You finished re-watching Ozark for the 20th time, and you begin to wonder if there is anything left in the vault when it comes to crime shows. Thankfully, there are plenty of shows that you can choose from, as the "Platinum Age of TV" has given us plenty of titans that still pack a punch to this day.

But, buried beneath those well-known crime shows are a handful of gems that have, sadly, slipped through the cracks. Whether they were cancelled too early before they could grow an audience, overshadowed by more legendary shows, or simply faded into obscurity, the crime shows we're about to introduce to you have become completely forgotten. But, thanks to the streaming age, most of these shows can be rediscovered, as they should. So, let's give these forgotten shows the victory laps they truly deserve, because you simply can't let a good crime show go to waste.

'The Closer' (2005–2012)

Image via TNT

When you stare into the eyes of Brenda Leigh Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) in a tiny, barely lit room, you know you're going to be in for a very intense interrogation. This was the central premise of TNT's underrated crime series The Closer, created by James Duff to look at how interrogations are important to bring closure to cases. Sedgwick plays Brenda, a deputy chief of the Los Angeles Police Department who has garnered a reputation as a "closer," an interrogator who obtains confessions that lead to convictions.

Despite the formulaic "case-of-the-week" storylines, The Closer was often praised for its sharp writing, as well as the strong performance of Sedgwick, who brought a lot of charisma to a role that could have been written with the typical tropes in mind. The Closer ended in 2012, and today, you can hardly find anyone who remembers this riveting crime drama. So, use this piece as an excuse to revisit one of the best crime shows of the 2000s. You'll certainly thank us later.

'New York Undercover' (1994–1999)

Image via FOX

In the '90s, the merging of rap into mainstream television culture helped create some of the decade’s most groundbreaking shows. One of those shows was New York Undercover, a crime drama that was universally praised by both critics and fans. The brainchild of Kevin Arkadie and the legendary Dick Wolf, New York Undercover followed two undercover detectives who were assigned to investigate crimes, usually centered around gang violence, in the Fourth Precinct of the New York Police Department.

The show was revolutionary for casting people of color as the leads of this new-age crime drama, with Malik Yoba portraying Detective J.C. Williams, and Michael DeLorenzo portraying his partner, Detective Eddie Torres. The casting of Yoba and DeLorenzo as the lead detectives, as well as highlighting the cultural authenticity of New York City at the time, made the show feel closer to its viewers. In a sense, New York Undercover was the '90s version of Miami Vice, a show that also molded high-stakes crime drama with the music and culture of its era. For a crime show that was very much part of the '90s zeitgeist, few people remember this series today.

'Lie to Me' (2009–2011)

Image via FOX

The late 2000s saw a trend in the crime drama of smart people helping law enforcement solve crimes. Bones was, perhaps, the vanguard of this certain subgenre of crime shows, but Lie to Me was just as good. Created by Samuel Baum and starring Tim Roth, the crime drama follows a group of private investigators of The Lightman Group, a private company that assists in investigations with law enforcement.

Lie to Me was a very compelling series that was unique in its premise. The Lightman Group did its investigations by studying expressions and body language to detect who was deceiving the police. This made Lie to Me a more thought-provoking show than its predecessors, and, along with the strong performance from Tim Roth, who portrayed Dr. Cal Lightman, Lie to Me was easily one of the best shows of the 2009-10 TV season. So it was quite baffling that it got cancelled, but if you can find it, you’ll be in for a real treat.

'Crime Story' (1986–1988)

Image via NBC

The '80s was a decade filled with great crime dramas, from the romance and crime of Moonlighting to the MTV-aesthetic Miami Vice. But there's a downside to having so many iconic shows come out in one decade, and Crime Story is a perfect example of a great crime show that was completely overshadowed by its predecessors.

Created by Chuck Adamson and Gustave Reininger, and produced by Michael Mann (the man behind Miami Vice), Crime Story follows Lieutenant Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) of the Chicago Police, and mobster Ray Luca (Anthony Denison), who are on a quest to destroy each other in 1960s Chicago. While Crime Story never truly broke out ratings wise, it is considered by critics to be a groundbreaking classic that took a more "novelist" approach to telling its story, with the season focusing on a single case rather than taking on a "case-of-the-week" structure '80s crime shows were known for. Being set in the 1960s, the atmosphere of Crime Story is simply fantastic, along with the stellar performances of Denison and Farina. No wonder Crime Story has become a cult classic.

'Southland' (2009–2013)

Los Angeles has always been a fertile ground for telling compelling crime stories, and Southland was no different. Created by Ann Biderman, the TNT crime drama is lauded for its gritty portrayal of the cops. Granted, Southland isn't the first show to showcase the reality of police work, but it was truly one of the best, and it pulled no punches in telling its story.

As an extension of looking at the LAPD in an honest way, Southland also wipes off the romanticized sheen of Los Angeles, looking at life in the city in a "raw and authentic" way that was kind of shocking for those who see L.A. as Hollywood and palm trees. The way Southland is shot, using handheld cameras, gave the show a realistic feel as, to the viewer, they think they're watching a documentary rather than a crime drama. Add in the fantastic performances, especially from Regina King as Detective Lydia Adams, and you have a great crime drama that blows minds as to why it isn’t talked about as much as its peers.

'Homicide: Life on the Street' (1993–1999)

Image via NBC

While prestige TV had its heyday in the 21st century, the surface for what was to come was actually laid in the 1990s, specifically 1993, the year Homicide: Life on the Street premiered. Created by Paul Attanasio, this groundbreaking crime drama was based on David Simon's 1991 novel Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, in which Simon spent a year with the Baltimore Police Department's Homicide Unit and shadowed them as they investigated murders in 1988, a year in which Baltimore recorded 234 homicides.

Simon’s book took home the Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime novel in 1992, and a year later, NBC adapted the novel into a TV series that was equally Homicide: Life on the Street was a gritty portrayal of homicide detectives in Baltimore as they went about solving murders. Using unflinching realism, Homicide: Life on the Street avoided the "angel cop" trope often portrayed in crime dramas, and, instead, looked at the moral ambiguity of police work, and the psychological toll the job took on its detectives. Often, some of the series’ best moments took place in the so-called "Box," the interrogation room that was home to some of the most intense moments in television history. While The Wire, the show Simon would create for HBO, is often (rightfully) lauded as one of the best crime dramas of all-time, it wouldn't have landed where it did if it wasn't for this bold NBC series.

'Claws' (2017–2022)

Image via TNT

While most of the shows on this list are serious in nature, Claws is the exact opposite. Mixing crime drama with dark comedy, creator Eliot Laurence created a show that wanted to have fun with the traditional crime drama format. Instead of following detectives as they solved crimes, Claws focused on a group of manicurists, led by Desna Simms (Niecy Nash), the owner of a nail salon in Palmetto, Florida who uses her shop as a front for money laundering. Along the way, Desna and her crew find themselves controlling their own empire, which brings on its own set of issues.

The performance of Claws is what really makes this show stand out from the crowd. Nash's performance as Desna was career-making, and Claws wouldn't have been the same show without her. The performances, the aesthetic of the series, and the unpredictable nature of the plot make viewers sit on the edge of their seats when it comes to this TNT series, as one doesn't know what will come next. Claws isn't a "by-the-books" crime show, and that's what makes it work in its favor.

Like

Claws

TV-MA

Comedy

Drama

Release Date

2017 - 2022-00-00

Cast

See All

• 
  Niecy Nash-Betts
• 
  Karrueche Tran
• 
  Carrie Preston
• 
  Jenn Lyon

Seasons

4

Creator(s)

Eliot Laurence

IMDb ID

tt5640558

TMDB User Rating

6 .8

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