Best tv shows like Cleaning Up
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
This characterful drama focuses on an ordinary working class woman, Sam, who is caught between two worlds - the everyday life of a devoted and loving Mum and the darker, dangerous world of insider trading. While struggling with an online gambling addiction, Sassy office cleaner Sam realises she has access to lucrative Stock Market information which if used correctly could be the answer to all her prayers.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Best tv shows and movies like Cleaning Up (2019):
Similar in 81%
Rain Dogs (2023)
Plot Summary:
A wild and punky tale of a mother's love for her daughter, of deep-rooted and passionate friendships, and of brilliance thwarted by poverty and prejudice.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: dark comedy
Similar in 83%
Vital Signs (2006)
Plot Summary:
Vital Signs is a British television drama series airing on ITV from 2006. It stars Tamzin Outhwaite as a supermarket check-out operator who decides to become a doctor. The series co-stars William Beck, Fraser Ayres, Eve Best, Claudie Blakley, Lucinda Dryzek, Beth Goddard, Alfie Hunter, Brooke Kinsella, Harry Lloyd, Peter Rnic and Steven Waddington. The filming of the show is based in numerous London hospitals and medical schools; predominantly the show has been shot in St George's Hospital and Medical School. The theme tune, 'Go My Own Way', was written and recorded by Alexis Strum, and produced by Magnus Fiennes.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 59
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: medical drama
Similar in 82%
Seesaw (1999)
Plot Summary:
British series starring David Suchet.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 146
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 81%
The Long Firm (2004)
Plot Summary:
The lives of characters who live, love and suffer through their association with the charismatic charms of gangster Harry Starks.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 717
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 220 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Police Rescue (1989)
Plot Summary:
Police Rescue was an Australian television series which originally aired on ABC TV between 1989 and 1996. It was produced by ABC and Southern Star Xanadu in association with the BBC. Apart from the 61 episodes, there was a 90-minute pilot episode as well as a feature film in 1994, starring Zoe Carides. The series dealt with the New South Wales Police Rescue Squad based in Sydney and their work attending to various incidents from road accidents to train crashes. The show was very well received for the first four series, however a decline in ratings by the commencement of the 1996 series saw the cancellation of the show, following an almost epitaph in the final three episodes. Police Rescue was shown in the United Kingdom and aired on Sky One, in parts of Italy as Polizia Squadra Soccorso on T9, in France on TF1 as Sydney Police, in Germany on VOX as Police Rescue – Gefährlicher Einsatz, in Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark on the United Kingdom-based TV3, and in the Republic of Ireland on RTÉ.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 570
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia, UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 88%
Edge of Desire (2017)
Plot Summary:
A young man falls for a seductive, confident woman who performs as a mermaid, and actually believes to be one.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 332
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: Brazil
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: novela, soap opera, psychological, captivating, disturbing, telenovela
Similar in 78%
Band of Gold (1995)
Plot Summary:
Band of Gold is a British drama series written by Kay Mellor and produced by Granada Television. It was originally shown on ITV between 1995 and 1997. Starring Geraldine James, Cathy Tyson, Barbara Dickson and Samantha Morton, the series revolves around the lives of a group of women who live and work in Bradford's red-light district.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 738
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 290 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 78%
The Vice (1999)
Plot Summary:
The Vice is an ITV police drama about the Metropolitan Police Vice Unit. It ran for five short series between 1999 and 2003. It tells the story of the London Metropolitan police force's vice squad, where prostitution, underage sex, and other such organized crime are regular occurrences. Most episodes end in such a way where the main villain is caught but often not in a 'naturally' concluded way that you would expect with other TV dramas, and often ending an episode with more questions unanswered than answered. The small dedicated team is led by Detective Inspector Pat Chappel who struggles to manage the balance between his home life and his work life - as do the other members of the team. Working in the seedy underworld leads to a continual dilemma for the team - the tension between the Vice Squad and the vice-related crimes that they investigate runs throughout the series and gives the show a rich viewing experience. The programme often blurs the line of the team staying on the right side of the law, as almost every member of the team at different points submits briefly or permanently to the temptations of either sex, drugs, money or honey traps. Sometimes with drastic consequences.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 586
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: detective, crime drama
Similar in 79%
Prospects (1986)
Plot Summary:
Prospects is a British television comedy drama series that was written by Alan Janes and originally shown on Channel 4 in 1986. Created by Euston Films who had a pedigree of producing successful, gritty drama such as The Sweeney and Minder, it followed the exploits of two East End 'geezer' characters - Jimmy 'Pincy' Pince played by Gary Olsen and Billy played by Brian Bovell and their trials and tribulations of making a living in London's Isle of Dogs. Comprising 12 episodes Prospects - with a comic slant, dealt with many of the major issues affecting British society at the height of the "Thatcherite" '80's including unemployment, crime, poverty, regeneration, social change and racism. Prospects gained a cult following and ratings wise it performed well above expectation for Channel 4. At that time Channel Four received a large subsidy from the rival commercial network ITV in exchange for the right to sell airtime; this gave ITV a significant input into the management of the station. The success of Prospects and the fact that it was produced by a subsidiary of the ITV network's largest station Thames Television meant it was moved to a 9pm prime-time repeat slot on ITV in the Spring/Summer of 1987. This fuelled rumours that the network wanted to develop Prospects into a long-running comedy drama series. However despite seeing potential ITV declined the opportunity to develop it beyond the original first series.
IMDB Rating: 8.6
IMDB Votes: 200
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 85%
Juliet Bravo (1980)
Plot Summary:
Juliet Bravo was a drama that focused on two female police inspectors, neither of whom were called Juliet Bravo! These two inspectors worked in the small fictional town of Hartley, Lancashire. Jean Darblay was on the scene first and had trouble with her sexist colleagues. However she soon managed to gain their trust and prove a woman could be a successful police officer and housewife. Jean's call sign was Juliet Bravo. When she was promoted and moved on she was replaced by Kate Longton who not only took over the patch but also the headaches that went with it.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 274
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 82%
Karen Pirie (2022)
Plot Summary:
Karen is a refreshingly normal and charmingly unfashionable young woman – slick, maverick cop she is not – but her quick mouth and ingenuity make her an impressive investigator. Following her promotion to Police Scotland’s Historic Cases Unit, Karen is tasked with reopening the investigation into a murder that has been the subject of a provocative true crime podcast. When teenage barmaid Rosie Duff was stabbed to death in 1995, suspicion fell on the three drunken students who discovered her body. But despite police suspicion, the boys were never charged. Nearly 25 years on, DS Karen Pirie is determined to uncover what happened that fateful night. Do the men know more than they previously revealed? When Karen uncovers flaws in the initial investigation, she finds herself in conflict with the very officers who led the original hunt for the killer.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 75%
The Gentle Touch (1980)
Plot Summary:
The Gentle Touch is a British police drama television series made by London Weekend Television for ITV which ran from 1980-1984. Commencing transmission on 11 April 1980, the series is notable for being the first British series to feature a female police detective as its leading character, ahead of the similarly themed BBC series Juliet Bravo by four months.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 296
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective
Similar in 83%
The Walk-In (2022)
Plot Summary:
Forced to flee the UK and go into hiding in the 1990’s when he became a mole from within the BNP, Matthew Collins returned to Britain to make a new life for himself. As Collins works with young white men in the fight against radicalisation.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 65 min
Plot tags: social
Similar in 75%
Murder (2002)
Plot Summary:
Chris Maurer is killed the day after his 21st birthday and his grieving mother, Angela Maurer, is unable to come to grips with that fact. She is taken advantage of by a self-interested journalist who only cares about getting a front-page story and she is completely dissatisfied with the way the police are handling the case. A local shopkeeper tries to help her through these trying times, but to no avail. The police arrest Chris' friend Ryan McGuinness, after they learn Chris may have spent the night with Ryan's girlfriend but Chris also had a testy relationship with his brother-in-law. The Good Samaritan who found Chris bloodied and beaten on the sidewalk agrees to participate in a reconstruction of the crime. In the end, a simple slip of the tongue reveals the identity of the killer and then the motive for the murder.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 64
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
The Beast Must Die (2021)
Plot Summary:
Following the death of her son in a hit and run, all Frances Cairnes wants is to hunt down and kill the man she believes is responsible. When she finally tracks him down, she tricks her way into his house and plots his murder from within.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, suspenseful, thought provoking, suspense, disturbing, detective, thrilling
Similar in 78%
Frankie (2013)
Plot Summary:
Frankie is a British television drama series created by Lucy Gannon. The series stars Eve Myles as the eponymous character Frankie Maddox, a district nurse more emotionally involved with her job than her personal life. The series is both set and filmed in the English city of Bristol.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 497
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, sincere, touching, serious
Similar in 84%
Rose and Maloney (2002)
Plot Summary:
Rose and Maloney is a British television crime drama starring Sarah Lancashire and Phil Davis as Rose Linden and Maloney, two investigators working for the fictional Criminal Justice Review Agency. This agency takes on claims of miscarriages of justice, assessing whether there are grounds to reopen old cases. Rose is brilliant but strong-willed and sometimes reckless. She likes to follow her instincts and play hunches and often comes into conflict with authority. Maloney, although Rose's superior, usually allows himself to be led by his more passionate colleague. Maloney is a by-the-book man and a little grey. He finds working with Rose dangerous but addictively exciting. A pilot was first broadcast on ITV on 29 September 2002. A series of three stories followed in July 2005. Throughout all the series many actors and actresses starred in the programme including Tara Fitzgerald, Danny Dyer, Tiana Benjamin, Andrew-Lee Potts and Neil Dudgeon to name but a few.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 929
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: detective, psychological, tense, captivating, disturbing
Similar in 82%
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 90%
Black Work (2015)
Plot Summary:
'Black Work' is the story of Jo Gillespie, a woman who's husband is shot dead in the line of action, in his job as a undercover cop. Jo, a police officer herself soon has to confront issues in her marriage and family life in order to discover who really killed her husband.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama
Similar in 83%
From Darkness (2015)
Plot Summary:
The story of Claire Church, a former police officer who moves away to the remote Western Isles in an attempt to escape the past and violence that still haunts her. Soon, Claire is pulled back into an investigation she thought she long left behind, by her former lover and colleague DCI John Hind and his new DS Anthony Boyce.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 233 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, psychological, unusual plot structure, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, psychological thriller, crime drama
Similar in 87%
The Hunt for Raoul Moat (2023)
Plot Summary:
Follows the police operation in 2010 to apprehend fugitive Raoul Moat. He went to Northumbria after killing one person and wounding two others.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 80%
Four Lives (2022)
Plot Summary:
The true story of the courageous families of four young gay men who lost their lives to killer Stephen Port. Facing police failings, they fought for justice for their loved ones.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Crime, Drama, History, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 175 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspenseful, thrilling, detective
Similar in 79%
Five Daughters (2010)
Plot Summary:
Factually-based drama telling the stories of five young women who were tragically murdered in Ipswich in 2006.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 593
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, serious, suspenseful, bleak, captivating, realistic
Similar in 85%
The Mallorca Files (2019)
Plot Summary:
Amongst the vibrant international community of the eponymous Spanish island, a British and a German detective with very different approaches to policing have a clash of personalities. Despite - or perhaps because of - their very different approaches, the sleuths form a perfect complementary partnership as they seek to solve a new crime on the island each week.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK, France, Germany, Spain
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, captivating, suspense, crime drama
Similar in 89%
Masterpiece Theatre: Bleak House (1985)
Plot Summary:
Adaptation of the Dickens novel.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 401
Genere: Drama, Crime
Country: UK
Duration: 391 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, stylized, period drama
Similar in 89%
Good Girls (2018)
Plot Summary:
Three "good girl" suburban wives and mothers suddenly find themselves in desperate circumstances and decide to stop playing it safe and risk everything to take their power back.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 59000
Genere: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: funny, ironic, feel good, captivating, humorous, tense, entertaining, intellectual, sitcom, interactive
Similar in 78%
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%
Run (2013)
Plot Summary:
Four gritty no-holds-barred human stories of the streets, all linked together in some respect.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, sincere, touching, emotional, serious, realistic, hood
Similar in 87%
Traffik (1989)
Plot Summary:
Traffik is a 1989 British television serial about the illegal drugs trade. Its three stories are interwoven, with arcs told from the perspectives of Afghan and Pakistani growers and manufacturers, German dealers, and British users. It was nominated for six BAFTA Awards, winning three. It also won an International Emmy Award for best drama. The 2000 crime drama film Traffic, directed by Steven Soderbergh, was based on this television serial. In turn, the 2004 American television miniseries Traffic was based on both versions.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 315 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, thought provoking, disturbing, rough, bleak, political, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 83%
Peaky Blinders (2013)
Plot Summary:
A gangster family epic set in 1919 Birmingham, England and centered on a gang who sew razor blades in the peaks of their caps, and their fierce boss Tommy Shelby, who means to move up in the world.
IMDB Rating: 8.8
IMDB Votes: 621000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 2109 min
Plot tags: serious, atmospheric, tense, stylized, captivating, clever, suspenseful, rough, historical drama, realistic