10 Best Detective TV Shows On Netflix

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Regardless of your opinion of or connection to crime and law enforcement, the detective show is one of the most compelling genres that television has to offer. The best procedurals work within a familiar formula that somehow never gets old, offering viewers a sense of comfort while delivering new thrills in each episode. Serialized shows or limited series present a mystery that our intrepid investigators work to solve over a season (or multiple seasons), developing a slow-burning tension that keeps the audience on the edge of their seats.

In the streaming era, these shows make for some of the most binge-worthy series, and it can take a lot of effort not to let the autoplay lead you down a mysterious rabbit hole. To that end, Netflix has amassed a sizable library of detective and crime shows, a savvy move considering their popularity across the globe. Under the best circumstances, these series become the water cooler shows of the internet age, generating obsession and frequent discourse online.

If you clicked on this article, you're likely on the hunt for your next obsession. Netflix has a lot to offer on that front, including mysteries involving the FBI, the cops, a priest, and even the devil himself. Whatever your tastes are, you're sure to find something right up your alley. 

Keep reading to discover our picks for the 10 best detective shows streaming on Netflix.

David Fincher knows how to make a good mystery, from "Se7en" to "Zodiac" to "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." It should come as no surprise then that "Mindhunter," one of his first forays into television after serving as an executive producer on "House of Cards," would become a rousing success. Based on real events, "Mindhunter" follows the inception of the Behavioral Science Unit (now the Behavioral Analysis Unit) at the FBI. If you're a crime TV fan, you may have heard of this unit in "Criminal Minds" or "The X-Files."

Set in the late 1970s, the series follows FBI special agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), alongside psychology professor Wendy Carr (Anna Torv). Ford, Tench, and Carr travel across the country, interviewing some of the most notorious serial killers of the era. They begin finding patterns through their interviews, developing a set of tools to create the method we now know as criminal profiling.

Though the concept of profiling has been depicted on television numerous times, "Mindhunter" exists in a category all on its own. Though entertaining, the show maintains a grounded, gritty tone, exploring the world of serial killers without leaning on hyperbole. All of the actors on the show do their best work, from our trio of profilers to the actors playing serial killers, most notably Cameron Britton as Ed Kemper. Furthermore, Fincher brings his famously detail-oriented eye to the show, lending it a sense of visual precision and a sleek style.

Though crime shows are one of the most abundant genres in television, they can be hard to get right. In particular, shows that depict sexual assault or violence against women run the risk of sensationalizing these crimes and veering too far away from the experiences of the victims themselves. The Peabody award-winning series "Unbelievable" distinguishes itself from its peers because it centers the victims more than the plight of the detectives to solve these mysteries.

Based on a series of real-life crimes, the show follows Marie (Kaitlyn Dever), a teenage girl in Lynwood, Washington, who is raped. Marie tells the police what happened, but they don't believe her and charge her with making a false report. In Colorado, Det. Karen Duvall (Merritt Weaver) and Det. Grace Rasmussen (Toni Collette) investigate a serial rapist after receiving a report from a woman named Amber (Danielle Macdonald).

"Unbelievable" stands apart from other true crime series due to its perceptive writing and powerful acting. Kaitlyn Dever carries the show with her visceral performance, embodying the effects of trauma with every breath. Colette and Weaver provide sensitive counterpoints to their blundering male colleagues. In one of the show's most affecting scenes, Weaver's character sits silently in the car with Amber after she's been assaulted, giving her the support she needs without demanding anything in return. It's this patience, and the series's insistence on sitting with the pain of these crimes, that makes "Unbelievable" such a masterclass in crime storytelling.

"Lucifer" is not your typical detective show, and that's exactly why we love it so much. Tom Ellis plays the title character, the Devil himself. Lucifer has grown tired of ruling hell and has settled down in Los Angeles instead. He runs a swanky nightclub there and spends his days drinking, playing music, and bedding beautiful women (and men). A murder outside his club interrupts his hedonistic existence, as does the arrival of Chloe Decker (Lauren German), a detective with a heart of gold.

Despite her immediate dislike of Lucifer, Chloe reluctantly agrees to let him join her as a consultant, using his powers of persuasion to get information out of witnesses and suspects. As Lucifer spends more time with Chloe, he begins to suspect that humanity is not irredeemable, after all. Meanwhile, he sees a therapist, Linda (Rachael Harris), who believes his talk of the Devil is a metaphor. His head demon, Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt), struggles to find her place in the world. His angelic older brother, Amenadiel (D. B. Woodside), wants to bring him back to hell, and what does God have to say about all this?

"Lucifer" is a wildly entertaining series that works because of the actors' commitment to its zany premise. Ellis excels in the lead role, imbuing Lucifer with the devilish charm required of the eccentric protagonist. His co-stars are equally dedicated to their roles, and they do a great job convincing viewers that this ludicrous world is worth investing in.

One of the best crime TV shows of all time, "Broadchurch" takes the familiar tropes of a murder mystery and imbues them with extra pathos and prestige. Olivia Colman plays Detective Sgt. Ellie Miller, a resident of the Dorset town of Broadchurch. When 11-year-old Danny Latimer (Oskar McNamara) is found dead on the beach, Detective Inspector Alec Hardy (David Tennant) comes to town to lead the investigation, though Miller believes the job should have gone to her. As they investigate the horrible crime, we get to know other residents of the town, including Danny's mother (Jodie Whittaker), father (Andrew Buchan), and sister (Charlotte Beaumont).

If you're a fan of detective shows, you'll probably recognize some of the plot points: investigators with an initially antagonistic relationship, a shocking crime that wreaks havoc on a small town, the dark underbelly of an idyllic setting. In "Broadchurch," this archetypal story is given new depth through sensitive writing and powerhouse performances. Colman and Tennant are incredible, and they work to ground the investigation in a human element. The Latimer family are just as important as the detectives, and their tumultuous journey is explored over the course of three seasons.

Every character gets their own arc, which develop across the series and come to powerful, harrowing conclusions. "Broadchurch" tracks the fallout of its crimes at least as much, if not more so, than the crimes themselves, leaning into reflection and emotional turmoil rather than action.

In "The Sinner," Bill Pullman plays a troubled detective who investigates perplexing crimes in upstate New York. In the first season, Detective Harry Ambrose (Pullman) investigates the case of Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel), a young woman who stabs a man to death in broad daylight, seemingly with no motive. As Harry gets to know Cora, he learns about her dark, traumatizing past. In season two, a young boy (Elisha Henig) murders an adult couple, and Harry meets a formidable opponent in the form of Vera (Carrie Coon), a local cult leader. In the third season, Matt Bomer plays Jamie, the survivor of a fatal car accident that hides a much bigger mystery. In the fourth and final season, Harry is pulled out of retirement to investigate the disappearance of a young woman in Maine.

Harry is easily recognizable as a typical dogged detective haunted by his past, but Pullman — no longer delivering inspirational speeches – gives the character an extra layer of pathos and eccentricity. Harry is driven by empathy for both the victims and the perpetrators of crimes, and works himself to the bone trying to set things right – the result of his traumatic past. "The Sinner" is filled with enigmatic mysteries and many complex layers, but Harry is determined enough that none of these crimes go unsolved. The intricate plotting is bolstered by incredible performances from Pullman and his costars, most notably Biel as a hollowed-out woman and Coon as a terrifying, deranged villain.

Scott Frank, the creator of "The Queen's Gambit," came up with another hit for Netflix in 2025. "Dept. Q," based on a series of Danish crime novels, stars the criminally underrated Matthew Goode as Carl Morck, a detective working in Edinburgh. A classic tortured anti-hero, Morck has fallen from grace after his last case resulted in him getting shot and his partner being paralyzed. Couple that with a disastrous home life and an already prickly personality, and you get a man who's not at all fun to be around. His boss, Moira ("Game of Thrones" actress Kate Dickie), puts Morck in charge of a new cold case unit in order to keep him on the straight and narrow.

Rather than go at it alone, Morck assembles a team of misfits, including his wheelchair-bound partner, Detective Sergeant Hardy (Jamie Sives), Syrian refugee Akram (Alexej Manvelov), and Rose (Leah Byrne), who is recovering from a tragic work incident of her own. Their first case involves Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), a tenacious prosecutor who disappeared several years prior.

While Morck's position and attitude may make him sound like a knock-off of the title doctor from "House M.D.," the show distinguishes itself from the pack with several thoughtful elements. Goode gives an amazing performance as the lead detective, and we see the vulnerability simmering just beneath the surface of his grumpy exterior. Morck's team of outcasts makes him less of a lone wolf, and a deeply irritating victim disrupts expectations from the get-go.

The AMC series "Dark Wind" boasts an impressive pedigree of actors, writers, and producers that set it apart from other detective shows. Based on a novel series by Tony Hillerman, the series is executive-produced by George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford. In fact, Redford's final on-screen role was opposite Martin in a cameo appearance on the show.

The series begins in 1971, in a remote area of the Navajo Nation near the Four Corners. Joe Leaphorn, a Navajo Tribal Police officer played by Zahn McClarnon (who also executive produces), begins investigating a double murder he has a personal connection to and is joined by cocky, "assimilated" police officer Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), who has his own reasons for being there. Leaphorn also works alongside Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), his trusted sergeant. While Leaphorn struggles to solve the murder and deal with the trauma it brings up, the FBI, led by agent Leland Whitover (Noah Emmerich), descends on the town to solve a high-profile robbery.

A neo-Western styled like a film noir, "Dark Winds" carves out a place of its own within the crime genre. Leaphorn brings an immense gravitas to the role, and we witness the pain of his past through every facial expression he makes. While the Navajo investigators are tasked with solving crimes, the show is just as concerned with exploring the injustices they face as Native people and how their community is overlooked and subjugated by the United States.

The Paramount+ series "Evil" has been the best horror show on TV since it premiered in 2019. Created by Robert and Michelle King, the minds behind "The Good Wife," "Evil" tells a story that draws from "The X-Files" and other supernatural detective shows of its ilk. Katja Herbers plays Dr. Kristen Bouchard, a forensic pathologist and mother of four girls living in New York City. Mike Colter plays David Acosta, a Catholic priest-in-training, and Aasif Mandvi plays Ben Shakir, a tech expert and certified skeptic. The unlikely trio are hired by the Catholic Church to investigate supposed supernatural occurrences. Their job is to determine whether there are scientific, logical explanations for these occurrences or if there's something otherworldly at hand.

The show's intriguing premise is buoyed by clever, intelligent, funny, and scary writing and directing, along with a brilliant cast of actors. Herbers and Colter have wonderful chemistry, bringing a sort of Mulder/Scully dynamic into the eccentric world of the Kings. The show's incredible supporting cast includes Andrea Martin as a clairvoyant nun, Christine Lahti as Kristen's ethically questionable mother, Wallace Shawn as a gay priest, and Michael Emerson playing yet another deliciously sinister character.

"Evil" is a pretty bizarre show that never strays from the emotional journeys of its protagonists. Kristen's growing attraction to David, her struggles as a de facto single mother, and the stress of her job give Herbers plenty to work with. The show's truly frightening moments mix psychological horror with a welcome smattering of humor.

The Netflix series "Criminal" represents a simple concept done right. The anthology show takes place in four different countries, with each series following the same format. "Criminal: France," "Criminal: Germany," "Criminal: Spain," and "Criminal: UK" were all released on the same day in 2019, while a second season of "Criminal: UK" was released the following year. Each episode follows the interrogation of a suspect by a group of investigators. The series were all filmed on the same set, and every episode is confined to three connected areas: the interrogation room, the viewing room behind glass, and the hallway outside.

This bare-bones approach to crime storytelling results in one of the most compelling detective shows in recent memory. The directing, cinematography, and blocking are great, telling the story with a utilitarian style. This simplicity lets the acting and the nuanced interactions between the characters shine. In the first episode of "Criminal: UK," David Tennant, giving one of his greatest performances, plays Edgar, a doctor accused of raping and murdering his stepdaughter.

Hayley Atwell's episode is another winner, but there are no bad parts in the series' 16-episode run. These episodes contain no fluff; every shot and piece of dialogue is in service of telling the story. This comes as a welcome departure from the bloated crime genre, often in danger of going off the rails as the seasons wear on. "Criminal" offers a satisfying meal with all the fat trimmed off.

A sleek series with plenty of social commentary, "Graveyard" comes off as a cross between the "CSI" franchise and Nordic noir. Birce Akalay plays Chief Inspector Önem Özülkü, tasked with heading the Special Crimes Unit within the cold case department, also known as the "Graveyard." Özülkü and her team tackle cases involving violence against women, confronting not only violent criminals but the society that encourages such crimes.

Every episode presents a new case, but the series maintains a slow-burn pace. Özülkü faces obstacles from every angle. Her male colleagues don't support her work, and sometimes go as far as to obstruct her investigations. While the cases are difficult on their own, Özülkü and her team find that their biggest challenge is the systems in which they are working. The police force doesn't support victims of domestic violence, and society at large minimizes the severity of the problem.

Thankfully, Özülkü is committed to her job and doesn't waver in the face of prejudice or incredulity. Despite difficulties communicating with her male colleagues, Özülkü remains focused on her goals – to give voice to the women who have been silenced. To that end, Özülkü makes for a compelling protagonist, and she even manages to look cool and stylish while confronting the worst of humanity. Birce Akalay's commanding performance helms a show that functions both as a smartly drawn police procedural and a commentary on the sexism that pervades all aspects of society.