Best tv shows like Criminal Justice
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The worst thing Ben has ever done is, tonight, he takes his Dad's black cab out without his permission. But that's not why Ben ends the evening in a police cell. What looked to be a spontaneous evening of fun with a sexy stranger, Melanie, has culminated in a dead girl and Ben covered in her blood, holding the murder weapon. All the evidence points to Ben. There are no other leads. But he didn t do it. He can t remember all the events of the night, but he s sure he didn t. Ben is about to see what the criminal justice system does to someone who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 584 min
Plot tags: bleak, serious, captivating, suspense, atmospheric, crime drama, rough, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Criminal Justice (2008):
Similar in 75%
Rumpole of the Bailey (1978)
Plot Summary:
Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It stars Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an aging London barrister who defends any and all clients, and has been spun off into a series of short stories, novels, and radio programmes.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, clever, serious, realistic, witty
Similar in 78%
The Lost Honour of Christopher Jefferies (2014)
Plot Summary:
This drama tells the real-life story of retired schoolteacher Christopher Jefferies who was initially questioned by police as a suspect in the murder of Jo Yeates who rented a flat from him. He was vilified by the press, partly on account of his eccentric appearance and long flowing hair, even after he had been released on bail by the police. It was only when the real suspect, a neighbour of Jo Yeates, was arrested and later convicted of the murder that the destructive media attention in Jefferies subsided. He later sued several newspapers for libel and received an official apology from the police.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, captivating, tense, costume drama, biting, suspense
Similar in 76%
Kavanagh QC (1995)
Plot Summary:
Kavanagh QC is a British television series made by Central Television for ITV between 1995 and 2001. It is often repeated on ITV3, and series 1–6 are available on Region 2 DVDs. The series starred John Thaw as barrister James Kavanagh QC who comes from a working-class upbringing in Bolton, Greater Manchester. This is only discovered in later episodes as his parents' health deteriorates and through an exchange with a colleague who presumed that Kavanagh was actually a Yorkshireman. The series dealt with his battles in the courtroom as well as his domestic dramas which include the death of his devoted and affectionate wife. Later he begins dating a fellow barrister. In court Kavanagh is usually seen to be defending a client who seems likely to be convicted until a twist in the case occurs, but occasionally Kavanagh is seen in a prosecuting role. The main plot often features Kavanagh confronting cases with a subtext of racism, sexism or other prejudice. In sub-plots comedy came from the pomposity and self-absorption of Jeremy, a posh barrister in chambers. Kavanagh will not stand for injustice and is never bullied by threats or bribes from those whom he is up against in the courtroom.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, realistic
Similar in 77%
The Sculptress (1996)
Plot Summary:
Olive Martin (Quirke), a heavily overweight young woman is convicted of killing and butchering her mother and sister and sentenced to life imprisonment. However, when she is assigned to write a book about her life, author Rosalind Leigh (Goodall) begins to develop a relationship with Olive and is soon convinced of her innocence. With the help of restaurant owner and former policeman Hal Hawksley (Fulford), she sets out to prove it and undo what she sees as a miscarriage of justice. However, all is not what is seems.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 381
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: detective, psychological thriller, tense, bleak, serious, realistic, suspenseful, contemplative
Similar in 76%
Bad Girls (1999)
Plot Summary:
Bad Girls is a British television drama series that was broadcast on ITV from 1 June 1999 to 20 December 2006 and starred Simone Lahbib, Mandana Jones, Debra Stephenson, Linda Henry, Jack Ellis and many more throughout the eight-year run. The series was broadcast in 17 countries and was produced by Shed Productions, the company which later produced Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road. It is set in the fictional women's prison of Larkhall, and features a mixture of serious and light storylines focusing on the prisoners and staff of G Wing. From 2010, the UK broadcast rights were bought by CBS Drama, and is repeated regularly – as of September 2012, the channel is re-running the series again in a late-night time slot.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: rough, bleak, serious, captivating, realistic, disturbing, queer cinema
Similar in 79%
Injustice (2011)
Plot Summary:
On the surface William Travers is a picture of success. An accomplished criminal barrister happily living with his wife in rural Suffolk. However, Travers is still recovering from a traumatic series of events that have shaken his belief in the legal system. Reluctantly, he is drawn into a case that involves his old friend Martin Newall who faces conspiracy and murder charges while at the same time being investigated by a vicious and vengeful detective DS Mark Wenborn.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: psychological, tense, suspenseful, rough, serious, captivating, realistic, psychological thriller, dark, crime drama
Similar in 86%
Innocently Convicted (2008)
Plot Summary:
Oskyldigt dömd is a Swedish drama television series from 2008. The first season was recorded in twelve episodes during February 2008 to be aired later during the fall. It premiered on the Finnish TV channel FST5 on September 24, 2008 and later the same evening on Swedish TV4. The series is produced by Filmlance. On January 23 TV4 announced that Mikael Persbrandt would be playing the main character and on February 10 other cast members were announced; Helena af Sandeberg, Sofia Ledarp, Marie Richardson and Mirja Turestedt. TV4 also announced that they had started to work on the second season before the first had even been aired., the first season was written by Johan Zollitsch, Jan Arnald, Karin Gidfors and Hans Rosenfeldt but the second one is written by Thomas Borgström and Sara Heldt. Filming the second season took place during the spring 2009. TV4 refused to say how much money the filming has cost the channel, but they confirms that "a lot of money" has been used.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 512
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Sweden
Duration:
Plot tags: realistic, tense, captivating, psychological, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 79%
Better Man (2013)
Plot Summary:
The remarkable life and death of Van Nguyen, a Vietnamese Australian man who was convicted of drug trafficking in Singapore and executed for his crime in 2005.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 237
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration:
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, bleak, thought provoking
Similar in 82%
Janet King (2014)
Plot Summary:
Senior Prosecutor Janet King returns from maternity leave to confront a high-profile murder, and a conspiracy which will have shocking ramifications throughout the judicial system.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Australia
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, captivating, realistic, detective, political thriller
Similar in 90%
The Jury (2002)
Plot Summary:
The Jury is a British television serial broadcast in 2002. The series was the first ever to be allowed to film inside the historic Old Bailey courthouse.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 300 min
Plot tags: psychological, serious, captivating, realistic, bleak, tense, talky
Similar in 83%
Judge John Deed (2001)
Plot Summary:
Judge John Deed is a British legal drama television series produced by the BBC in association with One-Eyed Dog for BBC One. It was created by G.F. Newman and stars Martin Shaw as Sir John Deed, a High Court judge who tries to seek real justice in the cases before him. It also stars Jenny Seagrove as the barrister Jo Mills, frequently the object of Deed's desire. A pilot episode was broadcast on 9 January 2001, followed by the first full series on 26 November 2001. The sixth and last series concluded on 18 January 2007. The programme then went on an indefinite break after Shaw became involved in another television programme, and he and Seagrove expressed a wish for the format of the series to change before they filmed new episodes. By 2009, the series had officially been cancelled. The six series produced make it the longest-running BBC legal drama. The factual accuracy of the series is often criticised by legal professionals and journalists; many of the decisions taken by Deed are unlikely to happen in a real court. The romanticised vision of the court system created by Newman caused a judge to issue a warning to a jury not to let the series influence their view of trials—referring to an episode where Deed flouts rules when called up for jury duty. Another episode led to complaints about biased and incorrect information about the MMR vaccine, leading the BBC to ban repeats of it in its original form. All six series have been released on DVD in the UK.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 185 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, captivating, realistic, detective, crime drama
Similar in 83%
Three Blind Mice (2001)
Plot Summary:
A lawyer defends a man he's known since serving together in Vietnam, who has been accused of murdering three Vietnamese immigrants. Now he'll have to fight against a tenacious District Attorney, and evidence connected to the man's wife.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 286
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, captivating, suspenseful, exciting, realistic
Similar in 81%
Buried (2003)
Plot Summary:
Buried is a British television drama series, produced by World Productions for Channel 4 and originally screened in 2003. The programme starred Lennie James as Lee Kingley, who is serving a long prison sentence in order to protect a member of his family from a violent criminal. Critically well-received, the programme won the Best Drama Series category at the British Academy Television Awards in 2004.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 193
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, thought provoking, bleak, captivating, realistic
Similar in 86%
Close to Home (2005)
Plot Summary:
Close to Home is an American crime drama television series co-produced by Warner Bros. Television and Jerry Bruckheimer Television for CBS. While in pre-production the series was known as American Crime. It first aired from October 4, 2005 to May 11, 2007 and starred actress Jennifer Finnigan as Annabeth Chase, a Deputy Prosecutor for Marion County, Indiana. Created by Jim Leonard, the series was primarily filmed in Southern California. The score composer was Michael A. Levine. On May 16, 2007, the series was officially canceled by CBS.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: sentimental, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 86%
Common (2014)
Plot Summary:
Multi-award-winning writer Jimmy McGovern's brand new film based on the UK's controversial joint enterprise law. Jimmy McGovern's gritty drama stars Nico Mirallegro as guileless 17 year old Johnjo O'Shea, who goes from innocent bystander to accessory to premeditated murder after giving a few friends a lift.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: tense, thought provoking, serious, realistic, crime drama, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 77%
Murder One (1995)
Plot Summary:
Theodore 'Teddy' Hoffman is a highly-regarded defense attorney in a prestigious Los Angeles law firm. Having successfully defended the wealthy but suspicious Richard Cross in a much-publicised murder trial, he is now involved in the defense of Neil Avedon, a famous young actor who has been suffering from severe drug and alcohol problems - and has been charged with the murder for which Cross was acquitted.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, exciting, detective, thrilling, sincere, serious, realistic, contemplative, vintage
Similar in 82%
The Jury (2004)
Plot Summary:
Set in New York City, the series brings the viewer into the jury room to watch the deliberators try to answer the many questions posed during a trial. As facts are exposed through flashbacks of testimony and crime footage, viewers will form their own opinions about the guilt or innocence of the defendant. Following each verdict, a final flashback will let viewers see the crime as it actually happened and reveal whether or not the jury made the right decision.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 144
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, suspenseful, disturbing, rough, bleak
Similar in 87%
Waking the Dead (2000)
Plot Summary:
Waking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case unit composed of CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode aired in September 2000, and there have been a total of nine series since. Each story is split into two hour-long episodes, shown on consecutive nights on BBC One. A third series episode won an International Emmy Award in 2004. The programme was also shown on BBC America in the United States, though these screenings are edited to allow for advertising breaks, as well as UKTV in Australia and New Zealand and ABC1 in Australia. The show aired its final episode on 11 April 2011. A spin-off from the series, titled The Body Farm, revolving around forensic scientist Eve Lockhart, was announced by the BBC in January 2011 and ran for just one series.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, realistic, detective, crime drama, rough, serious, gloomy
Similar in 89%
Spiral (2005)
Plot Summary:
Spiral is a French television police drama series created by the TV production company Son et Lumière. The first eight episodes series started on Canal+ in France on 13 December 2005. It returned for a second series, partly funded by the BBC, of eight episodes on 12 May 2008, a third series of twelve episodes on 3 May 2010 and a fourth series of twelve episodes on 3 September 2012. A fifth and sixth series have been ordered. Spiral has been a great export success, with sales to broadcasters in some 70 countries, among them Australia, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The series was first shown in the UK on BBC Four during the summer of 2006. It was the channel's first French-language drama series, attracting a modest but loyal audience and firm critical approval. On 13 September 2009, BBC Four started showing the second series, on 2 April 2011 the third series and on 9 February 2013 the fourth series. In Australia, the first series was broadcast in 2008 on SBS One, the second series on SBS Two from September 2009 and the third series on SBS Two from mid-2012. Spiral debuted in North America via Netflix in September 2012; in November 2012, the small public-broadcasting network MHz Worldview began transmitting the series in the US.
IMDB Rating: 8.5
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: France
Duration: 52 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective, noir, crime drama, bleak, realistic, stylized
Similar in 90%
Law & Order Los Angeles (2010)
Plot Summary:
Law & Order: LA, originally titled Law & Order: Los Angeles, is an American police procedural and legal drama television series set in Los Angeles, where it was produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and developed by Blake Masters, it premiered on NBC on September 29, 2010, as a spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama Law & Order. The show received a full season pickup on October 18, 2010. On January 18, 2011, however, NBC announced that it was putting the series on hold indefinitely. According to a representative of the show, the scheduling change was not caused entirely by the recent cast shake-up. The network later announced a return date for the series, April 11, 2011; and the final episode scheduled for July 11, 2011. Law & Order: LA was canceled by NBC on May 13, 2011.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, realistic, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, rough, bleak, gloomy
Similar in 85%
Murder in Suburbia (2004)
Plot Summary:
Murder in Suburbia was a British detective drama that ran for two series in 2004 and 2005.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: suspenseful, bleak, rough, detective, tense, crime drama, captivating, suspense, mind bending, serious
Similar in 84%
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 84%
Blue Murder (2003)
Plot Summary:
Blue Murder is a British crime drama television series based in Manchester. Shown on ITV from 2003 until 2009 when it was cancelled by the network, it starred Caroline Quentin as DCI Janine Lewis.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful, crime drama
Similar in 79%
Hidden (2011)
Plot Summary:
When a mysterious lawyer Gina Hawkes turns up asking Harry to find a missing alibi witness for her client he agrees to take on the job but is unwittingly drawn into investigating the death of his brother 20 years ago. Harry quickly finds himself caught up in a much bigger and more complex conspiracy that reaches deep into the heart of the British political system.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 57 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, realistic, suspenseful, suspense, clever, serious, stylized
Similar in 89%
Broadchurch (2013)
Plot Summary:
The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 124000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: emotional, tense, clever, realistic, serious, detective, crime drama, gloomy, dramatic, crime thriller
Similar in 75%
Silk (2011)
Plot Summary:
Silk is a British television drama series produced by the BBC and first shown in 2011. Written by Peter Moffat, the series follows a set of barristers, and what they do to attain the rank of Queen's Counsel, known as "taking silk.".
IMDB Rating: 8.0
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: clever, serious, captivating, realistic, dramatic, costume drama, fast
Similar in 84%
The Defenders (1961)
Plot Summary:
The Defenders is an American courtroom drama series that ran on CBS from 1961–1965. It starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed as father-and-son defense attorneys who specialized in legally complex cases, with defendants such as neo-Nazis, conscientious objectors, civil rights demonstrators, a schoolteacher fired for being an atheist, an author accused of pornography, and a physician charged in a mercy killing. It was created by television writer Reginald Rose. The Museum of Broadcast Communications called it "perhaps the most socially conscious series the medium has ever seen", a show "singularly resonant with New Frontier liberalism." In 2002, The Defenders was ranked #31 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. and in 2013 TV Guide ranked it #8 in its list of The 60 Greatest Dramas of All Time.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 486
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, realistic, thought provoking, clever, talky, retro, contemplative, vintage
Similar in 89%
The Night Of (2016)
Plot Summary:
After a night of partying with a female stranger, a man wakes up to find her stabbed to death and is charged with her murder.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 167000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 525 min
Plot tags: suspense, realistic, atmospheric, tense, psychological, serious, detective, thought provoking, clever, enigmatic
Similar in 87%
Crownies (2011)
Plot Summary:
Delving into the extraordinary world of the Department of Public Prosecutions and its young, eager lawyers, Crownies follows five young solicitors as they face the pressures and endearing madness of modern single life - in a fast paced workplace that highlights the moral dilemmas and big issues facing an apparently civilized society.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, captivating, psychological, tense, serious, emotional, suspenseful
Similar in 84%
The Whole Truth (2010)
Plot Summary:
As District Attorney Kathryn Peale and defense attorney Jimmy Nolan rally their teams around their arguments and prepare to go head-to-head in the the courtroom, they make frantic moves and countermoves of complex legal wrangling to tilt justice in their favor.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 716
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, psychological, atmospheric, serious, contemplative