Best tv shows like Life on Mars
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
Life on Mars is a science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC. The series was co-produced by Kudos Film & Television, 20th Century Fox Television and ABC Studios. The series tells the story of New York City police detective Sam Tyler, who, after being struck by a car in 2008, regains consciousness in 1973. Fringing between multiple genres, including thriller, science fiction and police procedural, the series remained ambiguous regarding its central plot, with the character himself unsure about his situation. The series also starred Harvey Keitel, Jonathan Murphy, Michael Imperioli, and Gretchen Mol. Life on Mars garnered critical praise for its premise, acting, and depiction of the 1970s but suffered from a declining viewership after its premiere and a two-month hiatus. ABC announced on March 2, 2009 that it would not be ordering a second season. A DVD set of the complete series was released on September 29, 2009.
IMDB Rating: 7.5
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: tense, rough, serious, captivating, surreal, detective, futuristic, mysterious, allegory, mind bending
Best tv shows and movies like Life on Mars (2008):
Similar in 86%
Life on Mars (2006)
Plot Summary:
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural, featuring an officer from the Greater Manchester Police who travels back in time after being involved in a road accident. The title is a reference to David Bowie's 1973 single "Life on Mars?" An American adaptation of the series was produced by ABC and ran for one season from October 2008 to April 2009. A Spanish adaptation of the series was broadcast from April to June 2009. A Russian adaptation of the series The Dark Side of the Moon was broadcast in November 2012. A sequel to the series, Ashes to Ashes, also referencing another David Bowie song, began airing on BBC One in February 2008, followed by a second series in 2009 and a third and final series in 2010.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, surreal, tense, rough, captivating, stylized, crime drama, enigmatic, futuristic, serious
Similar in 77%
Starsky & Hutch (1975)
Plot Summary:
Starsky & Hutch is a 1970s American cop thriller television series, which consisted of a 70-minute pilot movie and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn, produced by Spelling-Goldberg Productions, and broadcast between April 30, 1975 and May 15, 1979 on the ABC network. It was distributed by Columbia Pictures Television in the United States and, originally, Metromedia Producers Corporation in Canada and some other parts of the world. Sony Pictures Television is now the worldwide distributor for the series. The series also inspired a theatrical film and a video game.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, realistic, semi serious, tense, retro, fast, vintage, cult film
Similar in 75%
Ashes to Ashes (2008)
Plot Summary:
Crime drama series featuring Life On Mars' DCI Gene Hunt. After being shot in 2008, DI Alex Drake lands in 1981, where she finds herself in familiar company.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, surreal, serious, tense, mind bending, suspenseful, stylized, crime drama, offbeat, sentimental
Similar in 83%
The Streets of San Francisco (1972)
Plot Summary:
The Streets of San Francisco is a 1970s television police drama filmed on location in San Francisco, California, and produced by Quinn Martin Productions, with the first season produced in association with Warner Bros. Television. It starred Karl Malden and Michael Douglas as two detectives in San Francisco. The show ran for five seasons, between September 16, 1972, and June 9, 1977, on ABC, amassing a total of 119 60-minute episodes. The series started with a pilot movie of the same title a week before the series debuted. Edward Hume, who wrote the teleplay for the pilot, was credited as having developed the series based on characters in Weston's novel. The pilot featured guest stars Robert Wagner, Tom Bosley and Kim Darby. Douglas left the series at the start of its final season and was replaced by Richard Hatch.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, retro, rough, serious, suspenseful, neo noir, vintage
Similar in 77%
Hawaii Five-O (1968)
Plot Summary:
Hawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for 12 seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. Jack Lord portrayed Detective Lieutenant Steve McGarrett, the head of a special state police task force which was based on an actual unit that existed under martial law in the 1940s. The theme music composed by Morton Stevens became especially popular. Many episodes would end with McGarrett instructing his subordinate to "Book 'em, Danno!", sometimes specifying a charge such as "murder one".
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: captivating, tense, stylized, realistic, suspenseful, detective, serious, vintage, telenovela
Similar in 75%
Crime Traveller (1997)
Plot Summary:
Detective Jeff Slade and his beautiful colleague Holly are armed with something very special in the ongoing fight against crime their very own time machine. Invented by Holly's father, Professor Frederick Turner, the time machine may be a bizarre mixture of D.I.Y. technology, but it works, just, sending the charming, maverick detective Slade on a dangerous roller-coaster ride through both the present and the past. Intriguing complex puzzles are solved with the aid of their unreliable collection of nuts and bolts and flashing lights, but they must always obey the rules of quantum physics, or risk being lost forever.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 453
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: UK
Duration: 50 min
Plot tags: detective, exciting, rough, bleak, serious, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Hill Street Blues (1981)
Plot Summary:
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations influenced many subsequent dramatic television series produced in North America.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 10000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: realistic, suspenseful, clever, serious, detective, retro, atmospheric, neo noir, rough, gloomy
Similar in 84%
A Touch of Frost (1992)
Plot Summary:
A Touch of Frost is a television detective series produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV from 1992 until 2010, initially based on the Frost novels by R.D. Wingfield. Writing credit for the three episodes in the first 1992 series went to Richard Harris, with screenplays credited to Wingfield. The series stars David Jason as Detective Inspector William Edward "Jack" Frost, an experienced and dedicated detective who frequently clashes with his superiors. In his cases, Frost is assisted by a variety of different detective sergeants, with each bringing a different slant to the particular case. Comic relief is provided by Frost's interactions with the bureaucratically minded Superintendent Norman Mullett, played by Bruce Alexander. A number of young actors had their major debut as supporting cast in the show, including Matt Bardock, Ben Daniels, Neil Stuke, Nathaniel Parker, Mark Letheren, Colin Buchanan, Jason Maza, Damian Lewis and Marc Warren.
IMDB Rating: 7.9
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: detective, crime drama, sincere, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, witty
Similar in 80%
Dragnet 1967 (1967)
Plot Summary:
The classic police drama is updated for the 1960s. No-nonsense Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner, Officer Bill Gannon, tackle traditional police cases and face new challenges such as LSD, race riots, and public service TV shows.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful
Similar in 77%
Unforgotten (2015)
Plot Summary:
'Unforgotten' follows modern police team DCI Cassie Stuart and DI Sunny Khan, who gradually unravel long-forgotten secrets which have a dramatic impact on their investigation and the four potential suspects. The slow revelation of the secrets will also affect the personal lives of both Sunny and Cassie.
IMDB Rating: 8.4
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: UK
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, serious, realistic, crime drama, tense, suspenseful, clever, captivating, disturbing, atmospheric
Similar in 82%
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 88%
Ironside (1967)
Plot Summary:
Ironside is a Universal television series that ran on NBC from September 14, 1967 to January 16, 1975. The show starred Raymond Burr as a paraplegic Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside. The character debuted on March 28, 1967 in a TV movie. When broadcast in the United Kingdom the show was initially titled A Man Called Ironside. The show earned Burr six Emmy and two Golden Globe nominations. A new television series having the same name, Ironside is currently under development and is scheduled to debut on October 2, 2013.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, talky, vintage
Similar in 81%
Crossing Jordan (2001)
Plot Summary:
Crossing Jordan is an American television crime/drama series that stars Jill Hennessy as Jordan Cavanaugh, M.D., a crime-solving forensic pathologist employed in the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, realistic, tense, clever, serious, medical drama, crime drama, captivating, suspenseful
Similar in 87%
Ironside (2013)
Plot Summary:
Ironside is an upcoming American drama television series that is scheduled to premiere in the 2013–14 television season on NBC. It will air on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central, after Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. It is a remake of the 1960s television series Ironside and is set to premiere on October 2, 2013.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration:
Plot tags: exciting, realistic, serious, tense, captivating, suspense, detective, suspenseful
Similar in 75%
Murdoch Mysteries (2008)
Plot Summary:
A Victorian-era Toronto detective uses then-cutting edge forensic techniques to solve crimes, with the assistance of a female coroner who is also struggling for recognition in the face of tradition, based on the books by Maureen Jennings.
IMDB Rating: 8.2
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 48 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, clever, stylized, detective, sad, costume drama, crime drama, historical drama, serious, mind bending
Similar in 78%
Kojak (1973)
Plot Summary:
Kojak is an American television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, bald New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theo Kojak. It aired from October 24, 1973, to March 18, 1978, on CBS. It took the time slot of the popular Cannon series, which was moved one hour earlier. Kojak's Greek American heritage, shared by actor Savalas, was prominently featured in the series. In 1999 TV Guide ranked Theo Kojak number 18 on its 50 Greatest TV Characters of All Time list.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 9000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: detective, rough, clever, serious, realistic, suspenseful, witty, urban fantasy
Similar in 81%
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 87%
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 75%
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
Similar in 89%
Detroit 1-8-7 (2010)
Plot Summary:
Detroit 1-8-7 is an American police procedural series about Detroit's leading homicide unit, created by Jason Richman for ABC. It features an ensemble cast of actors including Michael Imperioli and James McDaniel. The series originally ran on ABC from September 21, 2010 to March 20, 2011. The show's executive producer, David Zabel stated, "This is a crime show but we will explore various nooks and crannies in the communities and within that context there's a lot of opportunity to see what's positive in the city and see what's heroic about the people fighting for what’s best for the city of Detroit." The 1-8-7 of the title is a specific reference to the California Penal Code designation for homicide, which has become a slang term for murder. The Michigan Penal Code designations for the various forms of homicide begin at 750. On May 13, 2011, Detroit 1-8-7 was canceled by ABC. With the cancellation, series creator Jason Richman has said he is pursuing options for the series to continue on cable television, also stating that chances for the move are "slim". The DVD set for the series was released on August 30, 2011.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 42 min
Plot tags: realistic, rough, serious, suspenseful, detective, crime drama, heroic
Similar in 87%
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 80%
Law & Order (1990)
Plot Summary:
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It originally aired on NBC and, in syndication, on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24, 2010. At the time of its cancellation, Law & Order was the longest-running crime drama on American primetime television. After The Simpsons, both Law & Order and Gunsmoke tied for the second longest-running scripted American primetime series with ongoing characters.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 43000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: detective, tense, realistic, rough, clever, serious, suspenseful, crime drama, dramatic, thrilling
Similar in 87%
CSI: Miami (2002)
Plot Summary:
CSI: Miami follows Crime Scene Investigators working for the Miami-Dade Police Department as they use physical evidence, similar to their Las Vegas counterparts, to solve grisly murders. The series mixes deduction, gritty subject matter, and character-driven drama in the same vein as the original series in the CSI franchise, except that the Miami CSIs are cops first, scientists second.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 60000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, detective, rough, realistic, contemplative, crime drama, cliffhanger, exciting, grindhouse
Similar in 79%
Without a Trace (2002)
Plot Summary:
Without a Trace was an American police procedural television drama series that originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series follows the ventures of a Missing Persons Unit of the FBI in New York City.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, detective, bleak, rough, crime drama, thrilling
Similar in 87%
The Closer (2005)
Plot Summary:
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Jean Johnson transfers from Atlanta to LA to head up a special unit of the LAPD that handles sensitive, high-profile murder cases. Johnson's quirky personality and hard-nosed approach often rubs her colleagues the wrong way, but her reputation as one of the world's best interrogator eventually wins over even her toughest critics.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 46 min
Plot tags: captivating, realistic, sincere, tense, serious, detective, suspense, inspirational, bloody, thrilling
Similar in 76%
Unforgettable (2011)
Plot Summary:
Former Syracuse, New York, police detective Carrie Wells has hyperthymesia, a rare medical condition that gives her the ability to visually remember everything. She reluctantly joins the New York City Police Department's Queens homicide unit after her former boyfriend and partner asks for help with solving a case. The move allows her to try to find out the one thing she has been unable to remember, which is what happened the day her sister was murdered.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 21000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 60 min
Plot tags: serious, suspenseful, detective, thrilling, tense, realistic, exciting
Similar in 87%
Life (2007)
Plot Summary:
Complex, offbeat Detective Charlie Crews returns to the force after serving time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Crews’ new lease on life has provided him with a Zen-like outlook, peace of mind and no need for vengeance, an attitude which can be challenging to maintain when someone he cares about is threatened — or when he is investigating the mystery surrounding the murder he was falsely accused of.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 35000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 45 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, detective, tense, captivating, bleak, anime, smart, witty, suspenseful
Similar in 88%
Secrets and Lies (2015)
Plot Summary:
Detective Andrea Cornell is a tough, thorough Homicide Detective who leaves no stone unturned. Her unwavering dedication to her job makes her the most formidable opponent - or a highly valuable ally.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 43 min
Plot tags: serious, tense, suspenseful, captivating, realistic, detective, idiotic
Similar in 89%
Columbo (1971)
Plot Summary:
Columbo is a friendly, verbose, disheveled-looking police detective who is consistently underestimated by his suspects. Despite his unprepossessing appearance and apparent absentmindedness, he shrewdly solves all of his cases and secures all evidence needed for indictment. His formidable eye for detail and meticulously dedicated approach often become clear to the killer only late in the storyline.
IMDB Rating: 8.3
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: clever, captivating, detective, suspenseful, serious, realistic, retro, witty, spiritual, anthology
Similar in 83%
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