Best tv shows like By Any Means
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
By Any Means follows a clandestine unit living on the edge and playing the criminal elite at their own game, existing in the grey area between the letter of the law and true justice.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, exciting, realistic, historical drama
Best tv shows and movies like By Any Means (2013):
Similar in 85%
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
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Similar in 79%
Hamburg Dockland (2007)
Plot Summary:
Shows the interaction between Hamburg police officers and paramedics.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 340
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Germany
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, rough, detective
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Similar in 82%
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
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Similar in 76%
Flikken Maastricht (2007)
Plot Summary:
Former Amsterdam police detective Floris Wolfs has been transferred to the police department of the south-Dutch country town Maastricht. His metropolitan experience nicely complements the local expertise of his new country colleagues, who know the folks. Slowly he fits in, while solving countless crimes together with his female partner Eva van Dongen.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, suspenseful, realistic
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Similar in 86%
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
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Similar in 77%
The Sweeney (1975)
Plot Summary:
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London. The programme's title derives from Sweeney Todd, which is Cockney rhyming slang for "Flying Squad". The programme was shot entirely on 16mm film by Thames Television's film division, Euston Films. It originally aired on ITV between 2 January 1975 and 28 December 1978 in the 9-10pm weekday slot with repeated showings at the same time until the early 1980s. It starred John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, and Dennis Waterman as his partner Detective Sergeant George Carter. Such was its popularity in the UK that it spawned two theatrically released feature film spin-offs, Sweeney! and Sweeney 2. The series aired during a dark period for the real-life Flying Squad. In the late 1970s, the Flying Squad was publicly censured for being involved in bribery, police corruption and excessively close links with the criminal fraternity. Unlike the unwavering high standards seen in the fictional Sweeney, the actual commander of the Flying Squad, Detective Chief Superintendent Kenneth Drury was convicted of five counts of corruption and jailed for eight years on 7 July 1977. An internal investigation, called Operation Countryman, was then launched to stamp out more corruption. A further 12 officers were convicted and many others resigned.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 51 min
Plot tags: detective, crime drama, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
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Similar in 75%
Murphy's Law (2003)
Plot Summary:
Murphy's Law is a BBC television drama starring James Nesbitt as an undercover police officer, Tommy Murphy.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, rough, clever, realistic, suspenseful, detective, dark, crime drama, gloomy
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Similar in 85%
Jo (2013)
Plot Summary:
Jo is an English-language French police procedural television series created by Canadian/USA screenwriter René Balcer of Law & Order fame with French writing team Franck Ollivier & Malina Detcheva, known for the mini-series Lost Signs. It is co-produced by the French Atlantique Productions and the Belgian Stromboli Pictures companies in association with broadcast partners TF1, RTBF, Sat.1, ORF and RTS.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: France, UK
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, rough, realistic, suspenseful, detective
Similar in 82%
FX: The Series (1996)
Plot Summary:
Rollie Tyler, a special effects expert, helps his detective friend solve crimes by making criminals see what they want to see. But what is real and what is illusion?.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 787
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, cynical, stylized, fast
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Similar in 90%
Hustle (2004)
Plot Summary:
A motley group of London con artists pull of a series of daring and intricate stings.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, comedy drama, serious
Similar in 80%
Vera (2011)
Plot Summary:
A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her “patch” of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 18000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, detective, crime drama, captivating, costume drama, hardboiled detective, suspenseful, stylized, tense
Similar in 78%
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
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Similar in 88%
High Incident (1996)
Plot Summary:
High Incident is a police drama series produced by DreamWorks Television for the ABC network. The show was created by Steven Spielberg, Michael Pavone, Eric Bogosian and Dave Alan Johnson. It first aired on March 4, 1996, running a total of 32 episodes.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 427
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful
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Similar in 81%
Aspe (2004)
Plot Summary:
In each episode of this Flemish whodunit based on the books of Pieter Aspe, a serious crime - usually one or more murders in the author's home town Bruges - gets investigated by the grumpy but brilliant chief inspector Pieter Van In and his team.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 405
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Belgium
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
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Similar in 81%
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
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Similar in 77%
Shattered (2010)
Plot Summary:
Shattered is a Canadian police procedural series created by Rick Drew. The main character is a tough, smart homicide detective in Vancouver who suffers from dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder. His wife Ella is played by Molly Parker. In the first moments of the series, Ben is bonded in blood to his determined, beautiful partner Amy Lynch. While they work to solve the murder cases that cross their desk daily, Ben copes with the fascinating complexities of his secret disorder, and the uncertainty of never knowing which alternate personality will surface, or when. Other regular characters of the series are Sergeant Pam ‘TC’ Garrett, John ‘Hall’ Holland a young, handsome and ambitious detective, and Terry Rhodes, Ben’s best friend and ex-partner.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 372
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Canada
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, suspenseful, realistic, detective, offbeat
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Similar in 89%
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
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Similar in 78%
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
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Similar in 85%
The Chicago Code (2011)
Plot Summary:
The series follows officers of the Chicago Police Department as they fight crime on the streets and try to expose political corruption within the city.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 44 min
Plot tags: exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, dark drama, fast
Similar in 79%
Line of Fire (2003)
Plot Summary:
Line of Fire is a crime drama television series that was broadcast on ABC for 11 episodes in the winter of 2003-2004. It starred Leslie Bibb and Jeffrey D. Sams as two rookie FBI agents assigned to the bureau's Richmond, Virginia branch, where their story parallels that of a local mob boss, Jonah Malloy. When a fellow agent is murdered in a shootout with the gangsters, the head of the FBI branch declares an all-out war on the criminal underworld. The following episodes weaved intricately between Bibb and Sams' federal agency and Paymer's gang, though the two storylines rarely met head-on, except when occasionally focusing on an undercover agent. The show was canceled after just 11 episodes in June 2004, though 13 episodes in all were produced. Mob boss Jonah Malloy's signature line was "That's that with that." The Parents Television Council took a clip from the series for their TV's Worst Clips from years 2001 to 2004. The clip used depicted graphic sexuality.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 312
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
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Similar in 86%
L.A. Dragnet (2003)
Plot Summary:
Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner Frank Smith methodically investigate crimes in Los Angeles.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective
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Similar in 80%
Public Morals (2015)
Plot Summary:
Set in the early 1960's in New York City's Public Morals Division, where cops walk the line between morality and criminality as the temptations that come from dealing with all kinds of vice can get the better of them.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 81%
Gang Related (2014)
Plot Summary:
Every villain has a noble cause, and every hero has a dark side. Detective Ryan Lopez is a rising star in Los Angeles' elite Gang Task Force. What the world doesn't know is that long before Ryan became a cop, he pledged allegiance to a different band of brothers – a powerful Latino gang called Los Angelicos. When Ryan's best friend and police partner is senselessly killed by a notorious gang member, Ryan teams up with longtime Task Force member Cassius Green who has been at the forefront of the city's war on organized crime. In this war between law enforcement and gangs, the series explores how only people who really know the streets can win the battle on the streets.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: rough, serious, exciting, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama, detective
Similar in 79%
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
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Similar in 83%
The Interceptor (2015)
Plot Summary:
A gripping eight-part series about a state-of-the-art law enforcement team whose unswerving mission is to hunt down some of Britain’s most dangerous criminals. The Interceptor delves into the adventures of a dedicated surveillance team known as the UNIT. Keeping their quarries under ultra-tight surveillance, they take us into the real world inhabited by the criminals of today. And it’s easy to recognize because it’s the same world the rest of us inhabit.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: rough, realistic, suspenseful, tense, serious
Similar in 82%
Hack (2002)
Plot Summary:
Hack is a television series that aired on the American CBS television network from 2002 to 2004. The series centers on the fictional life of a former police officer, Polish-American Mike Olshansky, who left the force after being charged with corruption and now works as a taxi driver in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, rough, detective, crime drama
Similar in 81%
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%
Inside Men (2012)
Plot Summary:
The story of three employees of a security depot who plan and execute a multi-million pound cash heist.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 240 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, mind bending, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, dark, psychological, clever, non-linear
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Similar in 75%
Life of Crime (2013)
Plot Summary:
A female cop becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer of a 15-year-old girl, and hunts him over the course of her 28 year career in the force.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 730
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, detective, period piece, rough, serious
Similar in 77%
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
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