin (2001)
R | 116 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A woman, along with her lover, plans to con a rich man by marrying him, earning his trust, and then running away with all his money. Everything goes as planned until she falls in love with him.
Director: Michael Cristofer | Stars: Antonio Banderas, Angelina Jolie, Thomas Jane, Jack Thompson
Votes: 50,921 | Gross: $16.25M
27. Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
R | 127 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
With personal crises and age weighing in on them, LAPD officers Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with deadly Chinese triads that are trying to free their former leaders out of prison and onto American soil.
Director: Richard Donner | Stars: Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo
Votes: 144,661 | Gross: $130.44M
28. Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)
R | 95 min | Horror
When her adoptive father disappears, Sharon Da Silva is drawn into a strange and terrifying alternate reality that holds answers to the horrific nightmares that have plagued her since childhood.
Director: M.J. Bassett | Stars: Adelaide Clemens, Kit Harington, Sean Bean, Carrie-Anne Moss
Votes: 57,249 | Gross: $17.53M
29. Dark Places (2015)
R | 113 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Libby Day was only eight years old when her family was brutally murdered in their rural Kansas farmhouse. Almost thirty years later, she reluctantly agrees to revisit the crime and uncovers the wrenching truths that led up to that tragic night.
Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner | Stars: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks, Chloë Grace Moretz
Votes: 38,694
30. Unknown (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
A man awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one, (not even his wife), believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is.
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra | Stars: Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn
Votes: 236,508 | Gross: $63.69M
31. Pushing Daisies (2007–2009)
TV-PG | 44 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A pie-maker, with the power to bring dead people back to life, solves murder mysteries with his alive-again childhood sweetheart, a cynical private investigator, and a lovesick waitress.
Stars: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale
Votes: 51,512
32. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
Votes: 197,453 | Gross: $58.01M
33. The Last Boy Scout (1991)
R | 105 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A private detective's protected female witness is murdered, prompting him and the victim's boyfriend to investigate the crime that leads to a corrupt politician and a crooked football team owner.
Director: Tony Scott | Stars: Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham
Votes: 86,995 | Gross: $59.51M
34. The Great Gatsby (1974)
PG | 144 min | Drama, Romance
A Midwesterner becomes fascinated with his nouveau riche neighbor, who obsesses over his lost love.
Director: Jack Clayton | Stars: Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Karen Black
Votes: 22,188
35. The Golden Child (1986)
PG-13 | 94 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
A private detective specializing in missing children is charged with the task of finding a special child who dark forces want to eliminate.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Eddie Murphy, J.L. Reate, Charles Dance, Charlotte Lewis
Votes: 47,551 | Gross: $79.82M
36. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Not Rated | 100 min | Film-Noir, Mystery
A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Gladys George, Peter Lorre
Votes: 141,646 | Gross: $2.11M
37. 8MM (1999)
R | 123 min | Mystery, Thriller
A private investigator is hired to discover if a "snuff film" is authentic or not.
Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare
Votes: 116,541 | Gross: $36.66M
38. Secret Window (2004)
PG-13 | 96 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
A successful writer in the midst of a painful divorce is stalked at his remote lake house by a would-be scribe who accuses him of plagiarism.
Director: David Koepp | Stars: Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, John Turturro, Timothy Hutton
Votes: 171,363 | Gross: $48.02M
39. Sinister 2 (2015)
R | 97 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A young mother and her twin sons move into a rural house that's marked for death.
Director: Ciarán Foy | Stars: James Ransone, Shannyn Sossamon, Robert Daniel Sloan, Dartanian Sloan
Votes: 42,776 | Gross: $27.74M
40. Once Upon a Time in Venice (2017)
Not Rated | 94 min | Action, Comedy
A Los Angeles detective seeks out the ruthless gang that stole his dog.
Director: Mark Cullen | Stars: Bruce Willis, John Goodman, Jason Momoa, Emily Robinson
Votes: 15,036
41. Broken City (2013)
R | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.
Director: Allen Hughes | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jeffrey Wright
Votes: 72,136 | Gross: $19.70M
42. Bride of Chucky (1998)
R | 89 min | Comedy, Horror
Chucky, the doll possessed by a serial killer, discovers the perfect mate to kill and revive into the body of another doll.
Director: Ronny Yu | Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile
Votes: 48,702 | Gross: $32.38M
43. Odd Thomas (2013)
97 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
In a California desert town, a short-order cook with clairvoyant abilities encounters a mysterious man with a link to dark, threatening forces.
Director: Stephen Sommers | Stars: Anton Yelchin, Ashley Sommers, Leonor Varela, Matthew Page
Votes: 44,279
44. One for the Money (2012)
PG-13 | 91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Unemployed and newly-divorced Stephanie Plum lands a job at her cousin's bail-bond business, where her first assignment puts her on the trail of a wanted local cop from her romantic past.
Director: Julie Anne Robinson | Stars: Katherine Heigl, Jason O'Mara, Daniel Sunjata, John Leguizamo
Votes: 38,669 | Gross: $26.41M
45. Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon (2018)
91 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Nicky Larson, the best private investigator in the business, is called for a high-risk mission: to recover the perfume of Cupid, a perfume that would make irresistible the one who uses it.
Director: Philippe Lacheau | Stars: Philippe Lacheau, Élodie Fontan, Tarek Boudali, Julien Arruti
Votes: 1,643
46. Klute (1971)
R | 114 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A small-town detective searching for a missing man has only one lead: a connection with a New York prostitute.
Director: Alan J. Pakula | Stars: Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Charles Cioffi, Roy Scheider
Votes: 19,531
47. Remington Steele (1982–1987)
TV-PG | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
The cases of a female private detective partnered with a former thief who assumes the role of a fictitious detective in the business.
Stars: Stephanie Zimbalist, Pierce Brosnan, Doris Roberts, James Read
Votes: 6,559
48. The Dresden Files (2007– )
60 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A Chicago-based wizard works as a private investigator.
Stars: Paul Blackthorne, Valerie Cruz, Terrence Mann, Raoul Bhaneja
Votes: 8,577
49. Bored to Death (2009–2011)
TV-MA | 28 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A well-meaning but struggling writer decides to lead a sort of double life by pretending to be a private detective using the methods he read about in old detective novels.
Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Zach Galifianakis, Ted Danson, Heather Burns
Votes: 30,283
50. Devil's Knot (2013)
Not Rated | 114 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a Satanic ritual.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola, James Hamrick
Votes: 18,917