Best tv shows like Babylon
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
London's police force is in need of a public image revamp. And Chief Constable Richard Miller has found just the woman to do it...American visionary from the world of new media Liz Garvey, sets out to revolutionise the force's PR department just as an outbreak of violence erupts.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: realistic, atmospheric, serious, captivating, detective, humorous, stylized, semi serious, fake documentary
Best tv shows and movies like Babylon (2014):
Similar in 78%
Operation Good Guys (1997)
Plot Summary:
Operation Good Guys is a British mockumentary, a fly-on-the-wall documentary series about an elite police unit's bid to snare one of Britain's most powerful crime lords. It was first screened on BBC Two from 1997 - 2000. Blurring the line between fact and fiction, it witnesses, on camera, the total breakdown, professionally and personally, of the Operation Good Guys team. Throughout the operation, The 'Good Guys' have an unfortunate habit of embroiling into their calamitous world some of the country's best-known celebrities, from actors and footballers, to TV presenters and even the odd ex-convict. It was created by Ray Burdis and co written by Ray Burdis, Hugo Blick and Dominic Anciano, although much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors. The series utilised the concept of a mock documentary capturing the truths of a workplace four years before the notion reached fame in The Office. However, this mockumentary style was watered down slightly when a laugh track was added for the second and third series. The series was awarded the Silver Rose for Best Sitcom and the Prix de la Presse, voted for by the International Press, at the Montreux Golden Rose Festival.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 548
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, mockumentary, sitcom, detective, offbeat, realistic, not serious, surreal
Similar in 85%
Großstadtrevier (1986)
Plot Summary:
Follow the everyday work of a fictional police station on the Kiez of Hamburg.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 368
Genere: Crime, Comedy, Drama
Country: West Germany
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, sentimental, captivating, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 80%
Keen Eddie (2003)
Plot Summary:
Keen Eddie is an American action, comedy-drama television series that aired in 2003 on the Fox Network. The series follows a brash NYPD detective who goes to London when one of his cases goes sour and remains to work with New Scotland Yard. The basic premise of the show bears a close resemblance to the popular 1980s British series Dempsey & Makepeace, the only notable difference being that the female partner has been replaced by a female housemate. Stylistically, the series derived inspiration from British feature films by Guy Ritchie, such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. The soundtrack and incidental music for the first episode was provided by British techno duo Orbital. Daniel Ash of Love and Rockets scored the rest of the series. The series was scheduled to premiere during the 2002–2003 television season, but was postponed and premiered in summer 2003. The series was then moved to Thursdays with its seventh episode to help improve its ratings, but Fox canceled the series due to its low ratings of 5.1 million viewers. The American cable network Bravo picked up the series to begin airing in January 2004, including the six episodes never aired on Fox. All thirteen episodes of the series were released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment on September 7, 2004. Unfortunately, the original score was replaced due to music licensing issues.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, realistic, offbeat, detective
Similar in 85%
The District (2000)
Plot Summary:
The District is a television police drama which aired on CBS from October 7, 2000 to May 1, 2004. The show followed the work and personal life of the chief of Washington, D.C.'s Police Department.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, action adventure, factual
Similar in 85%
The Commish (1991)
Plot Summary:
Tony Scali is a former Brooklyn cop now the Police Commissioner of a small upstate city. But for Scali, this is no desk job. He's a tough yet compassionate boss, a loving husband and father, and a hands-on law enforcer with an unorthodox style of bending the rules. From parenthood to politics, from sex crimes to murder cases, one man takes it day-to-day with offbeat humor and street- smart skill.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, humorous, realistic, semi serious, detective, offbeat
Similar in 85%
You're Under Arrest (2002)
Plot Summary:
You're Under Arrest: The Drama was a live-action adaptation of Kōsuke Fujishima's manga You're Under Arrest!.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 70
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, stylized, detective, anime, serious, realistic, fast
Similar in 88%
Delvecchio (1976)
Plot Summary:
Dominick Delvecchio is an integrity-minded, honest police detective who works out of the Washington Heights division of the Los Angeles Police Department. When not screeching tires, rousting bad guys and trading quips with his burly partner Paul Shonski, Delvecchio can usually be found at his father Tomaso's barber shop or cracking the books studying for the bar exam, which he has already flunked more than once. His hard-nosed yet sympathetic boss is Lt. Macavan.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 163
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, humorous, realistic, suspenseful, semi serious
Similar in 82%
Boon (1986)
Plot Summary:
Boon is a British television drama and modern-day western series starring Michael Elphick, David Daker, and later Neil Morrissey. It was created by Jim Hill and Bill Stair and filmed by Central Television for ITV. It revolved around the life of a modern-day Lone Ranger and ex-firefighter, Ken Boon.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 983
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 88%
Z Cars (1962)
Plot Summary:
Z-Cars or Z Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 370
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
The Last Cop (2010)
Plot Summary:
Der letzte Bulle is a German television series that was first aired in 2010. The series is about a cop from the 1980s put into a modern police department in Essen.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 969
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, humorous, semi serious, realistic, detective, sentimental
Similar in 75%
WPC 56 (2013)
Plot Summary:
Drama following WPC Gina Dawson, the first Woman Police Constable to join Brinford Constabulary, a fictional police force in the West Midlands, in 1956. The show focuses on WPC Gina Dawson's struggle to gain acceptance in the male-dominated police station whilst having to deal with the sexist attitudes that were commonplace at the time.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Romance
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, realistic, detective, touching, historical drama, period piece, period drama
Similar in 86%
Conviction (2004)
Plot Summary:
The murder of a 12-year-old girl leaves her local community shell-shocked and intent on revenge. As the public clamour for justice, the team investigating the murder battle against a growing sense of vigilantism on their patch.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 175
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 59 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, serious, suspenseful, detective, sincere, realistic
Similar in 77%
The Bill (1984)
Plot Summary:
The Bill is a police procedural television series that was broadcast on the ITV network from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, entitled Woodentop, which was broadcast in August 1983. In its final year on air, The Bill was broadcast once a week, usually on Tuesdays or Thursdays, in a one-hour format. The programme focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work. At the time of the series' conclusion, The Bill was the longest-running police procedural television series in the United Kingdom, and was among the longest-running of any British television series. The series was produced by Thames Television. The series name originated from "Old Bill", a slang term for the police. This was also Geoff McQueen's original title idea for the series, before he eventually decided on "The Bill". Although highly acclaimed amongst fans and critics alike, the series attracted controversy on several occasions. An episode broadcast in 2008 was criticised for featuring fictional treatment for multiple sclerosis, and another episode in the same year resulted in litigation, submitted by MP George Galloway for defamation. The series has also faced more general criticism, concerning the levels of violence it portrays, particularly prior to 2009, when it occupied a pre-watershed slot. During its time on air, The Bill won several awards, including BAFTAs, a Writers' Guild of Great Britain award and the title of "best drama" at the Inside Soap Awards in 2009, the latter being the series' fourth consecutive win. Throughout its twenty-seven-year run, the programme was always broadcast on the main ITV network. In later years, episodes of the show were repeated on ITV3 on their week of broadcast. The series has also been repeated on other digital stations, including UKTV Gold, Alibi, Watch and UKTV G2. In March 2010, executives at ITV announced that the network did not intend to recommission The Bill, and that filming on the series would cease on 14 June 2010. The last ever episode of the series was aired on 31 August 2010.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: captivating, serious, sincere, detective, crime drama, realistic
Similar in 89%
The Thin Blue Line (1995)
Plot Summary:
The Thin Blue Line is a British sitcom starring Rowan Atkinson set in a police station that ran for two series on the BBC from 1995 to 1996. It was written by Ben Elton.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: humorous, sitcom, detective, not serious, realistic, witty, hilarious, atmospheric, double entendre, alternative comedy
Similar in 77%
Candice Renoir (2013)
Plot Summary:
Candice Renoir had put her career on standby for 10 years. When she returns from Singapore to resume service in a port town in the south of France, she feels a bit “rusty”. Despite the obvious defiance of her unit and a cynical superior who doesn’t make her job any easier, she is determined to turn her so-called weaknesses into strengths, solving the most complex cases with her common sense, her acute observation and her practical nature seasoned by a busy daily routine. Only Candice can catch a killer because she knows the chemical composition of a window-cleaning product or determine the hour of a murder from the cooking-time of kebabs… Candice is only naive on the outside, and nobody can resist her!.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: realistic, captivating, semi serious, detective, feel good, witty, suspenseful, serious
Similar in 78%
Monday Monday (2009)
Plot Summary:
Monday Monday is an ITV, UTV comedy drama. It stars Fay Ripley, Jenny Agutter, Neil Stuke, Holly Aird, Morven Christie, Tom Ellis, and Miranda Hart. It is set in the head office of a supermarket that has fallen on hard times and had to re-locate its staff from London to Leeds. The show was initially announced as part of ITV's Winter 2007 press pack, but was "iced" until 2009 due to falling advertising in the wake of the economic downturn.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 475
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: humorous, cynical, semi serious, captivating, atmospheric, realistic
Similar in 81%
Backstrom (2015)
Plot Summary:
Detective Lieutenant Everett Backstrom is a man with no filter. After a five-year exile to the traffic division for offensive behavior, he has returned from disgrace to lead Portland's newly minted S.C.U. Tasked with navigating the city's most sensitive and serious cases, he must solve each crime as he tries, and fails, to change his own self-destructive behavior. Based on renowned Swedish criminologist and novelist Leif G.W. Persson’s hit series of books of the same name.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: cynical, realistic, detective, humorous, captivating, psychological, tense, cult classic, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Moving Wallpaper (2008)
Plot Summary:
Moving Wallpaper is a British satirical comedy-drama television series set in a TV production unit. It ran on ITV for two series in 2008–2009. The subject of the first series was the production of a soap called Echo Beach, each episode of which aired directly after the Moving Wallpaper episode about its production. The second series was based around the production of a "zombie show" called Renaissance. Ben Miller confirmed in May 2009 on his Twitter account that no further series will be made. The title, "Moving Wallpaper", is a disparaging term applied to uninspiring TV shows, or to television in general, referring to the perception that modern television viewers are "mindless absorbers of images", as if staring at wallpaper.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 311
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: semi serious, clever, humorous, realistic, witty, talky
Similar in 87%
Trial & Retribution (1997)
Plot Summary:
Trial & Retribution is a feature-length ITV police procedural television drama series that began in 1997. It was devised and written by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series Prime Suspect. Each episode of the Trial & Retribution series is broadcast over two nights. The 2008 series 10 had 10 episodes, the longest run of the drama so far. The latest series was number 12 which aired in February 2009.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: detective, crime drama, tense, rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 76%
The Unusuals (2009)
Plot Summary:
The Unusuals is a comedy-drama television series that aired on ABC from April 8 to June 17, 2009 in the U.S. and Global in Canada. The pilot and first episode were written by Noah Hawley, a former writer and producer for Fox's Bones. An ABC press release described The Unusuals as "like a modern-day M*A*S*H" that "explores both the grounded drama and comic insanity of the world of New York City police detectives, where every cop has a secret". Its premise elaborated: The initial series order was for 10 episodes. Show creator Noah Hawley announced via his Twitter account in mid-May 2009 that ABC would not be bringing the show back for a second season.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: humorous, semi serious, light, captivating, detective, anime, psychological thriller, realistic, psycho film
Similar in 83%
Inspector Rex (2008)
Plot Summary:
A spin off from the Austrian series Kommissar (Inspector) Rex. Rex the Police Dog moves from Vienna to Rome to continue his career.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 520
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration:
Plot tags: exciting, tense, captivating, suspense, detective, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
The Bridge (2010)
Plot Summary:
The Bridge was a Canadian police drama commissioned by CTV and CBS starring Aaron Douglas. The name of the series is derived from the bridge which connects the wealthy Rosedale neighborhood of Toronto with one of its poorest, St. James Town. The initial order is for 11 episodes, produced by Entertainment One. After CTV ordered the pilot to series in November 2008, CTV later shared the pilot with CBS. This series premiered on CTV on March 5, 2010 and premiered on July 10, 2010 on CBS. It has been canceled in the US after three episodes due to low ratings. CTV announced on June 3, 2010 that the series will return for a second season during the 2010–2011 season. However, on January 13, 2011, star Aaron Douglas tweeted that the series has been officially canceled after only one season.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 470
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, psychological, captivating, detective, rough, suspenseful
Similar in 85%
19-2 (2014)
Plot Summary:
The day-to-day life of two unwilling partners of the Montreal Police Department, Officers Nick Barron and Ben Chartier. These two beat cops patrol the urban sprawl of downtown's 19th district, in cruiser No. 2. 19-2 is about the tensions and bonds that develop between two incompatible men of very different temperaments and life experiences. Over time, Nick and Ben's mistrust and antagonism for each other give way to moments of mutual respect and a wavering chance at a true partnership.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, realistic, serious, captivating, detective, suspenseful
Similar in 82%
Robbery Homicide Division (2002)
Plot Summary:
Robbery Homicide Division was an American police procedural television series on CBS, created by Barry Schindel with executive producer Michael Mann. Schindel has been nominated for three Emmy Awards.
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 403
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, exciting, captivating, realistic
Similar in 80%
10-8: Officers on Duty (2003)
Plot Summary:
10-8: Officers on Duty is an American police drama television series. The series aired on ABC from September 28, 2003 to January 11, 2004. The title is in reference to the ten-code for "officer in service and available for calls.".
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 280
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, captivating, detective, realistic
Similar in 86%
Holby Blue (2007)
Plot Summary:
The police force at Holby South is tasked with the toughest job yet. Not only are they fighting the usual crime with drug offenders and gang members, but today they are faced with the threat of terrorism on their own soil. A Spin off from Holby City and Casualty.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 414
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, serious, psychological, emotional, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 80%
Between the Lines (1992)
Plot Summary:
Between the Lines was a television police drama series created by J. C. Wilsher and produced by World Productions for the BBC. It was first shown on BBC1 between 1992 and 1994, running for three series. The show centred on the eventful life of Detective Superintendent Tony Clark, played by Neil Pearson. Clark was an ambitious member of the Complaints Investigation Bureau, an internal organisation that investigates claims of corruption inside the police in England and Wales. Along the way Clark had to overcome strong influence from his superiors and problems in his private life, most notably the break-up of his marriage following an affair with WPC Jenny Dean. Throughout the series Clark was assisted by sidekicks Harry Naylor and Mo Connell. Clark's work as a lead officer in CIB was the focus of the first two series. In the first series his boss was Deakin, a tough Irish policeman. At the end of the first series Deakin was revealed to be a corrupt officer himself. He left the force but remained a recurring character working freelance for the security services and others, sometimes in conflict with Clark and sometimes assisting him. At the start of the third series Clark, Naylor and Connell leave the police force and work in the murky world of private security, far right politics and espionage. The third series ends with the betrayal of Clark and Naylor who had been masquerading as mercenaries. The betrayal is made by Connell in league with Deakin, their former boss and nemesis. It is unclear whether Clark and Naylor have died as the show ended on a cliffhanger. Rumours of a remake did circulate for some years, but Pearson confirmed in 'Watching the Detectives' that he had wanted a 'final' ending at the time and would never return to the role.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 611
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, serious, captivating, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
Identity (2010)
Plot Summary:
Identity is a British police procedural drama television series starring Aidan Gillen and Keeley Hawes, airing in the UK during July–August 2010. Concerning identity theft, the series was created and written by Ed Whitmore, a writer most noted for his work on the BBC's Waking The Dead and the acclaimed ITV mini-series He Kills Coppers. The remake rights have been sold to the ABC Network in America who are developing their own version of the show. ITV confirmed that the show had been cancelled on 19 October 2010, after a single series.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 717
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, serious, realistic, captivating, detective, crime drama, suspenseful, stylized, gloomy
Similar in 84%
The Body Farm (2011)
Plot Summary:
Dr Eve Lockhart is one of Britain's leading forensic pathologists and runs a state-of-the-art forensic research facility called The Body Farm with her business partner Mike Phillips. Theirs is the only facility in the country using real human body-donors to examine the complex and fascinating journey the body goes through as it decays and returns to the earth.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 842
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, realistic, tense, captivating, detective, psychological, rough, suspenseful
Similar in 81%
NYC 22 (2012)
Plot Summary:
NYC 22 is an American police procedural drama which ran on CBS from April 15 to August 11, 2012. The series was a mid-season replacement for CSI: Miami. On May 13, 2012, both series were canceled by CBS.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, tense, detective, psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing, rough, suspenseful