Dark skies, brooding cinematography, slow burn
2010 · 4 seasons · BBC
A modern reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective for 21st-century London, following the brilliant, emotionally detached consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and army veteran Dr John Watson as they form an unlikely, unbreakable partnership solving baffling crimes for the Metropolitan Police.
1999 · 15 seasons · BBC
Set in the fictional Sicilian town of Vigàta, Inspector Montalbano follows Commissario Salvo Montalbano, a sharp, sardonic, and deeply food-loving police chief who solves complex, often morally murky cases against a backdrop of stunning Sicilian coastline.
2013 · 9 seasons · ITV
Endeavour follows the early career of the young Detective Constable Endeavour Morse as he solves complex cases in 1960s and 1970s Oxford.
2002 · 9 seasons
During World War II, Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle finds himself fighting a different kind of war on the home front—investigating murder, black market profiteering, and corruption in the coastal town of Hastings, Sussex. With his driver, Samantha Stewart and Detective Sergeant Paul Milner by his side, this quiet, methodical detective tenaciously pursues justice even when powerful forces would prefer he look the other way.
2026 · 1 season · Prime
Set in 1870s Oxford, Young Sherlock follows a disgraced 19-year-old Sherlock Holmes—raw, unfiltered, and lacking discipline—as he finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation that threatens his liberty.
2013 · 3 seasons · ITV
Set in the fictional Dorset seaside town of Broadchurch, the series begins when the body of eleven-year-old Danny Latimer is discovered on the beach, plunging the tight-knit coastal community into grief, suspicion, and scandal.
2008 · 8 seasons · BBC
Set in North East England during the 1960s, Inspector George Gently follows the eponymous incorruptible detective who relocates from London to Northumberland
1987 · 7 seasons · ITV
Inspector Morse is a detective drama based on Colin Dexter's series of Chief Inspector Morse novels. The series starred John Thaw as Chief Inspector Morse and Kevin Whately as Sergeant Lewis, plus a large cast of notable actors.
2006 · 2 seasons · BBC
After being hit by a car in 2006, Manchester Detective Chief Inspector Sam Tyler wakes up in 1973, where he's now a Detective Inspector working under the command of the brutal, hard-drinking DCI Gene Hunt.
2008 · 20 seasons
Set in Toronto at the turn of the 20th century, Murdoch Mysteries follows Detective William Murdoch, a brilliant police detective who solves crimes using forensic techniques and inventions considered remarkably advanced for the Victorian and Edwardian eras—from fingerprinting to early lie detection.
2007 · 9 seasons · ITV
Set in Oxford, Lewis follows Detective Inspector Robbie Lewis as he returns to work five years after the death of his mentor, Inspector Morse.
2025 · 2 seasons · Channel 4
Patience Evans works in a clerical role filing police records. An autistic woman, she has a special interest in solving puzzles and a secret fascination and talent for criminology—her unique perspective allows her to connect the dots through clues in a way others simply cannot.
2012 · 2 seasons · ITV
Four former Bletchley Park codebreakers reunite in 1950s London to use their wartime intelligence skills to solve murders and crimes that the police have overlooked. Led by Susan Gray, these brilliant women must balance their secret investigative work with the constraints of post-war domestic life.
1992 · 15 seasons · ITV
Set in the fictional South Midlands town of Denton, A Touch of Frost follows Detective Inspector William Edward "Jack" Frost, a scruffy, unconventional, old-school copper whose talent for solving crimes is matched only by his talent for clashing with bureaucratic superiors.
2015 · 6 seasons · ITV
Unforgotten follows a team of detectives, initially led by DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan, as they investigate cold-case murders. Each series focuses on a single decades-old case.
2024 · 1 season · BBC
Moonflower Murders follows Susan Ryeland, a former London book editor now running a struggling small hotel in Crete with her Greek partner Andreas, who is drawn back to England when a wealthy couple offers her a substantial sum to find their missing daughter.
2011 · 14 seasons · ITV
Set in Northumberland, Vera follows the dishevelled but brilliant Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope as she solves complex murder cases across the stunning landscapes of North East England.
2008 · 4 seasons · BBC
Kenneth Branagh stars as Kurt Wallander, a weary, diabetic and increasingly disillusioned police inspector in the small town of Ystad in southern Sweden. His investigations into brutal crimes in the apparently sleepy backwaters of Skåne
1994 · 4 seasons
Once a Crusader, now a man of the cloth, Brother Cadfael uses his keen intuition to protect the innocent and bring the guilty to account in war-torn medieval England.
2021 · 4 seasons · ITV
Set against the stunning backdrop of one of the world's most prestigious educational institutions, Cambridge University, Professor T is centered around the eccentric, but brilliant Criminology Professor Jasper Tempest, who suffers with OCD and has a tortured past.
2013 · 3 seasons · BBC
Set in the coastal town of Aberystwyth and the rugged, mountainous landscapes of Ceredigion in mid-Wales, Hinterland follows DCI Tom Mathias, a brooding detective who relocates from London's Metropolitan Police to rebuild his life amid Wales's stark and beautiful terrain.
2022 · 2 seasons · U
Signora Volpe offers a refreshing departure from the frenetic pace of modern detective dramas, inviting viewers to savour the slower rhythms of life in the Umbrian countryside whilst still delivering compelling mysteries. Created by Rachel Cuperman and Sally Griffiths, this British-Italian co-production premiered on Acorn TV in 2022 and has since captivated audiences with its perfect blend of intrigue, stunning Italian scenery, and character-driven storytelling.
2017 · 6 seasons · BBC
War veteran Cormoran Strike operates a struggling private detective agency from a cramped London office, taking on complex cases that have baffled the police, aided by his assistant Robin Ellacott who proves far more capable than her temporary secretary role suggests. As they solve increasingly dangerous cases together, Strike battles his physical and psychological war wounds whilst an unspoken attraction grows between the mismatched pair, complicated by Robin's engagement and Strike's determination to keep their relationship strictly professional.
